pkrplr4116
Legend
Silver Level
Late in '08, I bought into CC's Championship of the year game. I got to the final five or so and I knew I was against folks who were/are better than I. And, I wasn't the only one who knew they were better than I. The fello to my immediate right, Janovsky, would raise me EVERY TIME it was folded around to him. I folded against his raises every time I had a hand that I knew I'd end up folding to a continuation bet. I only called his big raises with mid/high pairs and high, suited connectors. I had more chips than he did, till the assault on my stack began...but by playing defensively AND GETTING OUT OF THE WAY saved me; he raised a few too many times and got busted out...I fought the good fight he fell out before me and I came in second.
Normally, if I think I can get away with it, I'll raise with a wide range of hands, but I won't call with those same hands. I asked his permission back then, if it was ok with him if I used his name in a strategy blog about how playing defensively saved my stack and led to me finishing in a higher place than he and he said it was fine. In his response, he complimented me on my discipline and knowing why to fold and when. It's not always weakness to fold...it preserves the ability to make a bigger bet when you do have the best hand. I had fold equity whereby if I called his BS raises (and many of them were BS raises) when I did make a raise, I'd have such a short stack EVERYONE could afford to call and everyone would call. Not only because they could afford to but because if they were paying attention they would assume I was a calling station.
Normally, if I think I can get away with it, I'll raise with a wide range of hands, but I won't call with those same hands. I asked his permission back then, if it was ok with him if I used his name in a strategy blog about how playing defensively saved my stack and led to me finishing in a higher place than he and he said it was fine. In his response, he complimented me on my discipline and knowing why to fold and when. It's not always weakness to fold...it preserves the ability to make a bigger bet when you do have the best hand. I had fold equity whereby if I called his BS raises (and many of them were BS raises) when I did make a raise, I'd have such a short stack EVERYONE could afford to call and everyone would call. Not only because they could afford to but because if they were paying attention they would assume I was a calling station.