Crappy Play

So, I've been winning. In fact, it seems I can do no wrong. So I have to keep telling myself, "Respect the money." And I'm also have to some self talk now about what's the right play and why I'm making the play.  The other night, was not my best play. In fact, I think that while I made some decent plays, I really could have (should have) done better.

Example 1: I raise with AJ off suit. This guy in the ten seat calls.  The flop comes out ten high and I bet. He calls. On the turn we both check. On the river I check and he bets $120.  Now, as I'm thinking about this, I think that he's bluffing. I think he probably had a straight draw or a flush draw and he missed.  And the only way he thinks he can win is by betting to take the pot down. Trouble is, I only have Ace high.  That could be a winner if he was on a straight draw. Well, I call. He says, "Good call. I only have one pair." Yes, he was bluffing. Yes he did miss the straight. BUT he also had a small pair of 5's to go along with his nothing, so he was betting with the best hand! Ugh. So what did I do wrong? Well, I played the hand like we were playing $4-$8 limit. I checked the turn and called the river. No, folks, this is nolimit. In no limit, I should have bet the turn or RAISED on the river.  OR I could have folded. But a flat call was not the correct play. The trouble is that it's tough for me to raise a $120 bet when I have Ace high. Well, I need to get over that. If I think that my opponent is bluffing, I need to suck it up and take the pot away from them. Good read. Bad play.

Example 2: I have 56 off suit and a player that I really don't like raises to $30 preflop. Of course I call. It's always fun to beat someone that you don't like. Here's the other reason I call. I know that she plays about 90% of the hands she's dealt. Some she raises with and others she limps with, but I have her pegged as a fairly dumb, weak player who likes to see lots of flops. Oh, let me clarify why I say "dumb". She plays poker almost every day, and I cannot for the life of me figure out why she, seemingly, can never figure out what her opponent holds. She's almost always wrong. So, I think she's dumb. Oh, and she's not likeable either. She's usually a bitch to people when they beat her. So, it's fun to beat her. Ok, so I call the $30 raise and so does another player (also a weak player, but this person is nice and likeable, she's also wealthy and a loose player). The flop comes 8,7, and some other meaningless card that I can't remember. There are 2 spades and 1 club on the flop. The player I don't like bets $65. Of course I'm calling here with my openended straight draw. The other weak player also calls. I'm worried about a flush. The turn is a club that doesn't make anybody's hand. The player I don't like bets out $110. I think about this. I have at least the four red cards that make my hand, and maybe the four black ones too. If the other lady calls then she's certainly drawing for a flush and I'm dead. But if the other lady folds, then I'm not worried about the flush. Oh, but it's so much fun to beat someone that you don't like... I call.  Ok, folks, calling to beat someone you don't like is not a good reason to call. You should only call when you have a positive expectation that this is a money making hand. Against most other players I would have folded because I'm likely in a negative EV situation. (EV=Expected Value). But this is technically a good call against a person who I feel could have any two cards and may only have AK or QQ because she raised preflop and continued on the flop. In fact, it's probably not AK, because I don't think she'd make the second continuation bet on the turn. So it's probably JJ, QQ, or KK.  No, probably not KK. I think JJ or QQ. Anyway, I called and the 9 of spades peels off on the river. That's great! I made my hand. The other weak player had folded on the turn so it's just me and the player I suspect has a big overpair. She checks. And I CHECK! What? What did I just do? I checked! Oh crap... I should have bet. Wrong play, wrong play, wrong play.... bet bet bet! I checked. Of course I won the hand. But I could have gotten another $60-$100 from her by betting the river. But no. Because I was scared she might have been playing the flush the whole way looking for a check-raise on the river, I checked. Gosh. That was stupid. Now who was the dumb player in that hand? Me. Because I didn't get all of the money that I should have gotten from that hand.

All in all I did leave the game $1000 ahead for the night. But there were a few plays that were less than optimal. So, I'm writing this to remind myself that I'm there to make money. I'm not there to prove who the best player is. I'm not there to beat down bitches that I don't like. I'm not there to try to suck out when I have a negative EV hand. I am there to make the best, most sound decisions I can with the information that I have with the end goal of winning all the money on the table.

If I forget that, you have my permission to slap me in the head.

Oh, one more note. There are times when it is a sound decision to make a call for a suck out with a negative EV hand. Those are the times when I'm looking to put a volatile player on tilt so as to win more money from him/her in the future. That is a play I'll make!