Wednesday night, usual spot, usual suspects. I have been doing some reading about tight aggressive play and decided to try out some suggestions:
1. If first to enter the pot, raise or fold
2. No limps except in small blind with callers.
3. If you can't re-raise, then fold to raise.
That's it. Simple. I started off with an amazing run. Won several pots, culminating with the elimination of Joe, my worst nemesis (has knocked me out at least 3 times). He always seems to "notch" me. If I have 10's, he has jacks, if I have KQ, he has AK, etc. It was no exception on this hand. I raised in late position with QJ suited (usually not good for a raise from me, but trying to play more aggressively plus it had been winning a couple of previous hands). He had limped UTG with KQ, true to form, he had me notched. Flop was J/J/K and when he checked I c-bet, then he check raised all-in. Call. Untrue to his form he failed to find another king and hit the road (literally, I might add, later saw him walking home), and yes I offered him a ride.
Now the big stack at the table, I ran into some early trouble raising with AQ suited only to have an early caller limp with AA. With a small flop my continuation bet was met with a re-raise all-in. Good fold, minimal damage to my big stack.
Finding QQ on the button with several limpers, I raised big, only to have the cutoff push all in. He had won a few pots and could seriously damage my stack but I snap called. He was not a regular and had no idea of his style of play, he had pushed me off an earlier hand (10/10) with no overcards with aggressive play and assured me that he had me beat after I showed and he didn't. He sounded either sincere or full of s--t. I was super happy when he tabled A/9 off!!! Unfortunately for me, he hit an ace on the river.
Now short (750 with blinds @ 50/100), a solid player ("Juicy"), raises to $250 and the cutoff who just got my chips, calls. I find 5/5. Now, if I had not just lost my stack I fold here (or re-raise big to isolate and/or push him off his hand), but with $650 in the pot, decide to push. The original bettor calls and the cutoff folds as he has become the "monkey in the middle" from the squeeze. I ask if he has a pair, he says no and tables AQ. Unfortunately for me, my luck runs out on the turn with a queen and I too am hitting the road shaking my head at my bad luck. I was playing so well and running so good there was no way I thought that final table and possible 1st would not happen.
1 comment:
I don't see that you did anything stupid so you can't be hard on yourself. I read basically the same advice in a book I have at home (can't remember title) with various chapters written by various pros. The Professor (Howard Lederer) was writing about limit poker and his advice was raise, re-raise or fold. That's it. Of course, limit is a different animal, but I still think it's good advice.
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