March 3 recap

Last night I made an attempt to play a LAG style. I had 2 key hands of the night.


1st hand

I raise preflop as a semi bluff. I really only want to pick up the blinds here, but J7s is not a hopeless hand. On the flop I pickup a gutshot, so I call the smallish looking C-bet. If he checks the turn, I will bet out and try to steal the pot. Of course I hit the turn, and manage to stack him.



Poker Stars $0.10/$0.25 No Limit Hold'em - 9 players - View hand 56913

The Official DeucesCracked.com Hand History Converter



UTG+2: $5.00

MP1: $8.85

MP2: $18.95

CO: $36.20

Hero (BTN): $23.10

SB: $24.40

BB: $27.45

UTG: $46.65

UTG+1: $6.70



Pre Flop: ($0.35) Hero is BTN with 7 J

4 folds, MP2 calls $0.25, CO calls $0.25, Hero raises to $1.25, 1 fold, BB calls $1, MP2 calls $1, CO calls $1



Flop: ($5.10) 8 9 9 (4 players)

BB checks, MP2 checks, CO bets $2, Hero calls $2, BB folds, MP2 folds



Turn: ($9.10) T (2 players)

CO bets $5, Hero raises to $13, CO raises to $32.95 all in, Hero calls $6.85 all in



River: ($48.80) K (2 players - 2 are all in)



Final Pot: $48.80

CO shows J 9 (three of a kind, Nines)

Hero shows 7 J (a straight, Seven to Jack)

Hero wins $46.40

(Rake: $2.40)




This is the importance of implied odds. I'm gonna float this flop with any two against what looks like a steal bet. Paired boards with low-middle cards make great bluffing flops, which is what the CO looked like he was doing. I did not plan to call this down to the river if he bet the turn and I didn't hit the 10.

Villain went on tilt for the next hour.

CO said, "jesus christ"
CO said, "what the **** are you calling with"
CO said, "inside straight draw?"
CO said, "WOOOOOWWWWWWW"
CO said, "unbelievable"
CO said, "lol and you raised pre flop thats awesome"
seandigs said, "just love playing poker man"
CO said, "the ten was your only card."

I of course knew the ten was my only card. So I'm really only about 10% to pick it up on the turn. If we reraise is flop bet in an attempt to steal, he reraises us all in and we can't call. By floating, we can either pick up an uncontested pot on the turn if he's just C-betting, or hit the unlikely draw and have massive implied odds.

Hand 2:

So we flop an OESD in a multiway pot. Usually I reraise UTG all in on the flop, hoping he folds, but there are a few more people that might put money in so I flat him. Turn is scary, but there is so much dead money in the pot due to all the all-in players, and I hope UTG is scared by the Q, so I push. Of course he has same hand as me so it doesn't matter.

Poker Stars $0.10/$0.25 No Limit Hold'em - 9 players - View hand 56917

The Official DeucesCracked.com Hand History Converter



BB: $26.25

UTG: $30.10

UTG+1: $32.10

UTG+2: $14.15

MP1: $26.55

Hero (MP2): $40.85

CO: $25.00

BTN: $26.65

SB: $2.20



Pre Flop: ($0.35) Hero is MP2 with T Q

UTG calls $0.25, 1 fold, UTG+2 calls $0.25, 1 fold, Hero calls $0.25, CO calls $0.25, 1 fold, SB calls $0.15, BB raises to $1.75, UTG calls $1.50, UTG+2 calls $1.50, Hero calls $1.50, 1 fold, SB calls $1.50



Flop: ($9.00) 6 K J (5 players)

SB bets $0.45 all in, BB calls $0.45, UTG raises to $8, UTG+2 raises to $12.40 all in, Hero calls $12.40, BB says "wow", CO says "haha", CO says "what the hell", BB folds, UTG calls $4.40



Turn: ($47.10) Q (4 players - 2 are all in)

UTG checks, Hero bets $26.70 all in, UTG calls $15.95 all in



River: ($79.00) A (4 players - 4 are all in)



Final Pot: $79.00

UTG shows T Q (a straight, Ten to Ace)

UTG+2 mucks J J

Hero shows T Q (a straight, Ten to Ace)

SB mucks 6 7

UTG wins $15.60

Hero wins $15.60

UTG wins $17.05

Hero wins $17.00

UTG wins $5.40

Hero wins $5.35

(Rake: $3.00)






My friend argued that there are too many people in this pot to play, but remember draws go up in value when its likely to be the nuts in a multiway pot. Sure on the turn it was no longer the nuts straight draw, but it's hard to put UTG on AK given the way he bet. More likely he has a set or top two.

Remember, once a player is all in, it doesn't really matter what he has if there is another player still in the pot with you. You either won or lost the main pot, but if you think you can still win a decent sized side pot, you can continue.


Started off losing 2 buy ins taking a shot at NL50. Both were suck outs, but properly played all around. My wheel on the turn lost to a guy's boat on the river for a $100 pot, and my trips lost to a flush draw on the river. Still ended up being about break even for the night.

I liked my play throughout the night. I had good reads on when to play aggression and take down uncontested or lightly contested pots. I also gained alot of equity when my big hands hit due to my LAGgy image.