First couple sessions

I’m back home in Virginia for the next few days, so I doubt I’ll be playing very much – I don’t know why, but I’ve learned from much painful experience that I play like shit here. I’ll play now and then if the games look good, but no real grinding till I get back to Boston.

I’ve only played a teensy bit this year, but so far the results have been pretty nice. Nothing crazy obviously but it’s nice for the confidence.

For your entertainment, here are some of the bigger hands. Let’s start with the losers.

First one, I saw a soft 2/4 table and decided to play, although in hindsight that was stupid. Until I feel like my confidence is really back in full I’m sticking with a 50 BI bankroll rule. I took a tricky line with KK preflop, since I fully expected the retard behind me to squeeze with a wide range. Obviously this dude was an idiot to just call my 4bet, but his flop play is probably fine against a random opponent, since he might actually get a lot of folds from JJ/QQ type hands. As played though he shoved way too quickly and it was a pretty easy call.

Full Tilt Poker, $2/$4 NL Hold’em Cash Game, 5 Players
LeggoPoker.com – Hand History Converter

UTG: $400
arrrrtard (CO): $406
BTN: $441.10
SB: $443
BB: $464

Pre-Flop: K K dealt to arrrrtard (CO)
UTG raises to $14, arrrrtard calls $14, BTN raises to $62, 3 folds, arrrrtard raises to $148, BTN calls $86

Flop: ($316) A 8 9 (2 Players)
arrrrtard checks, BTN bets $293.10 and is All-In, arrrrtard calls $258 and is All-In

Turn: ($832) A (2 Players – 1 is All-In)

River: ($832) T (2 Players – 1 is All-In)

Results: $832 Pot ($3 Rake)
arrrrtard showed K K (two pair, Aces and Kings) and LOST (-$406 NET)
BTN showed T T (a full house, Tens full of Aces) and WON $829 (+$423 NET)

Obviously not quite what I was hoping for with my little shot at 2/4… oh well.

Next one, standard, I run bad, HU is stupid, etc. Oh yeah and well played dude, well played.

Full Tilt Poker, $1/$2 NL Hold’em Cash Game, 2 Players
LeggoPoker.com – Hand History Converter

arrrrtard (BB): $339.65
SB: $216

Pre-Flop: 6 8 dealt to arrrrtard (BB)
SB raises to $6, arrrrtard raises to $20, SB calls $14

Flop: ($40) 7 6 9 (2 Players)
arrrrtard bets $30, SB calls $30

Turn: ($100) T (2 Players)
arrrrtard checks, SB bets $50, arrrrtard raises to $289.65 and is All-In, SB calls $116 and is All-In

River: ($432) 9 (2 Players – 1 is All-In)

Results: $432 Pot ($0.50 Rake)
arrrrtard showed 6 8 (a straight, Ten high) and LOST (-$216 NET)
SB showed 6 6 (a full house, Sixes full of Nines) and WON $431.50 (+$215.50 NET)

Seriously, HU is the most annoying shit ever, although I think I’ll crush once I start running a little better. For the most part people are really, really bad. Plus it’s much easier to game select at HU than at 6max, since if you’re playing a regular you just quit, whereas at 6max you often have to accept having a few regs to deal with no matter what.

Okay now for some winners. On this next one, notice in particular my skillful use of the “raise weird amounts” strategy. That extra 50 cents was probably really important.

Full Tilt Poker, $1/$2 NL Hold’em Cash Game, 6 Players
LeggoPoker.com – Hand History Converter

arrrrtard (BTN): $434.30
SB: $205.20
BB: $573.60
UTG: $161.70
MP: $197
CO: $45.30

Pre-Flop: 9 8 dealt to arrrrtard (BTN)
3 folds, arrrrtard raises to $7, SB folds, BB calls $5

Flop: ($15) 5 7 6 (2 Players)
BB checks, arrrrtard bets $12.50, BB raises to $25, arrrrtard raises to $100.50, BB raises to $566.60 and is All-In, arrrrtard calls $326.80 and is All-In

Turn: ($869.60) 4 (2 Players – 1 is All-In)

River: ($869.60) K (2 Players – 1 is All-In)

Results: $869.60 Pot ($3 Rake)
arrrrtard showed 9 8 (a straight, Nine high) and WON $866.60 (+$432.30 NET)
BB showed 5 5 (three of a kind, Fives) and LOST (-$434.30 NET)

Now for another HU hand. This guy was very solid and I eventually decided to quit playing him. Not super aggro, but he’s probably a regular at 1/2 HU. I think it’s an interesting question what my felting range should be here, since my baby trips are probably behind the made-hand portion of his range…

Full Tilt Poker, $1/$2 NL Hold’em Cash Game, 2 Players
LeggoPoker.com – Hand History Converter

BB: $392.30
arrrrtard (SB): $216.50

Pre-Flop: 4 6 dealt to arrrrtard (SB)
arrrrtard raises to $6, BB calls $4

Flop: ($12) T 6 6 (2 Players)
BB bets $9, arrrrtard raises to $28, BB raises to $105, arrrrtard raises to $210.50 and is All-In, BB calls $105.50

Turn: ($433) A (2 Players – 1 is All-In)

River: ($433) 3 (2 Players – 1 is All-In)

Results: $433 Pot ($0.50 Rake)
BB showed 7 8 (a pair of Sixes) and LOST (-$216.50 NET)
arrrrtard showed 4 6 (three of a kind, Sixes) and WON $432.50 (+$216 NET)

Now for the last hand, which I thought was really interesting. Villain is a regular at 1/2 and 2/4, and although I haven’t played with him a ton I know he’s pretty aggro. I float the flop with the intention of spiking an out or taking it away on the turn unimproved. I hit my straight on the turn and he lead out again. Now, I think he’s aggro enough to double barrel here with a very wide range, especially since he opened UTG. I thought about raising but decided instead to let him keep bluffing with the airy part of his range, since I think his range is fairly polarized between air and hands that will stack off no matter what, so I don’t I need to rush much money into the pot. Also, I think I timed my plays well on this one – fairly quick call on the flop, letting me rep an A pretty easily, and then I timed down a bit on the turn, trying to make it look like I had a weak hand and just thought he was double barreling.

Full Tilt Poker, $1/$2 NL Hold’em Cash Game, 5 Players
LeggoPoker.com – Hand History Converter

BB: $258.40
UTG: $203
CO: $253.50
arrrrtard (BTN): $222
SB: $419.85

Pre-Flop: T 9 dealt to arrrrtard (BTN)
UTG raises to $7, CO folds, arrrrtard calls $7, 2 folds

Flop: ($17) 8 A J (2 Players)
UTG bets $12, arrrrtard calls $12

Turn: ($41) 7 (2 Players)
UTG bets $30, arrrrtard calls $30

River: ($101) 3 (2 Players)
UTG bets $154 and is All-In, arrrrtard calls $154

Results: $409 Pot ($3 Rake)
UTG showed J J (three of a kind, Jacks) and LOST (-$203 NET)
arrrrtard showed T 9 (a straight, Jack high) and WON $406 (+$203 NET)

He timed down a bunch on the river before overbet shoving, and I frankly don’t understand what he was trying to accomplish. Why not just bet/call? If I have an underset or some type of slow-played hand I’m stacking off for sure, so why not extract some value from the weaker part of my range?

That’s about it, don’t really feel like posting any others.