I, (imperfect) Robot

Bodog Poker recently introduced something called "anonymous poker" in which players are not given screen names or avatars when they sit at a virtual table and play. In other words, you have no idea whether you're sitting next to Joe Hachem or Joe Schmoe when you decide to 3bet light with KJo from the blinds against a LP raiser. Other sites, such as Microgaming Poker, are also doing this. Similarly, a number of big sites like PartyPoker and Cake allow users to change their screen names as often as they want. All of these sites are doing this is in an effort to block data mining software and the usage of HUDs. This is also intended to help curtail the use of so-called poker 'bots, which are essentially third-party software programs that play a type of automated poker for you using a set of rules and algorithms that you program into them. The thinking goes that if you can't collect statistics on another player, you take away most of the edge that a poker 'bot can have over the casual player.

(BTW, I was recently reading a couple of threads on 2+2 about the legalization of online poker. Curiously, two of the most common arguments against online poker by prohibitionists are: (1) poker is fundamentally a gambling game of chance; and (2) legalized online poker would be quickly overrun with poker 'bots, which would be unfair to the casual player. Huh? These two arguments are mutually exclusive. If poker is primarily a game of luck, Mr. Prohibitionist, what possible advantage could a 'bot have over anyone else?)

Anyway, I digress. One of my stated goals whenever I sit down to play a cash session is to play "perfect" poker. I try very hard to: Read my opponent's range perfectly; Estimate my equity perfectly against that range; perfectly Decide the correct course of action; and perfectly Implement this line to maximize EV. In other words, I'm trying hard as hell to play like a perfect RED-i poker 'bot.

Ah, but this does not always work out so well. Take what happened tonight to me as example:

Merge, $0.25/$0.50 No Limit Hold'em Cash, 6 Players
Poker Tools Powered By Holdem Manager - The Ultimate Poker Software Suite.

BB: $50.75 (101.5 bb)
UTG: $51.46 (102.9 bb)
MP: $57.23 (114.5 bb)
CO: $21.75 (43.5 bb)
BTN: $72.76 (145.5 bb)
Hero (SB): $54.52 (109 bb)

Preflop: Hero is SB with J K
2 folds, CO raises to $1.50, BTN folds, Hero raises to $4.12, BB folds, CO calls $2.62

{Cutoff was a LAggy player who has a high fold-to-3bet stat, ergo my reraise out of the blinds. Alas, he called.}

Flop: ($8.74) K 6 5 (2 players)
Hero bets $5.82, CO calls $5.82

{Alas, my ass. This is actually a nice flop for me against villain's range. A cbet is mandatory here for value.}

Turn: ($20.38) J (2 players)
Hero checks, CO bets $5, Hero raises to $10, CO calls $10 and raises $6.81 all-in,

{Woo hoo! I've got this guy crushed with my top two pair. And I got him to bite on my check-raise. In fact, he shoved over top of me for the small amount left in his stack. Life is very, very goo--- 


Hero folds

{WTF?!?!?!?!?  I FOLDED??? 


WHAT???

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!


ARGHGHG! I mis-clicked the Fold button instead of Call button!???!!!! ARGHGHGHGHGHG!!!!

Results: $40.38 pot ($2.01 rake)
Final Board: K 6 5 J
CO mucked and won $38.37 ($18.43 net)
Hero mucked J K and lost (-$19.94 net)

A bot would have pushed the correct button and taken down a big pot. But, noooo. I'm not allowed to use a poker 'bot. Worse, I'm not anonymous, so everybody knows what a bonehead I am.

Grrrr.

All-in for now...
-Bug