Weaknesses at the cash tables
The other thing I want to do on this blog is to talk about my weaknesses as a player. For that reason I'm going to try and keep my handle quiet, but if I forget to edit it out of a hand-transcipt, so be it.
At the moment I've moved away from the MTTs where I've made 90% of my money and am playing cash tables. I went through a run at the MTTs where I was a bit card dead - nothing too bad - but it does make them deadly boring. I've never really been able to multi-table them effectively, and folding for an hour, followed by a push/call/busto when my M fell got me down after a while. The other reason was the length of time I had to play them to cash meant I was always shattered in the morning (and hyped when I did go to bed).
So, I'm playing the cash tables now, with Poker-Ace HUD as my assistant and I started off killing the tables. I'm 3 or 4-tabling the $25 tables, and after 8000 hands I'm up >$300. Which is fine. Not great, but fine. The next 3000 have been horrible though and I seem to have one real problem.
I tend to call all-ins when my opponent has the nuts. These are often stupid over-bets that only an idiot would call, but at the moment I have that sign on my head. Small raises and I'm laying down AQo preflop if I know my opponent raises 2% of his hands, but there is this little demon at the back of my mind saying 'only a twit would play the nuts like that'.
Hand from earlier today:
CryptologicNo Limit Holdem Ring game
Blinds: $0.15/$0.25
10 players
Pre-flop: (10 players) hero is MP1 with 6d 6s
UTG calls, UTG+1 folds, UTG+2 calls, hero calls, 5 folds, 5 folds, BB checks.
Flop: 4c 5s 6c ($1.15, 4 players)
BB checks, UTG checks, UTG+2 bets $0.75, hero raises to $2, 2 folds, UTG+2 raises all-in $24.05, hero ???
Yuk. A draw-heavy board, but I've got top set. Can I get away from this.
Equally, is someone with a made straight playing like this - possibly, if they are smart enough to defend against the flush. My best hope is that its someone with a large combi-draw, but no hand. Either way its not good. But I'm just not able to lay it down.
I've also ended up in situations like this with top-two pair, where I just knew I was walking into a set. Anyway, villian was holding 7c/8c and I was toast.
I never really thought that playing made hands so strongly was so profitable. I tend to value bet them for 1/2-3/4 the pot for fear of driving my opponent away, but it only takes an idiot to call occasionally with a poor hand to make up for all that. And at the moment *I* am that idiot.
There's this one player who I've twice seen open push aces. From nowhere, with no indication he's on tilt. And sure enough he was called both times from players without even a pocket pair. How often do you need to be called doing that to make it the right play? Not so many.
So I'm still doing OK, and largely playing good poker. I'll inch away for an hour or so, making good value bets, and even playing smart enough to induce bluffs from missed flushes on occasions, and then someone will push into me with the nuts and I lose a huge pot, gradually pissing away my bankroll. I'm going to have to change game back to the MTTs, get better or go broke.
At the moment I've moved away from the MTTs where I've made 90% of my money and am playing cash tables. I went through a run at the MTTs where I was a bit card dead - nothing too bad - but it does make them deadly boring. I've never really been able to multi-table them effectively, and folding for an hour, followed by a push/call/busto when my M fell got me down after a while. The other reason was the length of time I had to play them to cash meant I was always shattered in the morning (and hyped when I did go to bed).
So, I'm playing the cash tables now, with Poker-Ace HUD as my assistant and I started off killing the tables. I'm 3 or 4-tabling the $25 tables, and after 8000 hands I'm up >$300. Which is fine. Not great, but fine. The next 3000 have been horrible though and I seem to have one real problem.
I tend to call all-ins when my opponent has the nuts. These are often stupid over-bets that only an idiot would call, but at the moment I have that sign on my head. Small raises and I'm laying down AQo preflop if I know my opponent raises 2% of his hands, but there is this little demon at the back of my mind saying 'only a twit would play the nuts like that'.
Hand from earlier today:
CryptologicNo Limit Holdem Ring game
Blinds: $0.15/$0.25
10 players
Pre-flop: (10 players) hero is MP1 with 6d 6s
UTG calls, UTG+1 folds, UTG+2 calls, hero calls, 5 folds, 5 folds, BB checks.
Flop: 4c 5s 6c ($1.15, 4 players)
BB checks, UTG checks, UTG+2 bets $0.75, hero raises to $2, 2 folds, UTG+2 raises all-in $24.05, hero ???
Yuk. A draw-heavy board, but I've got top set. Can I get away from this.
Equally, is someone with a made straight playing like this - possibly, if they are smart enough to defend against the flush. My best hope is that its someone with a large combi-draw, but no hand. Either way its not good. But I'm just not able to lay it down.
I've also ended up in situations like this with top-two pair, where I just knew I was walking into a set. Anyway, villian was holding 7c/8c and I was toast.
I never really thought that playing made hands so strongly was so profitable. I tend to value bet them for 1/2-3/4 the pot for fear of driving my opponent away, but it only takes an idiot to call occasionally with a poor hand to make up for all that. And at the moment *I* am that idiot.
There's this one player who I've twice seen open push aces. From nowhere, with no indication he's on tilt. And sure enough he was called both times from players without even a pocket pair. How often do you need to be called doing that to make it the right play? Not so many.
So I'm still doing OK, and largely playing good poker. I'll inch away for an hour or so, making good value bets, and even playing smart enough to induce bluffs from missed flushes on occasions, and then someone will push into me with the nuts and I lose a huge pot, gradually pissing away my bankroll. I'm going to have to change game back to the MTTs, get better or go broke.
posted by PP at 10:40 PM
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