Hand Analysis: Venetian $1/$2 NL

This has been long, long, overdue for a post (or five) that I will be getting shortly. I just had a 14-hour session of No-Limit fun at the Venetian and, after getting felted very early, battled and grinded out a nice profit. I also probably played 5 hands an hour between 12-2 AM to make sure of that. What I'm going to focus on are the battles between myself and another young player at the table, encompassing my mistakes against him and using them to eventually win me his stack.

---Hand #1: Rock and a Hard Place---

Stevie: K9c     Enemy: A-K

Pre-flop: Enemy raises to 8 in middle position, gets four callers (including Stevie in big blind)

$40 pot - Flop: Q-K-X (rainbow)

Stevie checks, check, check, Enemy bets $35, fold to Stevie

I had just transferred from a broken table and this was my second hand. Enemy had lost the pot before, but for a rainbow board I thought this was a strong, yet odd bet. It'll weed out the 10-9, J-9, and A-J draws, J-10 will probably see another card, but that's not my problem. I have top pair-medium kicker and if I flat call (I have $96 or so when I see the flop), I'm probably check-calling all-in on the turn anyway, it's raise all-in or fold time...

Stevie check-raises to $96 all-in, fold, fold, Enemy quickly calls

...To paraphrase, someone once said to keep your decisions simple and not very hard. That wasn't A-Q calling or the very distant hope of A-J (crap). By his reaction, he wasn't particularly worried about a set, either, so I chose wrong there. Missed my nine twice to get felted and I dug back in another Benjamin. Between this and the next hand we tangled with, Enemy, now with over $300, showed himself to be pretty loose (showing 8-4 when no one called, betting the flop and showing the 7-3 he raised pre-flop with) and riding his hot streak. For me, I went down to $62 before my AKh doubled up and then doubled again to $240 or so with a flopped wheel (always helps).

---Hand #2: A Different Way to Attack---

Stevie: JJ     Enemy: A-10

Stevie raises to 8 UTG, folds to Enemy who calls on the button, blinds fold

$19 pot - Flop: 10-4-3 (rainbow)

Stevie bets $12, Enemy raises to $30

Now, before I get to my action, a little context: I had built up my table image to the effect that when I raised pre-flop, if I bet on the flop I had it and if I checked the flop. Very simple, but for this hand, it's a perfect setup. If I did bluff, most of the table would just call and see the turn. I believe this was the first raise on the flop into my bet and of course Enemy was the player doing it...and the player that I wanted doing it...

Stevie re-raises to $76, Enemy tanks a bit

I rarely three-bet (I don't consider all-in reraises a third bet), most of the time I'm content with the information I have to fold or to see the turn at that price. But I felt compelled: He raise told me he didn't believe my flop bet (overcard continuation), but my first reaction was he had top pair. As tight as I was playing, if that flop hit him hard (i.e. a set) and he thought I had a premium pair, Enemy would have called (and sent me a memo on the turn for sure). It was a tiny raise on a rainbow board, too, maybe he wanted A-K or A-Q to see a turn. This was also the first three-bet while I was at this table to my knowledge, so it was a new wrinkle. The last motivation for three-betting was getting his chips into the middle...without me actually doing it first. Don't give an exit out of the hand by jamming all $240 or whatever I had at the time then and now, give him the decision to do it or not. Again, no one had three-bet when the board was out, make him wonder why I'm not calling to the turn or not jamming it now. Give him the opportunity to be the bully he's made the table believed he was...

Enemy re-raises all-in, Stevie quickly calls

...The turn was a low card and the river paired the board. Enemy reluctantly flipped over his 10 and mucked his Ace when I showed my Jacks. I think he said under his breath he knew I had that (and if so, poker logic boggles my logic to this day) and I went to about $550. I told myself during a break that even if I was to lose my stack, I can take this hand home with me and be proud of my day. Again, there was a long break between the next big pot. Enemy put another Benjamin behind his $100 stack and drifted for a while. I maintained my stack mostly and my image of betting when I have it and checking when I don't. Enemy had moved two seats behind me when the next one came around.

---Hand #3: Do You Realize Who He's Betting Into?---

Stevie: A9d     Enemy: Q-J

Enemy, Stevie, and five other players limp to the flop

$14 pot - Flop: Ks-A-10s

Check, Check, Enemy bets $10, Stevie calls, everyone else folds

$34 pot - Turn: Ks-A-10s-5

Enemy bets $15, Stevie calls

$64 pot - River: Ks-A-10s-5-8s

Enemy bets $40, Stevie calls

The context of me calling him down was Enemy had been bluffing recently with low pair or missed straight draws and his mood was matching that drop. He could have easily be betting high connecting cards (pair-and-straight draw). But, I forgot two things: First, I forgot who he was betting into: A player that rarely plays, that bets when he has it, that plays big pots, and the same player that got the better of him a while back. That player is impersonating a calling station (I need to stop doing that) here. The second thing was that he very quickly and calmly (if that's a word, hurray English) bet into the rivered flush. He knows that I don't have the flush and I know he doesn't have the flush (I have seen a check somewhere I figured). It is one thing to project a table image, but it's almost as important to be aware of your image and how players are betting and reacting while you're in the hand.

Two hands later, I wanted that $40 back, sometimes I keep track of the bad calls I've made and at the end of the night see how much has accumulated and affected my bottom line. I played this horribly, I wasn't aware enough to see it, so that stung for a bit. But, business went back to normal afterwards. I dropped to $450 in between the next tango while he slowly got back to $300 on the table. My image was still set in stone, though: "Bet the flop means I have it" was working and Enemy was getting annoyed I think. The next battle didn't help that mood any better...

---Hand #4: The Hand That Got Away---

Stevie: AKd     Enemy: KQh

Enemy, Stevie, and five others limp to the flop

$14 pot - Flop: Q-10d-6d

Check, Check, Enemy bets $15, Stevie raises to $45, everyone (including a tanking Enemy) folds, Enemy flips over his hand

...I hated his good fold (I'm a favorite here, I want his 3-to-2 dog chips in the pot). I'm only concerned about a set here (and even that would be a coin flip at worst), I was ready to rock. My tight image most likely was the downfall of this hand, as I stated earlier, there was a two or three hour stretch where I may have seen 5 flops per. I was looking for the kill, basically playing big pots with big bets. He wasn't happy about the raise and flipping over his cards further extended that mindset...::sigh:: I could miss completely, but I didn't care, I was fully committed to the pot.

---Hand #5: Got My $40 Back---

Stevie: KK     Enemy: ??

Enemy, Stevie, and four others limp to the flop

$14 pot - Flop: 6-3-3 (rainbow)

Check, Check, Check, Check, Enemy bets $10, Stevie calls, everyone else folds

$34 pot - Turn: 6-3-3-10

Enemy bets $15, Stevie calls

$64 pot - River: 6-3-3-10-10

Enemy bets $25, Stevie raises to $130, Enemy calls all-in for less

This ended his night and he probably had a pocket pair, I'd guess 8's or 9's (he did call all-in at the end). Another player at the table was curious about my river raise ("Could be raising into a 10" would be my guess at his logic) and another one put me on a 10. The hand played out similarly to his flopped straight, except for me putting him all-in at the end. This time I was aware he was betting, so Enemy had something (if he had pocket 6's, more power to him) and also his play had regressed to solid play rather than the loose-goose that started the night, so I was very comfortable calling him down this time. Also, the 10's to me where blanks on the board, a diamond flush may have been rivered, but his reaction to my raise seized the deal.

...And that's what I take from a 14-hour poker session: Still making mistakes, being aware of said mistakes, and using them to analyze/make better decisions later with them...