Well, some of you might know that I'm taking a break from poker over the Xmas period. Well, since I had about $200 floating around in my empire account and I had an hour or so to kill today, I thought I'd play some 25NL for a bit of fun (my normal game is the 100 buyins and upwards, so although losing 25 bucks is not peanuts to me, I'd usually only play games this small for recreation). To my pleasant surprise after a few days break I seemed to be on a serious A-game period (helped by some strong cards) and made a couple of hundred (almost wished I'd played the 100's, lol). Anyways, I'm sticking to the no-depositting or serious playing until new year pledge, but this cheered me up a bit. thought I'd post a couple of hands that demonstrate something that sometimes eludes my NL game when I'm not playing my best - using logical deduction to put your opponent on a hand (this can be a nightmare at 25NL when they could have just about anything lol - I guess the rule of the day at this level should be, "if in doubt, call").

Hand 1:

I got $38 on the button. EP player makes a minimum raise, on MP player calls. Minimum raises are usually a sure-fire sign of a monster (AA, KK) or a weak-ish high hand I've usually found. In the latter example, my JJ is almost certainly good and I have position so I made the raise. Both call.

Flop 6s 7s 7d

Looks good. EP player makes a minimum bet of 50c into the $12 pot, which fixes in my mind that he does not have a high pair. He is the loosest player on the table, though he has me covered. He is not especially good but seems to play relatively straightforwardly. This looks like a very uneasy bet on overcards, or maybe a flush draw. MP player calls, and I raise to $8.

EP calls, MP folds.

Turn brings an 8c, looks a decent card for me. He checks to me, I think about raising but decide that there's always the chance he might just have that AA. If he has overcards I wouldn't mind him bluffing a blank river. With a bigger stack I think it's an easy raise, one of the problems of party, where a raise here will pot commit me and there still seems some chance he might just have AA or KK. However, here I think I made an error by not raising, given my read. Gotta trust them.

River brings a Qh.

No flush out, and given my read he can only be ahead if he called along on AsQs or KsQs, or if he's played an overpair very strangely. Thus, what seems like a scare card to me actually turns out to not be such a bad one. He bets $15 into a pot just shy of $30. I think about how he has played each and every street, and decide that he either has AQ, a middle pair (99 or TT), or is bluffing after missing his flush with AsKs or maybe AsJs. Seems an easy call, and it's one I make after a bit of reflection. He has TT and I take down a pot of $57.

Hand 2:

Have AA on the BB. The UTG player has a huge stack (about $150) and raises about one flop in 4 or 5. He can put down later on against someone who plays back at him (I did this preflop with KK and he mucked on the flop when I lead out after it came AAx), but given his frequency of raising I assume he is raising any AQ, AK, AJ and maybe any two high cards, plus I would guess a number of suited-connector hands, as well as any pair.

He raises the minimum (to $1) UTG. This already suggests a non-premium hand (as I have the two aces, I am guessing he has two high cards or perhaps a pair-type hand, possibly a suited connector). I raise it up to $3 and he calls.

Flop of K27 looks good for my hand. I am nigh on certain I'm ahead here, and think he'll bet if checked to. I check, and he checks in turn. Darn. Guess he doesnt have a K, and is respecting my re-raise. I think after my check he would be aggressive enough to raise AK or KQ type hands.

Turn brings a J, putting out two hearts. Could be bad for me but I really feel he'd have bet the flop with KJ if he called it preflop. I bet $4 into a $6 pot. He calls.

River is an offsuit Q. I really hate this card as it is right in his playing range. I check (a little weak?) and he bets out the full pot of $14. I am now unsure as to what he has, but as far as I can see the only hands he can call on the turn after he DIDN'T bet the flop would be the likes of AQ, perhaps a set, and perhaps a drawing hand of some sort. There's always the chance he was slowplaying AK. In any case, it's very hard to put him on KQ, KJ, or QJ as I can't see him calling the turn with QJ or not betting the flop with a K high kicker. So that leaves a chance he has AT and played very loosely, caught a set on the flop or turn and played it slowly (though somehow this doesn't fit his way of playing so far). As far as gut feelings go, I felt he either held two pair (which seems unlikely) or a missed draw. On balance, I decide to call. He had 6h5h and I won the pot.

Hand 3:

Another hand with AA, this time in MP. It's folded to me on a tight-ish table. I have a $29 stack and make it $2 to go. The BB is a solid player who had me covered, and is the only caller.

Flop brings KQ7 rainbow. Doesn't look like a great flop for me unless he happens to hold AK. I'm happy as he leads out, as most players at these levels will slow play a set, so I immdeiately rule out QQ and KK. KQ is always possible but I'll take my lumps. I call, and put him on AK or a bluff.

The turn brings another Q. He puts $5 into a $8 pot. I can't see him making that move with AQ somehow, and certainly not with KQ. The old "low players slow play monsters" rule seems to apply here. I put him on a pair of kings with a strong kicker. IF this is the case, he's drawing dead. If he has a Q I'll take my lumps once more.

River brings a J. This is of no interest whatsoever, although if he had KJ it might make him more liable to bet (I know, it doesn't change his hand, but sometimes I reckon the psychology of the lower level players is such that he THINKS that it does, even as a subconscious reaction). He bangs $20 into an $18 pot. That sure doesn't seem like a strong move, I feel very strongly that he has a king and is trying to force me off it, assuming I don't have a Q. I find this a very easy call to make, as I really can't see him beating me. He turns over the expected AK and I double through.

OK, thats all for now. If anyone's at Empire in the next week or so I might be on very occasionally on these tables. Handle is Fel_Monk, though I will be changing it in the new year.

Monk
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