Moneyed in a couple of SnG’s yesterday, including a first place in a $6 Turbo. That game ended with me heads up against a type of player that I’ve started to call SOBs (Shove Or Bail). We were equally stacked and blinds were getting big. This guy would either push all-in with the button, or he’d fold. There was essentially no middle ground with him. Only twice did he limp from the button, and both times he folded to my reraise. The secret with dealing with SOBs seems to be: a) not to let them blind you away (you have to keep the pressure on them, too, when you have the button); and b) wait for a decent hand and call their all-in raise. I got down to 2500 in chips at one point, and finally called an all-in with A9s. He turned over J3o, and I won. Then we went back and forth for a while with each of us around 6000 in chips, until I picked up ATs and called another all-in. He actually had a semi-playable hand that time (KTo), but my ace-high held up and I took down the pot and won the game. Woo hoo!
Following the tourney success, I moved on to some 6-handed $1/2 limit. (I had played a dozen hands of limit earlier in the morning and lost $9 before quitting.) Anyway, I found myself in a decent game, with pretty loose players willing to gamble. I ended up ahead $16 for the 35 hands I played, but it could have been ~50% more $$. The reason it wasn't? Answer: I made blunders in 3 separate hands:
1) I picked up AKo middle position and raised one limper. The button and the BB called and the limper did too. The flop brought 3-K-8, with two hearts. The opp checks, I bet, they call. Turn is an offsuit Q. They check, I bet, they call. River is another Q, and for some reason, I check, button bets, others folds, and I simply call. Guess I was afraid of the Q and didn’t check-raise, which would probably have been the right play. Slightly worse, but better than my check-call would have been to simply bet into the river. Anyway, button turns up KJ and Anna holds up for me. I lost out on another big bet on the end by being too timid. I think. This one still has me wondering what the right play was, but I can't help feeling I chickened out on the end.
2) Next hand I pick up J9s in the cut-off. It folds to me, I raise, trying to steal, and get two callers. Flop is 9-8-3, giving me top pair, decent kicker. I bet out and get one fast call. The lightbulb should have come one, but it doesn't. Turn comes an ace, and I bet into it, figuring he would tell me what he has by his action. He does: I get check-raised… BUT instead of folding, like I should have, I call. He’s clearly got the ace, but for some reason I figured I was getting the right price to see the river. River is a blank, he bets, and I convince myself he may have bluffed the ace. He turns over AT, which kicks my J9 in the ass. The turn bet maybe wasn’t entirely stupid, but calling the river cost me another $2. Not a lot, but it adds up. Bottom line: I failed to Get Off A Losing Hand. Arghg.
3) Toward the end of the session, I pick up QQ in the SB. Two limpers, I raise, BB folds, and two limpers call. Board comes K-Q-3, with two hearts. I bet my set, they call. Turn is the third heart, and I bet into it and get two callers. River is a blank, and I check, figuring I would check-raise, but the other two guys check behind, each turning over kings. I cost myself $4 by trying to get clever. Worse, couldn’t it have been entirely possible that one of the other two to have a couple of hearts? By betting into the river, I would have done at least as well as I had, plus I could have discovered if was up against a flush.
All in all, I lost out on about $8 extra dollars by playing either 1) too timidly; 2) ignoring an ace on the board; and 3) getting too clever for my own good. I REALLY need to slow down and think through each hand before acting, but my trigger finger occasionally has a mind of its own.
All-in for now…
-Bug
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