It's been really really tough. Each time I take a step forward, I seem to make a mistake and drop back. I can't remember the number of times I have looked at my stats after a session and thought to myself "if only I hadn;t been a dick and done this or done that". One thing I am still doing is letting emotions make some of my decisions for me, especially when it's against spazzy players. Instead of making simple folds I'll make hero calls, or instead of slowing down when they show strength I will try and peel off one more street etc etc.
These are pretty major leaks in my game right now, but it's still a fine line for me from doing this and also feeling too passive about my play. I don't wanna just give up everytime I miss a flop, I know I have to balance my range by barrelling sometimes too.
A really bad player limps MP2, so Isolate with A9s on the button. Flop comes down 9 high. He checks and I lead out, he mini raises, so I call. Another undercard comes, meaning there was the odd straight possibility, but if I remember rightly it would have been a gutshot. Anyways he open jams for like $32 into a $10 pot and I tank and ridiculously hero call with TPTK. I mean I didn;t have a clue what he had, but I just didn;t want to fold to him because he was a retard. How dumb is that? Obv he had flopped a set of 6's and milked me like a cow.
This sort of stuff insta pisses me off as soon as I have clicked call. I mean often I can almost tell you what they have and it beats me, but still I have this uncontrollable urge to call. I really havbe to master this, a lot.
Against decent regs, I can work out what their line means and it's much easier to fold, but against bad players I have issues.
I also had a beauty vs some really terribad players:
I am on a table with 2 droolers, I mean there was one guy who just could not fold pre flop and one guy who kept making spewy bluffs and overshoves.
Anyways, I get JJ in the SB. Drooler 1 limps UTG, it folds to another reg who should isolate, but he limps behind and drooler 2 calls on the button. I pop it up to $3 (it's NL50). Drooler 1 and drooler 2 calls and reg folds.
flop comes 2x 8x Qx rainbow.
I fire out $7, drooler 1 insta calls and so does drooler 2. Pot is now pretty big and I am out of position. It's tough because I want to bet for value because drooler one is calling with alsorts here, but drooler 2 could easily blast and put me to a tought decision. Anyways I go for the c-bet and they both call.
Turn is 5x.
I again bet enough to put drooler 1 in and most of drooler 2's stack in. D1 insta calls and D2 folds.
River drops and Ace and I am thinking "FFS his ace rag got there"
Actually he had 28o for the flopped two pair. I mean wtf goes through these guys head to call a 6 xBB raise with 28o? Either way, I think I played it ok as he calls me down with many worse hands here often enough for it to be profitable long term.
Another hand that is giving me trouble right now is AK. The games have gotten ridiculously aggressive, I don't know why but the three betting is getting really light, so vs the regs I am struggling to play AK. Three times today, I have raised and been 3-bet by a reg. Is 4-bet folding really bad? Is it best to just 4-bet shove??? I 4-bet shoved twice, once got a fold and the other time he had AA. This is a hand I need to work on IM.
Right enough bollox rambled. Better get some work donew. Laters!
BM
One of the things they taught at FTP Academy was the check of the Marginal Hand (I've done this myself in rush poker). If opponent doesn't check back on turn (and you're right about your emotions here), then that Jam may have made me fold.
ReplyDeleteI've won hands like this in Rush, 2pair with A on board, jam the pot, and villian won't give up his KK (Although, I remember a $45 stack going down with my all in AA vs. KK on the flop, and villain rivers a KK). Straights and sets.
Like you, I flop top pair, top kicker, (AK with A on flop), and villain smooth calls the ride with a set of 99's. So, if someone calls my ridiculously big bet on flop (even though I have top pair and top kicker), it is still considered marginal, will start to check when the board looks dicey.
Just my 2 cents.