I also managed to run hot to the tune of $2000 today which means I’m now ‘only’ $5,000 down in equity for the month (equivalent to losing 10 races in a row at 2/4 and 3/6 if played 50/50 each, as I do). Hopefully, I can continue running well and reclaim that lost equity in the very near future.
I thought I’d take this opportunity to share (aka show off) a sick hand that I played yesterday. I’ve generally avoided posting hands because, quite simply, I doubt anyone really reads them. I know I personally don’t bother reading anyone else’s hands because they are usually just bad beats or super standard. But I think there’s enough in this hand that you might find it either 1) interesting or 2) instructive.
I think this hand is particularly cool because 1) I completely owned my opponent and 2) it’s the culmination of a whole bunch of concepts that I’ve learnt from CardRunners. When people say you make your subscription cost back many times over, this is what they mean!
Party Poker, $3/$6 NL Hold'em Cash Game, 6 Players
LeggoPoker.com - Hand History Converter
CO: $430.50
BTN: $1,331.32
SB: $600
Hero (BB): $627
UTG: $95
MP: $706.80
Pre-Flop: J
5 dealt to Hero (BB)
4 folds, SB raises to $18, Hero raises to $54, SB raises to $123, Hero calls $72
The SB is a regular with standard 23/18/2.6 stats. In the 15 minutes I've been at this table I've 3-bet him twice already and he's folded both times. I decide here to keep up the pressure and 3-bet him again. After all...
CardRunners Lesson One: 3-betting in position is basically unexploitable (I think I have to thank raptor for illustrating the joys of 3-betting J-rag suited)
Unfortunately, I get 4-bet. You can't see it in the hand history obviously, but this was an INSTANT 4-bet.
CardRunners Lesson Two: An instant re-raise is almost always AK, because a player holding anything else has a decision. AA needs to decide whether to re-raise or to slowplay. JJ/AQs has to decide where it's at. A bluff needs to decide whether to re-bluff. Only AK knows for sure that it wants to get it all-in preflop.
So obviously I move to click the fold button, disappointed that I couldn't make it a hat-trick of successful 3-bets against this reg. But then I remember something from Stinger's last NL video.
CardRunners Lesson Three: Flatting a 4-bet in position looks ridiculously strong to a thinking opponent and they will often just check/fold the flop if they miss.
I'd literally never pulled this move before (float a 4-bet? who does that!) but I decided that if ever there were a time when the game conditions were perfect for it, this was it. So I went ahead and flatted the 4-bet and hoped to dodge an ace or king on the flop so I could take the pot away.
Flop: ($252) 7
5 4 (2 Players)
SB checks, Hero bets $85, SB raises to $474 and is All-In, Hero calls $389
The flop comes down and no ace or king is in sight. Just as I had hoped, the SB checks and I move to bet. Then I realise a slight complication: I've actually outflopped him!
If I had completely whiffed this flop, I think I'd bet about $135 to make it seem like I had a hand and had no intention of folding. As it was, I decided to bet really small, only $85.
CardRunners Lesson Four: Making small 'gay' bets (insert Stinger's disclaimer here) in position in re-raised pots is a good way to induce a spazzy bluff from your opponent (raptor again).
So my bet gets the desired reaction and my opponent ships for almost $400 more. I won't lie; I had second thoughts about my read ("Man...I'm going to look so stupid if he has AA...") and nearly chickened out. But then I remembered one of the very first things I learnt on CardRunners.
CardRunners Lesson Five: If you induce a bet, you must call it (Taylor).
So I call...
Turn: ($1,200) 2 (2 Players - 1 is All-In)
River: ($1,200) T
(2 Players - 1 is All-In)
Results: $1,200 Pot ($3.50 Rake)
SB showed A Q and LOST (-$600 NET)
Hero showed J 5 and WON $1,196.50 (+$596.50 NET)
I know my read ended up being slightly off (I admit I would've gotten owned on a queen high flop) and I was pretty lucky to dodge all those outs on the river, but I still think that this was one of the best hands I've ever played. Of the many pots you win, there aren't many that you can say you truly earned, earned in a spot where most other players wouldn't have. For me, this was one of those few pots and, for that reason, it was super satisfying.
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