1/2 NLHE Hand Last Night (2 Viewers)

[Mr. Cheese]

So last night I hit up Turtle Lake for some 1/2 NLHE with a buddy of mine. I had to stand around a table for a half hour before a seat finally opened up.

From watching the table for a half hour I could tell it was a pretty loose table. Lots of calling big hands with nothing but high cards. Average table stack was about 300.

I sat down and bought in for 300 which is more then I normally buy in for but because of how big everyone's stacks were I didn't want to only buy in for 60-80 BB's like I normally do.

I folded a bunch of hands so I was sitting at around 280 and I get dealt pocket

Everyone checks to me pre flop and I raise to $16.

7 callers so the pot is sitting at $128

Flop comes out a rainbow



Again checks all the way around to me.

What would you do?

 

[detroitdad]

That always cracks me up at 1/2 casino stakes..............Your hand is good enough to call a 16.00 raise, but you limp into a pot. Unless someone is set mining. This is a great flop.

I'm sure "Jamming" could be justified. I probably bet in the $100 range.

 

[GoStumpy]

You must be on the button or close to it if everyone checks to you? Also, preflop how many limpers before you, and did anyone call in position behind you?

I would bet in the range of $75-85. That will usually take it down

 

[MegaTon44]

Damn, that's a loose table. Though a $100 bet is more standard, I'd probably jam and go heads up with the open ended draw.

Worst case, if you blow everyone out, $128 is a pretty good haul for queens.

 

[detroitdad]

Damn, that's a loose table. Though a $100 bet is more standard, I'd probably jam and go heads up with the open ended draw.

I weighed between a 100 bet and jamming.

 

[manamongkids]

Jam, SPR slightly over 2:1. Take down the pot now instead of getting into more weird situations on later streets. Might be called by A10-J10 or 88-JJ

 

[upNdown]

I guess you have to jam, but I wouldn't feel great about it with 7 others in that pot.

 

[GoStumpy]

Truthfully, if I had 7 limpers before me preflop, I would probably do $20-$25 preflop

 

[Rhodeman77]

You're in a weird spot to get your stack in. Jamming only gets called by sets.

So you really need to do it in 2 streets. I think $75 on the flop will get calls by top pair and possibly pocket 8's & 9's and by 89 on the straight draw, and even 2 over cards could call like KQ.

 

[moojersey]

Given the description of the table playing so loose and wild ... I think I am jamming all in now.

Expecting some of these loose donkeys to gamble with open enders / gut shots like or / maybe hands with just 2 overs like through / maybe get action from top pairs like through (not necessarily suited)

With a pot of $128 I think I'm happy to get it in here and take it down. Not a bad pot for 1/2 even if you don't get any callers.

Given your stack size you don't have a ton of options. If you bet $100 and an over comes that you don't like such as or are you planning to fold a bet or just call off? There are other somewhat bad cards that can come such as straight draws too: or

And actually if a peels off it is kind of awkward if you get jammed on.

Styles may vary and some folks may opt to bet a standard size like $100 that leaves you with about $164 with $328 in the middle if you get a caller. I'd rather jam while I am ahead in 99% of situations on this board. Going 7 ways to the flop is not optimal. Sucks if someone binked a set such as / / or but there is no getting away from this now.

 

[Kain8]

Jam it and get a donkey call from a King Ten offsuit. Those buggers want to draw against your overpair, make them pay. It's pretty clear that the table probably consists of nothing but calling stations.

 

[DrStrange]

I think Jamming is best.

Hero perhaps missed an opportunity to buy in short rather than buying in for 150bb. This table sounds ideal for a short stacking strategy. Hero is going to rack up huge Sklansky bucks in this type of situation. Three $100 barrels might prove more profitable than one $300 shot. I appreciate this is contrary to conventional wisdom, but I think it is mathematically sound until Hero knows how his skill level matches up with the better players at the table.

 

[Mr. Cheese]

I pop it up to $76

Two callers including one guy who has been slamming down drinks (free drinks on Thirsty Thursdays). Pot is now sitting at: $356

The turn is a brick




Now what do you do? Jam is what I'm guessing everyone will say now?

 

[Kain8]

A 5 is pretty much one of the best bricks you can ask for. Shove and don't think twice about it.

 

[detroitdad]

Jam

 

[GoStumpy]

Yep well played

 

[Trihonda]

Jam, expect drunk donkey to have 55.

 

[Rhodeman77]

Spread some JAM all over that pot!

 

[DrStrange]

Hero took a chance and invited people to take a flier and draw. It looks like that is going to pay off ( until someone tables )

Hero should jam all-in, at this point Hero is pot committed.

 

[mummel]

All in.

 

[chase]

Shove.


...But Free drinks? Bring DD, fold every hand until 12:01 and leave. This gives you ample time to see hands, people watch, and get some freebies from the WI casino all at the same time without losing any money!

 

[Mr. Cheese]

As you all guessed I shoved all in on the turn for my remaining 180 or so. Non drunk guy folds. Sloshed guy snap calls and flips over K 10 off suit. Super cocky that he's going to take it down with his pair of tens.

Feeling great that he didn't have to pair. Or trips.

River card is a King so he hits two pair.

Down to 40 bucks left. Lost that on a flopped straight flush draw 6 hands later. Bought back in for another hundred and lost it on trips vs a straight.

This was only my third time at the casino playing 1/2 nlhe (or ever playing that high of stakes actually).

I feel like I maybe should have bet more after the flop but for me $76 seemed like a big bet. Coming from a home game with 25c/50c blinds where the big bet is normally 5 bucks it was. Still trying to adjust to playing a bigger casino game.

 

[mummel]

I would have done the same thing!

 

[Rhodeman77]

That is part of variance. If a $500 losing night is too big of a deal then I would recommend staying at lower levels for a while longer and buying in shorter when you do take shots at $1/2.

If you move all-in in the flop you would most likely have taken down the pot, but don't want to keep a hand with 5 outs in there with you? He is in bad shape and you are a huge favorite to win a much bigger pot than on the flop.

 

[Kain8]

It takes some mental strengthening to put out a $200 bet when you're used to shoving all-in for $30 in a home game. The flop bet was a little on the low side, slightly more than half-pot against 6 other players. You followed up with the only reasonable move you can make with the pot being so large. Drunky McDrunkerson caught up and that's how it goes sometimes. There can and will be sessions where he doesn't bink his 5 outer and then you're sitting with over $700. Then you can start inflicting some real damage on other big stacks and possibly have a monster session.

Going forward though, don't buy in for $100 after you buy in for $300 initially. Two $200 buy-ins are far better if you're bringing $400 to the game in total.

 

[manamongkids]

My recommendation is one a lot of live players will do. Buy in short to begin with, get a feeL for the table for 45mins or an hour. Get some
Reads on players and be generally
Aware of their playing style. Then add on once you are comfortable

 

[Rhodeman77]

Great point about the buy-in. You want to be able to get back to even if you double up on the second buy in.

I think the flop bet isn't sized badly because of how dry the flop is. 10-7-2 rainbow is so dry that most of your action is coming from top pair type hands. If you over bet the pot your action will go away for sure.

 

[Mr. Cheese]

I would have done the same thing!

That is part of variance. If a $500 losing night is too big of a deal then I would recommend staying at lower levels for a while longer and buying in shorter when you do take shots at $1/2.

If you move all-in in the flop you would most likely have taken down the pot, but don't want to keep a hand with 5 outs in there with you? He is in bad shape and you are a huge favorite to win a much bigger pot than on the flop.

It takes some mental strengthening to put out a $200 bet when you're used to shoving all-in for $30 in a home game. The flop bet was a little on the low side, slightly more than half-pot against 6 other players. You followed up with the only reasonable move you can make with the pot being so large. Drunky McDrunkerson caught up and that's how it goes sometimes. There can and will be sessions where he doesn't bink his 5 outer and then you're sitting with over $700. Then you can start inflicting some real damage on other big stacks and possibly have a monster session.

Going forward though, don't buy in for $100 after you buy in for $300 initially. Two $200 buy-ins are far better if you're bringing $400 to the game in total.

Thanks for all the comments and suggestions guys (everyone that commented not just these three quoted posts). I felt like I played it fairly decent for the most part and it was just part of the variance one experiences with poker. It's a lot of money to me as I'm used to a bad night maybe I lose 60-80 dollars so it really was a huge loss but from the 3 sessions I am still up about $450. I'm playing a much more solid game then I used to now that I've read a few books and I think as I continue to learn and adapt things will be easier for me.

@Kain8 That is good advice about just doing two $200 buy ins because I was definitely way short stacked with the $100 buyin to the point it was almost useless.

 

[Chippy McChiperson]

As you all guessed I shoved all in on the turn for my remaining 180 or so. Non drunk guy folds. Sloshed guy snap calls and flips over K 10 off suit. Super cocky that he's going to take it down with his pair of tens.

Feeling great that he didn't have to pair. Or trips.

River card is a King so he hits two pair.

Down to 40 bucks left. Lost that on a flopped straight flush draw 6 hands later. Bought back in for another hundred and lost it on trips vs a straight.

This was only my third time at the casino playing 1/2 nlhe (or ever playing that high of stakes actually).

I feel like I maybe should have bet more after the flop but for me $76 seemed like a big bet. Coming from a home game with 25c/50c blinds where the big bet is normally 5 bucks it was. Still trying to adjust to playing a bigger casino game.

You played it fine, villain got his money in bad and got lucky. It sucks when that happens, but if you are in that same spot a hundred times you'll win almost 90 of them. Just keep playing well and when the variance evens out you'll be a ok.

 

[Mike Wells]

Shove...every time.