Another One

Another One

I had another hand that I wrote down as well, but this one was way more hype. Maybe I'll post the next one tomorrow. Anyway, Lucky Chances has a much more standard structure, so I'm not even going to talk about it unless asked. Here goes:

$3,5 No Limit Hold 'Em at Lucky Chances in Colma ($100-$500 buy-in)

I was just moved from my original table to this one. I see one player I remember as decent across the table with huge stack of chips, and the players to either side of me have big stacks as well. This certainly doesn't always mean they're good players, but it's a good indicator. They're both very well composed, so I'm assuming a higher-than-average skill level for both of them.

9♠, 8♠ UTG+1 ~$1,100 effective stack

On my second hand, I'm 2nd to act with an effective stack of about $1,100. The player to my right, UTG, calls for $5. I look down at 9♠,8♠ and raise it to $30. The player to my left, the Villain in this hand, calls $30. It's folded around to the guy who limped in UTG, who also calls.

$90 Flop (3-Way) - 5♠5♦3♦

We have basically nothing. We surprisingly have 2 over-cards, so depending on the action we could be ahead if a 9 or 8 come. We do also have a back-door flush draw with our ♠s, but unless something happens otherwise, I definitely think we've got the worst hand here.

The player UTG checks to me, I make a fairly standard continuation bet of $60. Villain thinks for a bit and calls, and the player UTG folds.

$210 turn (Heads-Up) - 2♥

Board: 5♠5♦3♦2♥

I figure the villain behind us likely called us with some sort of A high or small-to-medium pair. He could also be chasing a flush-draw at a fairly high frequency here. He could also clearly have a 5, though I assumed he would raise the flop to both make it worse for a flush draw to call and get money in, in case I had a big pair. If he had an A,4 or 4,6 suited, then he would have a straight here as well.

I figured most of the hands he has here are weak and I'm representing at least some sort of over-pair if I bet again, so I do - $110. He calls. At this point I feel like shutting down my bluff.

$430 River - K♦

Board: 5♠5♦3♦2♥K♦

Now this is an interesting card. Thinking from my opponent's perspective: If I was betting 2 streets with A,K, then I've hit a K. If I was betting with some sort of suited connector, like J♦,10♦, then I've hit my flush. If I had K,K I've filled up for a Full House. Probably the absolute worst hand I'd bet here would be A,K or maybe even a straight with A,4 or 4,6. So I think for a little while again and bet $175, sized to look like a value bet - Representing that I have a strong hand and want him to call with worse. He thinks for a good minute or so and folds.

The player later tells me that he had 4,4 and assumed I hit a pair of Kings on the river. He said he wouldn't fold the river if it wasn't a King. I tell him I bluffed him and probably wouldn't bet if a King didn't come. Right before I left an hour or two later, he tells me he doesn't believe me and is basically asking me to tell him what I really had. I told him "9♠,8♠ I swear". He didn't believe me because I played near 0 hands after that and shut down after C-betting on hands that I was in there and raised.

So I should bluff all the time then, huh?

Please don't learn the wrong thing from these first two hands - bluffing is not something that I do, nor should you, at a high frequency at these low stakes games. I would recommend a beginning player literally never bluff except for continuation bets on flops when they were the pre-flop raiser.

Once you start to recognize situations like the following: What you normally have when you bet in this situation looks very scary versus what your opponent normally has...OK start to throw a bluff or two into your game and get a feel for them.

I used to literally NEVER bluff other than C-bets and was still very profitable at the low stakes I played - typically 1/2/3 at Garden City, 1/2 at Indian Casinos and the old Garlic City. Some might ask the following: "If you don't bluff, how can you have a balanced range? If you don't ever bluff, then your opponents can take advantage and make easy folds against you and be correct to do so."

OK, yeah. You're right in theory. But most of the players at this level don't fold when they should. Unless the situation is just right for it, and you have the right type of opponent, it's just not likely to work. I saw a guy call later this same night with a single pair on a board with a flush and several straights out there, with action on every street. 2 nights ago I saw a guy calling down with bottom pair several times when it made no sense.

So unless you have a solid indication that you're against a thinking player, you have a good idea of what he has, AND the way you played the hand aligns with what better hand you're representing, please, don't bluff at low stakes poker.

But it sure feels good that I'm finally comfortable doing so when the right opportunity presents itself.

♠♥♣♦

I received some feedback that some of the terms were a bit hard to follow, so I tried to make sure I explained everything that I said the first time I said it. Definitely let me know if I'm still not handling that well.

Feel free to comment below or send any questions, comments, ideas, or w/e in to dj8bitavenger@gmail.com, and I'll make sure to incorporate the feedback into future posts.