First Timer - Casino Poker: $2/$5 Hand Opinions, please. (2 Viewers)

[Taxi500]

This last weekend I played poker at a casino for the first time... Lost 1.5k across the tournaments ($400 WSOP events x 2) and cash games ($2/$5 lost $700).

WSOP Events: Nothing special. Super happy with how I played, made it to 80th/400 on day one (Lost half of 25bb stack by QTo PFR vs KQo call IP on a Q high board with not straights or flushes). Blinds moved up, EP raises, I shove 5bb A4o he calls with AK I lose. Standard stuff.

Day 2 WSOP: Start with 40bb. Nothing too notable happens but I get 3bet a lot preflop with my low-end of PFR range.. lots of folding there. Lots of folding flops and complete misses. Blinds go up (Turbo tourny) - MP raises, BB (hero) shoves 12bb with KQo... MP calls with 76o... Hero Loses to 6 on the turn... out after 2 hours of play not close to the money. My buddy Alex goes on to win this event!! (https://www.wsop.com/tournaments/updates/?aid=1&tid=23457&grid=5366)

CASH - Here's where I'd really love the opinions....

Background: Table is stable and seems tight-ish and I've been crushing them.. Go from $500 to 1k in all of 15-20 hands. Getting delt fire and the table has not seen me show something other than the nuts/premiums in the past 45-1hour. I decide to get a little loose with this image and go big pre with 56s (diamonds): EP raises to $15, MP Calls, I go to like $100, Btn Calls behind me and all others fold... Pot ~250
Flop: J75 all clubs. Action: Hero bets $40, V calls.
Turn: Ac / Hero checks, V Checks behind.
River: 7h - Hero goes donkey for $350, V tank calls with.... JhTc for the T high flush.... Ouch!
My Thoughts: very surprised he called. I was repping a high flush, or a Full house. Villain was this old man with headphones on watching dirt bike races next to me. I found that to be a very loose call in my opinion but he also blocked a big part of what I'm repping which is JJ for the full house. But I also have KK QQ there with a club potentially. Idk. Lost all my profit here and back down to $500.

Last hand vs same villian:
OK now i know this guy will call me loose. I have $400 in front of me.
Hero PFR to $15 with AJs (Spades) on BTN, SB calls, BB calls.
Flop: Q34 rainbow: Checks to hero, C-Bet for 1/3rd pot ($15) - SB Calls, BB folds.
Turn: Ac - Checks to hero who bets $40, V raises to $115, Hero calls.
River: Brick - SB Checks, I shove BTN for remaining $250 - V calls.
SB flips over 25o for the straight. Ouch!! I got up and left the table, then left the casino.
My Thoughts: What the fuck?!?! 25o there? I made one bluff vs him but I don't think I was seen as a complete jackass at the table. I could be wrong though. I thought my shove was fine - He was willing to call me light before so I figure a 2/3rd pot shove would get called by all his rag aces, Good queens, etc.

Anyway. Not my best showing ever. Proud of my WSOP play I didn't do anything like in the cash game where I wasn't sure it was the right move. Cards went they way they went. The cash game stuff though hurt my soul. These two hands in particular I'm confused on.

 

[<°)))><)]

I’m not the cutest technical expert so I won’t go into details.
But do you think the « first timer » factor might play against you?
Whenever I play live, if I spot someone playing his first casino live hands, I’ll losen up against him and try to bully him post flop.
In the second hand’s spot, against a 3x btn raise from a new guy, there’s absolutely no hand I would fold in the blinds.

 

[Taxi500]

Absolutely and I got that but sweet jesus 25o even vs a newtimer is wild to me! Wasn't even on my radar of what he could have.

Idk if my Jam is too light there but vs someone who I'm aware is interpreting me as such, I thought it was a good move. Because by that same logic wouldn't he be calling me with a weaker range as well? Meaning worse Q's and A's than my AJs... idk.

 

[Kentucky]

Second hand - what is his turn raising range here? 2 pair, sets, straight, floating AK that didn’t raise pre? How about obvious bluffs? KJ/K10 for a gut shot perhaps with a BDFD?
I don’t think the A-rag or QX you ranged him to on the river would raise the turn but would try to get to showdown.

First hand feels more meta - it’s a bold call for sure. Bet check bet can be a weak line - if you had KcKx/QcQx would you not keep piling the money in on the turn to go for stacks on the river? Less sure about this one.

 

[DrStrange]

First hand - - Hero is acting full on lag without a real table read. The lack of villain reads/description is telling. What could go wrong?

What is Hero's table image? Sure, he has shown great holdings, but has he looked competent or lucky? Villain stack sizes matter.

65s for a late position squeeze/three bet is not crazy. Worthy of discussion. Not feeling good about the cold call from the button.

Hero gets a monochrome flop (not his suit) and c-bets 16% pot. Villain calls and should call really wide getting 7-1 on his money with position.

Turn goes check/check after the fourth club. If I am villain, I read Hero with nothing - no flush and no ace. Only way to get money from Hero is trap.

River, Hero decides to bluff. Villain shouldn't need to tank that much - hero is quite polarized with far more air than nut/second nut flushes.

Preflop was Ok I guess. Flop stab was too small Hero needs to bet enough to get villain to fold non-nut flush draws. Turn is a terrible card - Hero want to bluff like he has the ace of clubs but that isn't going to work anymore. River bluff is ill-advised.

Obviously, Hero's table read was wrong. At least in so far as button calling a $100 three bet with JTo. That might be ok with deep enough stacks, but we can say the villain isn't tightish.

Second hand - - looks fine at the start. What sort of range did Hero have for villain by the river? Sure, 25o is a bit of a surprise. But Villain has lots of more likely blind defend hands that beat top pair good kicker.

Overall, Hero seems to be stuck in first person. Not paying attention to villain reads and certainly not considering his table image. I suggest hero try looking at things from multiple points of view. The first hand was pretty transparently a bluff or value town with nut. Given the preflop 3-bet, micro flop bet, and the turn check it is hard to credit Hero with anything but a weak hand.

 

[extreme517]

Your bet sizing is terrible throughout. Old man is just playing his cards/situation. One hour doesn't mean anything as far as "establishing an image" at 2/5.

 

[natumes]

The first hand bluff is polarizing, and I'm probably calling with any flush vs how you played it. You have the nuts or nothing, and it's a lot more nothing when the A hits the board. Tiny cbet and checking the turn just says bluff when you bomb the river.

Second hand - if your read is tight, when you get raised your A is no good. 52o isn't what I would have thought, but he's going to have at least 2 pair when he raises the turn. I'm checking back one pair here, not shoving.

My honest opinion is that you ran hot early in your first casino game and let that get to your head and started playing like you couldn't lose rather than sticking to sound fundamentals. I have to remind myself more often than I should that just because I'm a better player than the rest of the table doesn't mean I get to win every hand. Even when I play it perfect.

 

[Taxi500]

First hand - - Hero is acting full on lag without a real table read. The lack of villain reads/description is telling. What could go wrong?

What is Hero's table image? Sure, he has shown great holdings, but has he looked competent or lucky? Villain stack sizes matter.

65s for a late position squeeze/three bet is not crazy. Worthy of discussion. Not feeling good about the cold call from the button.

Hero gets a monochrome flop (not his suit) and c-bets 16% pot. Villain calls and should call really wide getting 7-1 on his money with position.

Turn goes check/check after the fourth club. If I am villain, I read Hero with nothing - no flush and no ace. Only way to get money from Hero is trap.

River, Hero decides to bluff. Villain shouldn't need to tank that much - hero is quite polarized with far more air than nut/second nut flushes.

Preflop was Ok I guess. Flop stab was too small Hero needs to bet enough to get villain to fold non-nut flush draws. Turn is a terrible card - Hero want to bluff like he has the ace of clubs but that isn't going to work anymore. River bluff is ill-advised.

Obviously, Hero's table read was wrong. At least in so far as button calling a $100 three bet with JTo. That might be ok with deep enough stacks, but we can say the villain isn't tightish.

Second hand - - looks fine at the start. What sort of range did Hero have for villain by the river? Sure, 25o is a bit of a surprise. But Villain has lots of more likely blind defend hands that beat top pair good kicker.

Overall, Hero seems to be stuck in first person. Not paying attention to villain reads and certainly not considering his table image. I suggest hero try looking at things from multiple points of view. The first hand was pretty transparently a bluff or value town with nut. Given the preflop 3-bet, micro flop bet, and the turn check it is hard to credit Hero with anything but a weak hand.

My image was probably looser than I thought - Although I had only showed premiums, I was talking, had a beer, and was wearing a cowboy hat. All parts of my personality point to idiot (and maybe it's because I am one?). BUT, again, for an hour only showing TPTK, Sets, Straights, and I hit a lot of them in that first hour.

1st hand: I was losing no matter what. The bluff was likely dumb... My thought process was that I had only bet hands I had clearly won, I thought a dumb player with the nuts would get too excited and donk the river big to make sure he got equity. I thought the old man was a NIT and he was not. All reads wrong.

2nd hand... felt fine at start. You are right I should have gone to showdown on the river check. My though process was that Villain called me "light" the first hand and I'd be getting value from weaker aces and queens. Considering I c-bet without the queen and he called, I thought his range was heavily leaning towards a Q-pair. I thought the raise on the turn was him with a Q saying "you're betting with air and I want you to fold"... again wrong read. The check on the river I read as "I want to get this pair to showdown".... I shoved because I thought he'd call me light.

Very wrong. Not happy with myself not my best play. With limited live experience I was uncomfortable and not playing my "Normal" game...

 

[Taxi500]

My honest opinion is that you ran hot early in your first casino game and let that get to your head and started playing like you couldn't lose rather than sticking to sound fundamentals. I have to remind myself more often than I should that just because I'm a better player than the rest of the table doesn't mean I get to win every hand. Even when I play it perfect.

This probably. My inexperience live did nothing to help the situation but I may have had winners tilt, not recognized it, and let my hubris get the best of me in the moment.

Disappointed in myself but will be better next time at the Casino. Was very different then the poker I 'usually' play.

 

[Highli99]

 

[natumes]

This probably. My inexperience live did nothing to help the situation but I may have had winners tilt, not recognized it, and let my hubris get the best of me in the moment.

Disappointed in myself but will be better next time at the Casino. Was very different then the poker I 'usually' play.

All we can do is learn from our mistakes. That's how we improve our play. Get back in there, really pay attention to what people are doing, and use that info to pick good spots and stack em.

 

[Taxi500]

Yeah... I think my bigger issue was being out of my comfort zone and my "Logic" was completely scewed because of winners tilt and being uncomfortable. I wasn't thinking when I was playing I was just playing.

I will come back stronger!

 

[extreme517]

I think there is a huge difference between a casino game and a home game. You were the fish. Play smaller stakes...1/2 or whatever...with small buy-ins until you get your feet wet. That is, only if you care about the money. Otherwise, play on. Your feel/reads/intuition/head space is not where it needs to be for live cash games.

 

[Taxi500]

I think there is a huge difference between a casino game and a home game. You were the fish. Play smaller stakes...1/2 or whatever...with small buy-ins until you get your feet wet. That is, only if you care about the money. Otherwise, play on. Your feel/reads/intuition/head space is not where it needs to be for live cash games.

I was told by friends the 1/3 game there was incredibly tight and they weren't having fun. Next time I go I'll be starting there and if it goes bad, I'll stay to keep working on my game.

 

[LeLe]

For the first hand, your turn check and river huge bet is reaping a boat or air.

Since you are unlikely to be checking on the turn & betting small in the flop with a flush better than J

He really only losing to JJ and AA as your “nitty” image is not gg to 3! So big with 55 and there only one combo of 77 left.

I will put u more likely on Hand like AK AQ AJ that have some blocker to the boat rather than having the boat.

For the second hand, we already know this villain cold call a huge 3! w JTo in the previous hand so his range is very non GTO / uncapped.

Showing with 52o is not that surprising with the first hand history.

The river shove is really bad with all the action (turn check raise by the V) leading to the river, you only getting call by better hand and folding out all his potential river bluff

 

[Dbxela]

2nd river is usually too thin after calling a turn check raise - what 1 pair weak kicker hands CR-CC?