Full tilt changing player types

I think one of the changes as a result of full tilts responding to the 20bb shortstacker, by increasing the buy in, has been the slight increase of 100bb reg type players. This could be fixed limit players moving over to NL, and players from other sites coming to Full tilt. I have no stats to back this up, but am guessing that its likely.

As a result of this, today I sat at a table with 4 aggro players, levelling each other and getting into some serious Fancy Play Syndrome. Generally I try to avoid these alpha male type battles, as they tend to be high variance and probable neutral EV in the long term.

But I couldn't help myself, as virtually every pot was 3bet preflop or CR'd post flop, and I wanted to see some action.

Here I raise with AQs and get called by a poor player with 9% 3bet over 150 hands.

$0.50/$1 No Limit Hold'em Cash Game, 6 Players
Poker Tools by Stoxpoker - Hand Details

UTG: $100 (100 bb)
MP: $160.25 (160.3 bb)
Hero (CO): $101.50 (101.5 bb)
BTN: $117.15 (117.2 bb)
SB: $112.75 (112.8 bb)
BB: $388.80 (388.8 bb)

Pre-Flop: Hero is CO with Q A
UTG folds, MP folds, Hero raises to $3, BTN folds, SB calls $2.50, BB folds

Flop: ($7) K 7 3 (2 players)
SB checks, Hero bets $5, SB raises to $18, Hero calls $13

When he check raises here to such a big amount, you just have to think what he has that he could be doing that with. The only hand I can think of logically is As3s, which has 42% equity v AK, KQ, KJ, being holdings which I could easily have. I think this guy is 3betting his small and medium pocket pairs, but even a set is not CRing to such a large amount I think. I think he is bluffing or semi bluffing more than half the time......as it just doesn't add up.

Turn: ($43) 4 (2 players)
SB bets $24, Hero raises to $80.50 and is all-in, SB folds
The blank on the turn allows me to shove over his half pot bet, where even a hand like KT or KJ will struggle to call. But I am pretty confident he had complete air on this board.

Results: $91 pot ($3 rake)
Final Board: K 7 3 4

Making these plays isn't that easy, as it involves confidence in your hand reading and putting your stack on the line, but you do have to adjust against aggro regs, and it can be very profitable.

Don't play if you can't pull the trigger

As you may have gathered I haven’t posted in a while. The reason for that is 2 fold. First because I haven’t had much of interest to say, but also because I haven’t had much time to play poker.

As a consequence of the latter, I have not been in my usual mode of raising any 2 from the button. In order to play this style, at my limits anyhow, you need to be in the groove. And, I haven’t been in the groove, due to lack of volume.

Ordinarily I would say, if I were you reading this, so what, you donk! Stop wasting my fucking time.

But I realised if you are indeed in that non-groove mode in poker, you need to batten up the hatches and seriously play solid straightforward poker. Anything else is just going to lose you money by putting you in difficult spots (i.e. a reluctance to play for stacks with 40% EV but counting on Fold Equity to get you toward 60% v villains range). If you’re still reading, thank you, I will try to finally get to the point of this horrendous post with an example.

Villain is a 36/32 spewtard with a 13% 3 bet over 100 hands. I have seen him get it all in pre with 99 full stacks (sucking out v AA), raising 72o and showing down v AK with a 2 on the flop, and all in with 88 v KK in 4 bet pot for 300bb pot on low flop with him in the blinds. Looking him up, he always plays heads up and he is applying those strategies here in true spewtard fashion. It’s even worse than a 6max donk trying to run over a FR table.

Anyway, I have already busted him for his full stack once, and I am ready to leave the tables, when I look down at 78s. I raise, and with him in the blinds, a little voice inside me tells me he will be 3-betting me from the BB.

$0.50/$1 No Limit Hold'em Cash Game, 6 Players
Poker Tools by Stoxpoker - Hand Details

SB: $116.55 (116.6 bb)
BB: $116.10 (116.1 bb)
UTG: $100 (100 bb)
Hero (MP): $234.90 (234.9 bb)
CO: $151.35 (151.4 bb)
BTN: $205.35 (205.4 bb)

Pre-Flop: Hero is MP with 7 8
UTG folds, Hero raises to $3, CO folds, BTN folds, SB folds, BB raises to $11, Hero calls $8

Sure enough he 3bets. His range is wide enough that in position I think 78s in position can show a profit, given that he had shown a propensity to give up on the turn.

Flop: ($22.50) 2 4 J (2 players)
BB bets $14, Hero calls $14

Big big mistake by me. If you call in position with a speculative holding, the whole point, the whole absolute point, against this particular player, is to shove all in with at least 44% EV v his range. It is such a horrible flop for him. He is folding so much of the time, but even if he does call, it just isn't that bad. My calling is simply horrendous, and shows such weakness (or absolute nut strength) that we could never win anything much further from the hand.

Turn: ($50.50) T (2 players)
BB checks, Hero checks
compounding the horrendous play even more by checking.

River: ($50.50) K (2 players)
BB bets $36, Hero folds
It's so bad I can't speak.

Results: $50.50 pot ($2.50 rake)
Final Board: 2 4 J T K
BB mucked and won $48 ($23 net)
Uggh, I play sooo bad.

Calling in position in 3bet pots is something you should do only if you are in the groove so to speak, being prepared to play for stacks on semi draws and even stone bluffs, even against superdonks and spewtards. Otherwise let it go and play fit fold, which is profitable in itself and no shame.

Sorry I have nothing interesting to say about Rush poker though.......