I once actually considered investing in a punching bag to hang next to my desk. It seemed like a good way to help cope with a two-outer on the river, or KK>AA on the bubble of a tournament. Bad beats are a part of the game, but doesn’t it seem like you take them more than you deliver them? Those who don’t catch my drift might understand it better coming from grapsfan.
One of the best and worst things about playing low stakes poker is the inexperience of most players. Inexperienced players are great for your bankroll; they play horrible hands and overplay most of the draws they get. Although this is where most experienced players will make their money, these pros can turn to cons in the flip of a card.
Lets take for instance a hand I ran in to early Sunday afternoon:
I wake up UTG with QQ, a desirable starting hand. The villain calls my 3x raise two positions later and everyone else folds. The flop comes down 69T, rainbow. I lead out for about 2/3 of the pot, a moderate sized bet for an overpair. I make this bet for two reasons:
• I’m putting my opponent on a hand like Ax
• I want to give my opponent poor pot odds to call a potential draw
Naturally, my opponent flat calls and we go to the turn. The turn comes 7d, a non-threatening card that only really adds the danger of a straight draw being completed. I check in this position, hoping that I can induce a bet and check-raise the villain in the event that he does make another run at catching his A or K. The villain does what is expected and bets about 1/6 of the pot, a very inexperienced bet by any standards. I proceed to check-raise as planned; this usually deters opponents from playing weaker hands. The villain proceeds to three-bet raise, so I decide to shove all in. His three bet seemed weak, as if he was trying to call me on a bluff. He called and showed me J8 for the straight and I went home with my tail between my legs.
His mistakes:
• Calling a 3x raise with J8, a very weak starting hand.
• Calling a 3x raise with J8 and 4 players behind.
My mistake:
• I offered him correct pot odds to make the call on the flop
• I was over responsive to the three-bet.
• I gave my opponent too much credit for having a good hand.
The moral of the story is that bad hands get lucky sometimes. That’s why some low stakes players decide to play them. Although QQ vs. J8 preflop is about and 80/20 favorite, I am at fault for making it a profitable play.
The hand is just relived is one of many disasters of the weekend that I hope to forget soon. I’m probably going to turn down the number of tournaments I play this week and try some live poker instead. Live poker is another monster and usually makes for some good writing material.
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I can agree with you on this one. I'm not the poker regular like you but I do have some experience with the game and have played quite a bit in the past.
ReplyDeleteOne of the most frustrating thing about the game to me, if not the most frustrating, is the people who have no clue what they are doing. Yes the game is about luck but its also about odds. When people walk into it thinking "ooo jack is high, I'll do good" or "eh, I'll go for it with nothing on this hand" makes me take a break from the game.
I was playing with some buddies last week and we are all usual players but we had a new guy that rarely plays. Of course he seems to have a whole game of these type of hands. He has no business being in the hand but surprise there he is winning all night long.
I sympathize with you on this subject. Just remember...you get luck too.
I enjoyed reading your post on your online tournament play. The game is much tougher than it looks. Isn't that a common question stated by many? The answer is yes, so many are quick to say it is easy until they play and quickly become empty handed.
ReplyDeleteI agree with what you had posted in which, a lot of times a pre-flop can look much more promissing than its outcome. I also agree with Thorsig in a sense that the majority of poker hands are won by luck of the draw.
The article you posted had great buildup and kept me interested. I enjoyed most how you compared mistakes on both behalfs instead of pointing out all opposing mistakes. The information provided will definately make for a great blog and look foward to following it throughout the semester.
Goodluck!
I laugh whenever I see the pros get beat on these hands early in the massive WSOP main event. Its true that the amateurs often don't know the "rules" and play hands that should, by any kind of poker logic, have hit the trash. I guess an exception to this would be Gus Hansen, who has "professionalized" playing terrible hands into psychological warfare. At the highest level, some of the experts are complicating amateur behavior.
ReplyDeleteThe beauty of No Limit poker is that there are essentially no "rules" for starting hand selection. There are "suggested starting hands" and hands with "better odds", but players often only use these hands to help localize calling ranges. What I tried to address in my blog was the difference between playing any random hand and playing weak hands properly.
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