12.19.09
Toasty!
Kano
Poker Stars $2/$4 Limit Hold’em – 5 players – View hand 433051
The Official DeucesCracked.com Hand History Converter
Pre Flop: (1.5 SB) Hero is SB with Q
7
UTG raises, CO calls, BTN calls, Hero calls, 1 fold
Flop: (9 SB) 6
6
9 (4 players)
Hero checks, UTG bets, CO folds, BTN calls, Hero raises, UTG calls, BTN calls
Turn: (7.5 BB) 9 (3 players)
Hero bets, UTG folds, BTN folds
Final Pot: 7.5 BB
Hero mucks Q 7
Hero wins 7.5 BB
Rayden
Johnny Cage
Scorpion
Sub Zero
Sonya
Test your might.
Kano
Poker Stars $2/$4 Limit Hold’em – 6 players – View hand 433053
The Official DeucesCracked.com Hand History Converter
Pre Flop: (1.5 SB) Hero is UTG with K Q
Hero raises, 1 fold, CO 3-bets, 2 folds, BB calls, Hero calls
Flop: (9.5 SB) 9 9
J (3 players)
BB checks, Hero checks, CO bets, BB calls, Hero raises, CO calls, BB calls
Turn: (7.75 BB) 6 (3 players)
BB checks, Hero bets, CO folds, BB folds
Final Pot: 7.75 BB
Hero mucks K Q
Hero wins 7.5 BB
(Rake: $1.00)
Rayden
Johnny Cage
Scorpion
Sub Zero
Sonya
Flawless victory.
12.15.09
So there…
For the past three episodes of LHE Dojo Entity has been teasing me about my difficulties in trying to check/raise the river. So here’s a hand from today:
Full Tilt Poker $2/$4 Limit Hold’em – 6 players – View hand 428373
The Official DeucesCracked.com Hand History Converter
Pre Flop: (1.5 SB) Hero is SB with A A
2 folds, CO raises, 1 fold, Hero 3-bets, 1 fold, CO calls
Flop: (7 SB) 7 3 7 (2 players)
Hero bets, CO calls
Turn: (4.5 BB) 3 (2 players)
Hero bets, CO calls
River: (6.5 BB) 7 (2 players)
Hero checks, CO bets, Hero raises, CO calls
Final Pot: 10.5 BB
CO mucks 6 6
Hero shows A A (a full house, Sevens full of Aces)
Hero wins 10 BB
(Rake: $2.00)
Also, here’s a good one where I mis-clicked (I intended to check/call):
Poker Stars $3/$6 Limit Hold’em – 4 players – View hand 428430
The Official DeucesCracked.com Hand History Converter
Pre Flop: (1.333 SB) Hero is SB with J K
1 fold, BTN raises, Hero 3-bets, 1 fold, BTN calls
Flop: (7 SB) 2 Q 6 (2 players)
Hero bets, BTN calls
Turn: (4.5 BB) 7 (2 players)
Hero checks, BTN bets, Hero calls
River: (6.5 BB) 2 (2 players)
Hero checks, BTN bets, Hero raises, BTN folds
Final Pot: 8.5 BB
Hero mucks J K
Hero wins 8.167 BB
(Rake: $2.00)
12.11.09
Hand Analysis
I WILL be revealing the results of this hand after my analysis, so choose how quickly and how far you want to scroll down. They will be at the very end of the post.
UTG is a standard loose passive player.
CO is a pretty standard TAG so he’ll have a fairly wide iso-raising range here.
BTN is fairly loose passive PF, but actually super aggressive post flop when given the opportunity.
Poker Stars $2/$4 Limit Hold’em – 6 players – View hand 419258
The Official DeucesCracked.com Hand History Converter
Pre Flop: (1.5 SB) Hero is BB with Q 3
UTG calls, 1 fold, CO raises, BTN calls, 1 fold, Hero calls, UTG calls
Flop: (8.5 SB) 5 Q 4 (4 players)
Hero checks, UTG checks, CO checks, BTN bets, Hero calls, UTG calls, CO folds
Turn: (5.75 BB) K (3 players)
Hero checks, UTG checks, BTN checks
River: (5.75 BB) 5 (3 players)
Hero checks, UTG checks, BTN bets, Hero calls, UTG folds
I think PF is pretty standard here – I’m basically getting 7:1 more or less closing the action and I really want to get in the pot against the bad players.
I considered check/raising the the flop but was surprised when CO did not cbet. BTN betting is a whole different matter – based on my read he does NOT have to have a hand here. Given how dry the board was I decided I didn’t mind just calling and allowing the players behind me to peel cheaply. UTG is very unlikely to have a hand with any real equity against me (he is likely drawing to running cards), and will often call for one bet, but fold for two. I really doubt CO has AK here given his flop check, so I think at best he has a one overcard hand. Given the pot size I guess technically I want him to fold that type of hand (which he is much more likely to do if I raise), but I feel that’s outweighed by the fact that he might call with less, including hands that are drawing very thin like 88 (and he might fold Kx for one bet anyway given how multiway it is).
On the turn I have a lot of options and I think leading out is viable here. However, I thought both of my opponents had very weak hand ranges and would not be able to call often. Obviously I think they are calling with any pair and picked up hearts – I just don’t think they’re nearly that strong. Although I think the possibility is remote, if I am behind I still have decent equity with my flush redraw, but in that case I do not want to pile money into the pot. As my read is that BTN will often bet when shown passivity I elected to check/call again. I still don’t think I mind having UTG come along.
When the turn gets checked through I am basically 100% sure I have BTN beaten. When UTG checks the river it certainly looks like he does not have a K or trips. Thus my river options are either to lead and hope UTG has a 4 or some small pocket pair, and/or that BTN has some random calling hand (ace high I guess), or to check and try to induce BTN again. As BTN has basically confirmed that he has nothing, but has shown the tendency in the past to bluff when checked to, I felt inducing was best. Also, I felt UTG would call about the same range for one bet whether I led into him or if he was overcalling, so I am not missing value from him regardless of which line I take (with the exception being when UTG has a calling hand but BTN checks back, but I regard that parley as somewhat remote).
Results below:
Final Pot: 7.75 BB
Hero shows Q 3 (two pair, Queens and Fives)
BTN shows 7 9 (a pair of Fives)
Hero wins 7.5 BB
(Rake: $1.00)
11.29.09
MORE half credit
Well I failed to get paid off again. But I still think I maximized value on the hand.
Poker Stars $2/$4 Limit Hold’em – 5 players – View hand 397227
The Official DeucesCracked.com Hand History Converter
Pre Flop: (1.5 SB) Hero is SB with 7 9
3 folds, Hero raises, BB calls
Flop: (4 SB) 9 4 2 (2 players)
Hero bets, BB calls
Turn: (3 BB) 7 (2 players)
Hero bets, BB calls
River: (5 BB) 7 (2 players)
Hero checks, BB bets, Hero raises, BB folds
Final Pot: 7 BB
Hero mucks 7 9
Hero wins 6.75 BB
(Rake: $1.00)
11.24.09
Half credit
I haven’t really posted any hands lately, so I thought I’d just toss one out there for fun. I’m not playing a ton of hands right now, mostly because the end of the year is such a busy time. But in The Elephant Tamer we have moved up to the 2/4 level, so I’ve been trying to make sure I’m still familiar with those games and how they’re playing.
Poker Stars $2/$4 Limit Hold’em – 6 players – View hand 386957
The Official DeucesCracked.com Hand History Converter
Pre Flop: (1.5 SB) Hero is MP with Q J
1 fold, Hero raises, 1 fold, BTN calls, 1 fold, BB calls
Flop: (6.5 SB) 3 8 Q (3 players)
BB checks, Hero bets, BTN calls, BB folds
Turn: (4.25 BB) J (2 players)
Hero bets, BTN calls
River: (6.25 BB) 4 (2 players)
Hero checks, BTN bets, Hero raises, BTN folds
Entity teased me in a recent DeucesCracked video about my general inability to check/raise the river. 
I guess I don’t get full credit here as I didn’t get paid off, but I think my river play is pretty clearly correct given the number of busted draws in villain’s range that can’t call a bet and may bluff if I check.
11.21.09
Blog Updates
In the last week I have been working diligently to update a few aspects of this blog. When I started blogging last year I wasn’t really sure what I’d write about. I didn’t even really understand how Tags and Categories functioned! As I have continued to write I have developed a more clear idea of how I want to organize my posts and what purpose I want this blog to serve.
I realize the casual reader probably won’t notice or care about these changes, but I have revised, consolidated, and (in some cases) deleted every single category and tag in use on this blog (no small job for the over 100 posts I have accumulated since the blog’s inception). I have also updated my About page.
I am also considering changing / updating the blog’s name and tagline, though I am not sure if I want to do this. The Real Life: Microlimit Grinder idea has now been used for no limit, heads up limit, sit ‘n’ goes, and heads up no limit, but it will always have some sentimental value to me as I was the first.
11.17.09
A reasonable request
I observed a hand between two players in which Loose Player had a pair of tens, and got to the river on a KQx two spade flop, a brick spade turn (Loose Player had no spades), and then spiked a non-spade ten on the river. The other player, Tilter, obviously had a better hand prior to the river and likely had a spade in his hand (meaning Loose Player hit a one outer).
Loose Player: I take lucky any time =))
Tilter: plz shutup idiot
Tilter: did u think u were bluffing me? with reraise
Loose Player: hey, u insalt me?
Loose Player: I will leave with your $$
Tilter: lol no
Loose Player: or be nice to me
