Posted Tue May 23, 2006 2:13 am GMT by Phil14312
Playing a small-stakes NL homegame last night. Its 5 handed and both of the times the villain is probably the best player in the game. He's a good friend of mine and knows a lot about NL cash game play. I'd consider him better than me in NL. Other 3 players, 2 are the fish, 1 is decent, but I have a good read on him.
Hand 1:
I limp in UTG +1 after 1 fish calls. I have K10o. Button folds. Small blind completes, villain in the BB checks.
Blinds 1/2, I have about 70. Villain approximately the same, starting stack 70.
Flop is J  T  4
Pot: 8
All check to me, I bet 6. Only villain calls.
Turn: 2
Pot: 20 chips.
He checks, I bet 8, Villain thinks and makes it 25 chips.
Here is where I make my decision:
1) I know, basically from instinct, he has TJ, 44 or nothing. He loves playing pairs +flush draws, pairs + straight draws aggressively postflop, which he didn't do. It smelled like monster or bluff.
2)I know he is fully capable of sensing weakness (me trying to pick up the pot), calling with nothing on the flop to outplay me later.
3) I know if I call now, he will put in another 25 chips (the rest of his stack) on the river, with both his bluffs and his monsters.
4) I just sense a play here.
I call on the turn, river is an Ace and I call his all-in, he flips 26 and I win.
Hand 2:
Same villain, later in the night, stacks are about 120 each.
Villain is now playing pretty aggressively preflop. Raising 50% of the hands 5x BB.
Villain opens in MP, folds to me in the small blind with KJo, I call, BB folds.
Pot: 22 chips.
Flop: 9 Q 7, rainbow.
I check, villain bets 12, I mull it over and call, knowing this is a flop villain probably likes, if I catch a ten I can probably break him. If I catch a king it is probably good.
Turn: 9
Pot: 44 chips.
I lead for 18 chips. Villain thinks and calls.
This bet was the key to my play, I knew villain could only raise with a huge hand here, better than top-pair. Since he called, I had him on QT, QJ, JJ, TT, JT, or a crappy hand he would probably give up on the river since I bet the turn.
River: Q
Pot: 80 chips.
I don't like this card and I know he knows I don't like this card, I can't really hide it. I say "check" and it comes out pretty meekly, not on purpose. He bets about 40 chips. I think for a while and decide to call. What thre me over the edge was when he called the clock on me. The way he said it made me believe he did not want a call. Also, I can rule out this guy bluffing right here with Ace anything, AQ or A9, just from the way he plays, I know he often doesn't run a bluff with these ace high type hands. I called, knowing he didn't have ace high, and that means I had the non-pair nut hand.
He flips over JT for the busted straight draw. He was in shock I made that call. Now I don't really rely on my physical reads that much, but last night I just was at a higher level than this guy, which doesn't happen very much. I just knew where he was and how I could manipulate him. Doesn't happen often for me like that in NL cash. :D
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Posted Tue May 23, 2006 7:07 am GMT by fiezk
Nice story - and very nice calls!
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