1. 2008-03-18 05:48:12

   Ruined Plans

   Before I sit down to play poker, especially against people I don't know, I try to decide what kind of player I'm going to be and what kind of image I want to portray.

   So Saturday night I played Darren's place. The plan for the night was to be Super Tight Guy. I did this because I'm a fairly tight player to begin with, and I didn't want to buy in again. I figured by playing tight I can be at or near the initial buy-in after an hour, when rebuys stopped. I didn't get too many good hands, so playing tight was easy. The only hand I had to think about was UTG. The other players were being fairly aggressive, so I decided to stick to my plan and I layed it down.

   After an hour, I decide to work my carefully-honed image. I pick up and triple the BB. Everyone folds to me and I pick up some blinds. Great, I'm thinking. A couple hands later I pick up . A couple people limp in and I make it 800 to go. At this point, I'm thinking I've got a potential over card, flush draw, and straight draw, so even if I get called down, I've got a good shot at winning. I got one caller. The flop comes down . No help for me. So I bet 2000, most of my stack and the better part of my opponent's stack, thinking she'd fold. She calls. The turn is a . I'm sensing that my opponent is on a draw, so I push all in. She calls with and picks up a on the river for the win.

   I'm still trying to figure out if I did the right thing. I came away really disappointed - I thought I'd be able to work my tight image in to a decent stack that I could start playing a bit more aggressively with. Did she just have that good of a read?

   Posted by Ethan at 2008-03-18 05:48:12

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Comments on “Ruined Plans”

1. • Posted by Teresa g 2008-03-30 00:35:28
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   • I guess I'm defensive about it because I didn't necessarily love how I played it ;D is graham cute? haha

2. • Posted by Jason M g 2008-03-29 21:52:30
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   • Teresa, you get to play against Graham tonight! He doesn't know you and was just making a generalized statement about how new players will chase a lot. Of course, all of us in the know realize you aren't a newb :p

3. • Posted by Teresa g 2008-03-29 20:30:34
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   • on the turn* I meant. I didn't need to pick up that jack anyway :)

4. • Posted by Teresa g 2008-03-29 20:26:34
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   • He's not going to bluff me off of AJs preflop just because he played few hands before. Honestly, the only way I could possibly fold that hand was an all-in on the flop which could've made me think that you had kings or something like that.

5. • Posted by Teresa g 2008-03-29 20:24:39
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   • NOOBS! hahaha!

     I was looking at him the entire night. He wasn't playing anything. The way he played it after cards were on the board and his eyes just made me think he was trying to steal it. On the river, of course I had to call, I was committed. Overcards don't blind me. Haha, now I really wish I could play against this Graham guy.

6. • Posted by Graham g 2008-03-18 21:19:20
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   • Unfortunately she was drawing to the nut flush, which is easy for noobs to get wrapped up in. Looks like you made a big enough bet on the flop where it was in her best interest to fold, so kudos to that. I tend to agree with Jason, get the river card free as it sounds like you were in position. The problem is, if you bet 'most' of your stack on the flop, she might be getting odds to chase on your smaller all-in bet. She may have been blinded by her overcards and flush draw and I'd agree that the flop call was loose, but the turn call could have been worth it.
     Something else to remember when bluffing: you can't bluff someone who won't fold! Pay attention to when/if your opponents fold or if they go to the showdown with every flop they see. I know, just one more thing to keep track of, but patience and focus are big in this game!
     One last thing, it's frustrating, but some people just don't pay attention to the fact that you haven't played a hand in an hour. They see that last time you stole the blinds and get all 'what has he done lately' on you. It seems a little counterintuitive, but it's easier to bluff better players with that line of play because they've been paying attention...

7. • Posted by Jason M g 2008-03-18 06:18:33
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   • Good plan to start, for sure. When rebuys are in the air, people do crazy things like call huge raises with and catch a 2-outer on the river to kill my , DAVE! :p

     If I recall correctly, the table was 5-handed, and is pretty good, especially if you are in late position. That's a pretty bold move on the flop, and it's commendable. Unfortunately, it sounds like you both were pretty much pot committed at that point, so the all-in call by your opponent on the river is pretty easy, especially considering what she thought her outs were (minimum 20%, max 32% chance to catch).

     I might check the turn and then go all in on the river. If you feel the only way you can win is by betting, and it seems like your opponent is on a draw, they will fold to even a medium-to-small bet on the river if they missed, but not on the turn if they are still drawing. This is where position is key - if she checked on the turn, you have that power. However, if you act first, you still might just try to take it on the turn, as checking will give her the option to semi-bluff you out. Interesting stuff...

     What does everybody else think?