Protecting Your Hand / Isolating Opponents - Is it getting more difficult?

J

jn137

Rock Star
Silver Level
Joined
Aug 12, 2020
Total posts
203
Chips
42
I swear I find it more and more difficult to isolate opponents or protect strong hands these days. I've never really been a fan of slow paying much of anything, unless I have the nuts against someone who I know to be very aggressive. Too many times have we all seen players allowed to limp into a hand or get a free turn and catch up, quick!

I was in a live cash game last night when I was dealt KK in the cut-off. It limps around to me, I raise to 5x BB.

Button 3-bets to 10x BB, gets called by UTG1 and UTG2.

I raise again to 25x BB. All players call (UTG2 all-in with the call).

Flop comes 6,8,7 rainbow. UTG1 goes all-in. Around 12-14x BB. I call, button calls.

Turn is a 2. River is another total brick. I believe it was a 4. Large pot already, plus side pots so me and button both check just to simplify and speed things up.

I show my KK, Button flips over QQ, UTG2 flips over JJ, and UTG1 shows the winner 77...
I'm now trying to figure out what on earth possesses someone to call 25x BB and go 4 ways to the flop with 7,7. I realized shortly after this hand that pretty much no amount of money raised pre-flop would have gotten him off this hand as he was quite simply there to gamble. Even the JJ was a bit of a head scratcher to me personally in that situation. Not that this was some insane bad-beat or anything, but it is the most recent example I have.


I see a lot of this type of playing over the past few years. I see less and less strategy and more fingers crossed than ever before. People seem to be going All-In these days holding basically any pocket pair or A.
 
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P

pockerman

Enthusiast
Silver Level
Joined
Jan 20, 2022
Total posts
52
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Im as new poker player can say. When you start play all you want is luck on your side. But only some time, and some experience you start to understand, that you can’t get all and here and now, and then you start thinking, atleast for me it is. But even now I do such stupid mistakes, because I want put all on luck and see how I win. I guess now pocker players not see for long distances. Everyone want win now, and just hope for good results.
 
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