Foxwoods trip report--a rough night |
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Posted Mon Aug 28, 2006 11:20 pm GMT by mackkie
So I sit down at foxwoods 1/2NL and buyin. As im scanning the table I see someone across the table with an approx. $500 stack. I figure him for a solid player because of the stack. An hour into my session, I see him actively involved in a $150+ pot with J6o and mid pair. A few hands later he re-raises a $12 pot to $25 only to have him lose $100+ in that hand and at show down he flips over 23  . By now three people at my end of the table have him marked as a wreckless player and we were just patiently waiting for our monster hand to take it to him.
About a 1/2 hour later, I pick up AKo. He is first to act and raises it to $12. everyone folds to me and I know I have my opportunity to double up easily against this guy and I re-raise him to $25 being 100% positive that he was going to call. Everyone folds to him and he calls.
Flop: 7 A  2 
Prob the best flop I could have asked for. He checks it to me, I throw out $25 and a little show like I missed the flop but wanted to protect my pre-flop raise. He quickly calls me.
Turn: 6
Another wonderful card for me. Another check to me, I bet out $40. He thinks about it for a few seconds and calls it.
River: 8
I happily put in my last $40 expecting him to flip over AQ. He instantly calls, flips over his cards and yells "STRAIGHT". He flipped over 10 9o. 
I looked in shock for a few seconds in dis-beleif that he would actually commit $50 into a pot with absolute crap. He then proceeds to call $40 on an inside straight draw???
I made him look like a fool in front of everyone at the table by pointing out every single one of his awful plays during the hand. Everyone was on my side and felt pretty badly for me, but I realized hey, that is poker and did not make a huge deal out of it. I just told him nice hand and kept playing.
No less than 2 minutes from my terrible misfortune, a man in a suit comes up to him and asks for his name. The guy in the suit told him he just won $1,000 in one of those promitions where you swipe your rewards card. Everyone at the table just laughed. Hey, I guess it was his lucky day.
At the end of the day when I criticized my play, I couldnt really complain about how I played this hand and would do the same on the next opportunity I have. If he wants to call $40 into a $100 pot that he has less than a 5% chance to win, god bless him, I just hope he sits at my table again.
Feel free to comment on anything you have read in this little story. Im not sure anyone can really criticize my play, unless I get the wise ass comment "fold pre-flop" 
Thanks,
Matt
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Posted Mon Aug 28, 2006 11:37 pm GMT by xDiamond_CutteRx
Well Matt, now you know the first rule of low stakes NL... a big stack indicates either a very good or very BAD player, and often at 1/2 it's the latter. Sometimes they get lucky and there's nothing you can do.
Try not to make a habit of giving free lessons or berating a bad play at the table, though. Most often, it has the opposite effect you're trying to induce. Keep the dead money happy and enjoying themselves and then devour their stack later on. Your little speech might inadvertantly cause him to play better, and if not him, perhaps someone else at the table.
I try to never show visible disappointment at the table. I try to start friendly chats and never talk about others' bad play. At best, it's not real smart or polite. At worst, it could cost a LOT of easy money if he tightens up or you drive him off the table.
Just my $0.02. Better luck next time, though, my friend.
Posted Mon Aug 28, 2006 11:48 pm GMT by mackkie
I agree with you 100%. I shouldnt have done that just for that reason. This was the first runner-runner bad beat Ive got at the casino so I let my emotions get the best of me. It was my first and last time I do that.
Although I must admit I sat next to a really nice guy who was a defense lawyer in the Navy and he was pretty new to casino poker. He had some horrible tells such as someone making a raise and him grabbing/counting out his chips for a call with 2-3 more people to act. I just helped him out along the way and made him aware of his tells. I didnt mind helping out the guy.
Then there was a kid to my right who thought he was the man at poker. He would show me his cards if he was playing. I saw him playing 10 6o with a $18 pre flop raise and a caller. I never said a word to him in case I was fortunate enough to run into him with some nice cards and have him call with 83o or something.
Right now I am at the point I want to play better competition because I think it will really help out my play, but the 2/5NL game has the same amount of donks but with more money. Anything over that buyin is wayyyy over my limit as far as my budget goes.
My question is should I play 4/8 limit and sit down with like $200 instead of 1/2NL?
I just cannot continue playing in this donkfest.
Posted Tue Aug 29, 2006 12:42 am GMT by xDiamond_CutteRx
| Quote: | | Right now I am at the point I want to play better competition because I think it will really help out my play, but the 2/5NL game has the same amount of donks but with more money. Anything over that buyin is wayyyy over my limit as far as my budget goes. |
Assuming you will do better at a higher limit because the players will be "better" is fallacious. What you're hoping is that players will be weak-tight and easy to read, and yes there will be some of those. But the higher you move up, the more likely you are to run into nut-peddling TAGs who are very competant at trapping, as well as LAGs who understand the game much better than the low-level LAG-donks. Playing higher limits MAY improve your play, but probably not your results. The fancy way of saying this is "how much are you willing to pay for a Poker education?"
| Quote: | | My question is should I play 4/8 limit and sit down with like $200 instead of 1/2NL? |
That depends on three questions.
1. How much is in your bankroll?
2. How much do you bring to the casino?
3. Are you better at Limit or No-Limit?
For (1), to comfortably play at a level, I'd say you need a few grand to tackle these stakes, either $200 NL or $4/$8 limit, which are fairly comparable as far as staking between the two games goes (although I still think you need more to play $200 NL). For (2), the less you're willing to bring, the more I'd suggest limit. NL is a better game when you can stay near the max buy-in and optimize your winning situation. $200 is a decent amount for a $4/$8 session, and will help to control the swings. For (3), only you can answer this question, but I think you should focus on your best game.
| Quote: | | I just cannot continue playing in this donkfest. |
Yes you can, because donkfests are how you build a BR. Remember Mike Caro's words: "In Poker, you get paid for making the right decision, not for winning pots."
Posted Tue Aug 29, 2006 2:57 am GMT by groton
its 100NL at The woods
and 4/8Limit is basicly just 2/4Limit at Foxwoods its the same game just more money on the table
If u play limit 5/10 is the way to go.
but the 1/2NL can get tiring
Posted Tue Aug 29, 2006 7:45 am GMT by Ades up
I agree with Groton. I also play at foxwoods and there are a lot of action at the 1-2 table. I often choose to play a real tight agressive game and wait for the right time to capitalize. With any poker game (especially in this day and age of poker) every game u sit at is different. The range of hands that people play are beyond logic sometimes but as a solid player you need to adapt. You will be the victor more often than not. Just remember that the next time he plays that hand at you, you will drag a huge pot.
Posted Tue Aug 29, 2006 9:57 am GMT by MasterShake
| groton wrote: | its 100NL at The woods
and 4/8Limit is basicly just 2/4Limit at Foxwoods its the same game just more money on the table
If u play limit 5/10 is the way to go.
but the 1/2NL can get tiring |
Isn't the 5/10 usually a kill game?
Posted Tue Aug 29, 2006 11:23 am GMT by mackkie
I think I do agree with pretty much everything diamond had to say. I was just pissed off last night about the guy catching runner runner and calling while getting absolutely horrible pot odds in the process. He is right about while you do get sucked out on some hands, for the most part you love a guy calling down a $300 pot with 109o and praying for his inside straight draw after the turn. As for the increase in limits, I think I could hold my own very well.
As for the 5/10 suggestion, that would be awsome to play at these levels, but realistically it would be a very stupid move on my part.
As for now I will continue to play at the 1/2NL and hope for some better luck next time that I wont get another bad beat dealt to me when I have a 95% chance of winning after the flop.
Posted Tue Aug 29, 2006 1:42 pm GMT by groton
yah the 5/10 does have a kill
but its does not play like a Mid level game it should instead it plays like the avg 4/8 game at Most Casino's besides Foxwoods
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