Aggressive play; big laydowns; how others' bad play can hurt you

Hey again.

I'm currently sulking over being victimized by someone else's terrible play, so while I am analysing it, we might as well talk about good play too.

Let's go back to my last final table.

I had discussed my triple-up house in the last blog. As usual, big chipstacks become short ones as the blinds get bigger, and I am patient but card dead as we dead into the final 20. I had lost short stack race when K10 went all in and I had JJ in the big blind, which pretty much defined my middle tourney, along with two chopped pots. I am carefully managing my 7000 chips, having left the table of death still alive. The resulting big stacks seem to have all found themselves on the other remaining table: no one at my table has more than 10,000 in chips.

And they are tight, these players. All trying to wait for that perfect hand. An Asian lady whom I had played with earlier is in seat 10 to my seat one. She is an early aggressor: all in bets, no callers. She's trying to exploit the tightness of the rest of the table.

She's betting in to me, and she's just what I'm looking for. The first time she raises into my blind, I have AK, and instacall and race her A9. The flop is A A 5, which is fine, until the turn is another 5, and the river junk, and we split (again).

Because I have shown AK, I exploit this. I go all in with Q10 a few hands later. No takers. I get AK and do it again. No takers. I start harping at these tight players.

But I will get no takers. Except my lady.

Its come full circle now, all folding to her SB. She raises. I have A6. I push all in. She is committed and calls with K10. I win my race and finally my double up, and hold about 20k.

It is a brutal brutal table, with short stacks having to gamble. Eventually, I bring my 19k to the final table. Average would be about 30k.

one player to my immediate left was at the table of death with me. I had raised early with AJ at that table and he had gone over the top on me. I folded. I watched him play: any good showdown hand usually got this response, most often a wired pair. He had got a huge triple up after he pushed all in on a short stack with 99, and the BB instacalled with AA: he hit the 9.

So, blinds 1000/2000, early in the final table, I am in early position with QK clubs, and raise to 6000. This fellow shoves his now big stack over top of me.

And the next guy agonizes over his hand. and folds
The next guy is also in agony! and folds....

So, here I am with QK, 1/3 of my stack in the pot. Those two other players' agony told me two things: they probably folded my outs, and my all-in opponent has a pair.

I have to lay this down. Pot odds be damned. We only pay 8 so, busted is busted.

He will show his AA.

My fortune is to see AA myself the very next hand. And I just quietly limp it in. Only the SB and BB are in the pot: not my favorite scenario with the limp-trap, but it pays off. The flop is 10-high trash, and the BB goes all in. I call. He had caught a pair of threes, and pays me off. He is chip and a chair (miraculously, he will be a big stack when I bust out, but I'm not telling his story).

So now I have 35k in chips, and when another short stack goes in for 16k, I see 10 10. He's short enough he could be raising with anything. After looking to my left to see three players left, all with decent chips, I only have two viable moves here: fold or all in.

I am not in love with the price: if I'm beat I'm back to ground zero again. But I shove.

The BB will agonize, but fold (he had 99, and would have hit trips on the turn, we will learn) but 10 10 is in a fair race with AQ and holds up.

I will be chip leader until Chip-and-a-chair, who previously got survival chips with AA in the BB (2000 blind was all he had), will race his 66 against my AK and hold up. I didn't catch cards again, and will bust out in 5 after my stack dwindles due to short handedness, big blinds, and no cards, pushing my last 20k up against JJ in the BB with A10.

5th or now, what I liked about that tournament is that I can't think of a bad play I made.

So, on to this Saturday's $150+15, 5000 chip debacle. We are an hour in, the third level has just started, 75/150, and I have been patiently waiting for an opportunity, winning a few small pots just to pay for seeing few failed flops. I have 4075 in chips. To my right is a player who has recently feasted in a tilting player who over-committed QQ out of position post flop and ran smack into KK: he has 9000 chips. Lets call him Ted. To his right is a player whom I know previously but has just come to the table: he has about 8000 chips. We will call him Bill.

Ted is first to act and limps in. I have AA and bump it up to 575. Everyone folds to the Button, who calls, to Bill, who calls, and Ted, who also calls.

Ted had previously shown down AJ limped in in a similar position, so I am not surprised by the call. Bill is a pot odds player. The button call will not factor into the play, other than the preflop money he adds: we have 2375 in the pot.

The flop is 7 5 3 two diamonds. Nice flop.

Ohh, and here comes action: Bill appears to like the fop. Bill bets 1000.

Ted hesitates slightly, then just makes the call.

Okay, PM, where we at here? Did Bill just hit trips? No, something in his demeanor said no, and he didn't seem to like the call...and Ted definitely has a draw.

The shame for me here is, Bill's shitty bet gave Ted easy pot odds, and now I have only 3500 to bet 2500 over a 5375 pot. And Bill might have hit it, but I sure ain't folding AA. In I go (just a note: in reality, my mind is figuring this out a lot faster than my recreation would appear).

Okay, so Bill started out with a stupid bet, and then, when is comes back to him does something even stupider. HE JUST MAKES THE CALL. EVEN WORSE. HE MISTAKENLY PUTS IN 1000 LESS THAN HE'S SUPPOSED TO, AND I HAVE TO REMIND HIM, OFFERING UP A MASSIVE TELL OF UNCERTAINTY.

WHAT A MORON. TED'S GOT THE FLUSH DRAW DUMBASS!

Ted just makes a smooth call, putting about 13k in the pot in total.

I make a comment, "I sure hope you have each other's outs," because the last thing I want is two opponents to have live cards.

The turn is a J of hearts. And STUPID BILL checks. Ted, who appears to know how to play poker, and goes all in.

Bill folds now, and I am semi-relieved to see (no surprise) AJ diamonds. His pair is no good. I am 85% to a river.

the 5 of diamonds.

Thanks a load BILL.

In all the earlier examples, what did the player do? Protect his hand and his stack. All In.

BILL's post flop bet was bad enough: you have 10 10 on a 7 high board out of position, and you bet 1000 into 2375? A check I can see, and a bet of 1750 I can see, but 1000? Guaranteed to keep a draw in.

And, Bill, Stupido, When I went all in that was your opportunity TO PUT TED ON THAT DRAW AND PROTECT YOUR HAND!!!!!!!! Two choices, all in or fold. Flat call? outrageously stupid.

Ted committed a huge portion of his stack to that draw, but when you are 35% (or even money) to win 13000 on your 4000 investment, the IMPLIED ODDS are huge. (reminder: implied odds are what keep you in when the odds may be mediocre but the potential payoff at the end is enormous)

If Bill puts the 4000 he has over me on the flop, Ted's got to commit all but 1000 chips to a flush draw and two overcards (one of which is very dead) 6500 chip raise and my investment only 1575? Pretty early in the tournament for that kind of gamble.

Thanks Bill. Way to take out one player while crippling yourself.

The moral to this story: if you think you have the best on the flop, or pre-flop, and you're up against a short stack's all in, you'd better do two things: 1) Make damn sure you're better than another big stack; 2) if you are sure, protect it unless you flopped a house or straight flush or other ridiculous monster (see last blog).

Happy hunting! (Ima gonna shoot me up some Bill....)