I played a longer heads up session recently against the same opponent I mentioned in my recent post entitled, “Pwned :-(“. I ended up dropping about three buyins to him, which from what I’ve heard is fairly trivial for an aggressive heads up game. I definitely started to get a sense of how wild the variance could be in such a match.
There’s a tendency to think of variance or bad luck in terms of coolers and bad beats, but sometimes it’s just a prolonged period where your opponent is catching cards that win him a lot of medium-sized pots and you are missing everything. Then you try to bluff your way out of it, and he makes some thin calls, and then you finally get a strong hand, and he decides he’s done with the thin calls. That’s how I felt the other night, anyhow.
Just a reminder that this converter screws up position in heads up matches, so the player called the Button is actually the BB and the other player is Button/SB.
Three Streets of Value
Full Tilt Poker No-Limit Hold’em, $10 BB (2 handed) Hand History converter Courtesy of PokerZion.com
Button ($1039)
Hero ($959.50)
Preflop: Hero is BB with 6s, 5s. Button posts a blind of $10.
Hero raises to $25, Button (poster) calls $20.
Flop: ($55) 2s, 4h, 6c (2 players)
Button checks, Hero bets $44, Button calls $44.
Turn: ($143) 4c (2 players)
Button checks, Hero bets $95, Button calls $95.
River: ($333) 4s (2 players)
Button checks, Hero bets $190, Button calls $190.
Final Pot: $713
He called me down with 33. It’s important, against a guy who’s willing to make a lot of thin calls, to make a lot of thin value bets. It’s really the only way to punish him for calling a lot out of position and to protect your bluffs.
Check It Down?
Full Tilt Poker No-Limit Hold’em, $10 BB (2 handed) Hand History converter Courtesy of PokerZion.com
Button ($1099.50)
Hero ($1000)
Preflop: Hero is BB with Ad, Jh. Button posts a blind of $10.
Hero raises to $25, Button (poster) raises to $100, Hero calls $70.
Flop: ($195) 5s, 7c, Kc (2 players)
Button bets $120, Hero calls $120.
Turn: ($435) 3d (2 players)
Button checks, Hero checks.
River: ($435) Qs (2 players)
Button checks, Hero checks.
Final Pot: $435
Results in white below:
Hero has Ad Jh (high card, ace).
Button has 4h 5c (one pair, fives).
Outcome: Button wins $435.
He was 3-betting me quit a bit from the SB, and AJ is well ahead of his range. I also think he’s betting almost his entire range on this flop, so I’m pretty sure it’s a profitable peel. But this is what I’m talking about when I say he was just catching the right cards to win medium-sized pots.
Cold Deck?
Full Tilt Poker No-Limit Hold’em, $10 BB (2 handed) Hand History converter Courtesy of PokerZion.com
Button ($1688.50)
Hero ($1045)
Preflop: Hero is BB with Ad, Qs. Button posts a blind of $10.
Hero raises to $25, Button (poster) raises to $100, Hero raises to $270, Button raises to $1778.5 (All-In), Hero calls $790 (All-In).
Flop: ($2838.50) Ah, Js, Qh (2 players, 2 all-in).
Turn: ($2838.50) 7d (2 players, 2 all-in)
River: ($2838.50) Kd (2 players, 2 all-in)
Final Pot: $2838.50
Results in white below:
Hero has Ad Qs (two pair, aces and queens).
Button has Kc Kh (three of a kind, kings).
Outcome: Button wins $2838.50.
Against an aggressive opponent whom I’ve been 4-betting a fair amount, I think this is a must-call for 100 BB’s. If we were much deeper, I’d probably fold it, because I didn’t get the sense that he was going to 5-bet shove especially light. Given the dynamic of this match, this is just a cold deck.
Strange Overbet
Full Tilt Poker No-Limit Hold’em, $10 BB (2 handed) Hand History converter Courtesy of PokerZion.com
BB ($2763)
Hero ($1000)
Preflop: Hero is Button with 7h, 6h. Hero posts a blind of $10.
BB raises to $25, Hero (poster) calls $20.
Flop: ($55) 4h, 2c, 6s (2 players)
Hero checks, BB bets $40, Hero raises to $120, BB calls $80.
Turn: ($295) Qh (2 players)
Hero checks, BB checks.
River: ($295) Kd (2 players)
Hero checks, BB bets $2613 (All-In), Hero folds.
Final Pot: $2908
This was one of the rougher spots he put me in during the match. This is a good flop for me to check-raise with or without a hand, and I think I probably should have bet the turn on the assumption that my hand is still good but vulnerable. By check-raising and then checking twice, I define my hand as rather weak, and then he makes this huge overbet after two scary cards fall. It was the only time he did anything like this, and I have no idea whether he could do it for value with AK or as a bluff or what. I was just completely lost, and I didn’t feel like I could warrant the call given my uncertainty, although it’s tempting when I suspect he knows my hand is usually no stronger than middle pair.
Cold Deck!
Full Tilt Poker No-Limit Hold’em, $10 BB (2 handed) Hand History converter Courtesy of PokerZion.com
Button ($2907)
Hero ($1045)
Preflop: Hero is BB with 9c, Kh. Button posts a blind of $10.
Hero raises to $25, Button (poster) calls $20.
Flop: ($55) Kd, Ks, 6h (2 players)
Button checks, Hero bets $40, Button raises to $120, Hero calls $80.
Turn: ($295) 4s (2 players)
Button bets $200, Hero calls $200.
River: ($695) Jc (2 players)
Button bets $400, Hero calls $400.
Final Pot: $1495
Results in white below:
Hero has 9c Kh (three of a kind, kings).
Button has Kc Td (three of a kind, kings).
Outcome: Button wins $1495.
Brrrrrr. If anything, I’m proud of myself for not losing my last $200 on this. Although I’m never folding trips to this guy and am certainly ahead of his range, I’m not ahead of the range he’s representing, so there’s no value in raising. In other words, his range consists of (1) bluffs, (2) hands that beat mine, and (3) trips with a worse kicker. But I think there are a lot more of (2) than of (3), and he’s almost certainly folding his bluffs to a raise at any point, so the most value likes in just calling him down.
I Got There!
Full Tilt Poker No-Limit Hold’em, $10 BB (2 handed) Hand History converter Courtesy of PokerZion.com
BB ($3496)
Hero ($1159.50)
Preflop: Hero is Button with Th, Ac. Hero posts a blind of $10.
BB raises to $25, Hero (poster) raises to $99, BB calls $69.
Flop: ($193) Kc, Jd, 3d (2 players)
Hero checks, BB checks.
Turn: ($193) Qs (2 players)
Hero checks, BB checks.
River: ($193) 2h (2 players)
Hero bets $110, BB calls $110.
Final Pot: $413
Results in white below:
BB doesn’t show.
Hero has Th Ac (straight, ace high).
Outcome: Hero wins $413.
I’m not happy with how I played this, though. He’s calling such a wide range pre-flop that I ought to bet this flop. I like to check a lot of flops when I’ve re-raised from out of position, and I often do it with a pair, but I don’t think he’d picked up on that, so I think I ought to be semi-bluffing the flop. And he was making enough thin calls against me that I really should have started building a pot on the turn. Check-raising him would have been shady anyway. At least I bet the river?
Thin Call, Sir
Full Tilt Poker No-Limit Hold’em, $10 BB (2 handed) Hand History converter Courtesy of PokerZion.com
BB ($3317)
Hero ($1338)
Preflop: Hero is Button with Ks, 9s. Hero posts a blind of $10.
BB raises to $25, Hero (poster) calls $20.
Flop: ($55) Jd, 9h, Td (2 players)
Hero checks, BB bets $40, Hero calls $40.
Turn: ($135) Kh (2 players)
Hero checks, BB checks.
River: ($135) 2s (2 players)
Hero bets $118, BB calls $118.
Final Pot: $371
Results in white below:
BB doesn’t show.
Hero has Ks 9s (two pair, kings and nines).
Outcome: Hero wins $371.
In general, this guy did not give me enough credit when I called the flop, especially from out of position. The only thing he could possibly be ahead of on this river is a busted diamond draw.
Capping the Flop
Full Tilt Poker No-Limit Hold’em, $10 BB (2 handed) Hand History converter Courtesy of PokerZion.com
BB ($2759.50)
Hero ($1893)
Preflop: Hero is Button with Ad, Js. Hero posts a blind of $10.
BB raises to $25, Hero (poster) calls $20.
Flop: ($55) Jh, 3d, As (2 players)
Hero bets $43, BB raises to $144, Hero raises to $425, BB raises to $850, Hero calls $281.
Turn: ($1611) 2s (2 players)
Hero checks, BB checks.
River: ($1611) 5c (2 players)
Hero bets $657, BB folds.
Final Pot: $2268
Results in white below:
Hero has Ad Js (two pair, aces and jacks).
Outcome: Hero wins $2268.
There are basically no draws on this flop, so when he gives so much action, I think he’s going to have either a set, a worse two pair, or a bluff. Four-betting a strong one-pair hand like AK would be pretty crazy. In general I tend to think calls are stronger than raises, but I was getting such good odds to call the 4-bet that I figured he wouldn’t have to put me on a strong hand and could still bluff the turn or pay off with a worse two pair. Since I’m out of position and putting in the 3rd bet rather than the 4th, my range can be a lot wider than his.
Makes Me Feel Better About the AQ Call
Full Tilt Poker No-Limit Hold’em, $10 BB (2 handed) Hand History converter Courtesy of PokerZion.com
Button ($1000)
Hero ($3422)
Preflop: Hero is BB with Ad, 8c. Button posts a blind of $10.
Hero raises to $25, Button (poster) raises to $100, Hero raises to $277, Button raises to $1000 (All-In), Hero folds.
Final Pot: $1367
My opponent left for about half an hour after the AJ hand. He said he wasn’t playing well and wanted to clear his head. This was the first pot we played after he got back, and obviously no one ever has a monster on the first hand of a new session, so he must have been full of it.
Got There Again
Full Tilt Poker No-Limit Hold’em, $10 BB (2 handed) Hand History converter Courtesy of PokerZion.com
Button ($1407)
Hero ($3015)
Preflop: Hero is BB with Ks, Ac. Button posts a blind of $10.
Hero raises to $25, Button (poster) calls $20.
Flop: ($55) Jc, 3d, 4h (2 players)
Button checks, Hero checks.
Turn: ($55) 6c (2 players)
Button bets $50, Hero calls $50.
River: ($155) Ad (2 players)
Button checks, Hero bets $95, Button calls $95.
Final Pot: $345
Results in white below:
Hero has Ks Ac (one pair, aces).
Button doesn’t show.
Outcome: Hero wins $345.
I maybe should have bet this flop, but he was check-raising me a lot on boards like this, and my hand has a lot of showdown value. And apparently implied odds, too!
Oh Snap!
Full Tilt Poker No-Limit Hold’em, $10 BB (2 handed) Hand History converter Courtesy of PokerZion.com
Button ($1440)
Hero ($2980)
Preflop: Hero is BB with Jd, Ah. Button posts a blind of $10.
Hero raises to $25, Button (poster) raises to $100, Hero calls $70.
Flop: ($195) 9c, 8s, Kc (2 players)
Button checks, Hero checks.
Turn: ($195) 4d (2 players)
Button bets $100, Hero raises to $330, Button calls $230.
River: ($855) 9h (2 players)
Button checks, Hero checks.
Final Pot: $855
Results in white below:
Hero has Jd Ah (one pair, nines).
Button has Ts Th (two pair, tens and nines).
Outcome: Button wins $855.
Ohhhh Snap!
Full Tilt Poker No-Limit Hold’em, $10 BB (2 handed) Hand History converter Courtesy of PokerZion.com
Button ($1944)
Hero ($2475)
Preflop: Hero is BB with 5d, Qc. Button posts a blind of $10.
Hero raises to $25, Button (poster) calls $20.
Flop: ($55) 8d, Kc, 5c (2 players)
Button checks, Hero bets $45, Button calls $45.
Turn: ($145) 4d (2 players)
Button checks, Hero bets $150, Button calls $150.
River: ($445) 3c (2 players)
Button checks, Hero bets $450, Button calls $450.
Final Pot: $1345
Results in white below:
Hero has 5d Qc (one pair, fives).
Button has Qd Kd (one pair, kings).
Outcome: Button wins $1345.
I’m not sure how good of a hand he would have folded on this river, but if I knew he had KQ, I wouldn’t have fired again, for what it’s worth. The turn is what I call bluffing with the best hand (in a good way). Basically, I’m equally interested in getting him off of better marginal hands like a pair of 8’s and of knocking him off of any draw or float he may be on, since he may otherwise bluff me out on the river. Once he called, I knew my pair was no good, but when the flush got there on the river, I decided to fire again, since a flush draw was my most logical non-made hand on the turn.
Snap?
Full Tilt Poker No-Limit Hold’em, $10 BB (2 handed) Hand History converter Courtesy of PokerZion.com
Button ($2633.50)
Hero ($1785)
Preflop: Hero is BB with 6s, Ks. Button posts a blind of $10.
Hero raises to $25, Button (poster) calls $20.
Flop: ($55) 9c, Qs, 7d (2 players)
Button checks, Hero bets $45, Button calls $45.
Turn: ($145) 5s (2 players)
Button checks, Hero bets $150, Button calls $150.
River: ($445) 3s (2 players)
Button checks, Hero bets $450, Button folds.
Final Pot: $895
Results in white below:
Hero has 6s Ks (flush, king high).
Outcome: Hero wins $895.
Naturally, when I actually have the flush, and in a much less likely spot (this one was a back door), he finds the fold button. I think the fact that he’d so recently caught a bluff when I took exactly the same line may have led him to believe that I wasn’t bluffing this time.
The Power of the 4-Bet
Full Tilt Poker No-Limit Hold’em, $10 BB (2 handed) Hand History converter Courtesy of PokerZion.com
Button ($2408.50)
Hero ($2009)
Preflop: Hero is BB with Qs, Kd. Button posts a blind of $10.
Hero raises to $25, Button (poster) raises to $100, Hero raises to $274, Button calls $159.
Flop: ($533) 2h, Td, 6d (2 players)
Button checks, Hero bets $300, Button folds.
Final Pot: $833
With 100 BB stacks, it’s tricky to counteract aggressive 3-betting, since the reraiser will generally put 9-10 BB’s into the pot. This makes it tough to 4-bet without committing your whole stack, and even if you take a flop in position, effective stacks are now only 3-4x the pot, so the value of your position declines. But when you get up to 200 BB stacks, the 4-bettor is the one putting his opponent in an awkward spot either to 5-bet or call. And since you’ve got the added value of position, your 4-bet doesn’t even need to be that big. Nor does your continuation bet on a fairly innocuous board like this one.
Another Medium-Sized Pot Down the Drain
Full Tilt Poker No-Limit Hold’em, $10 BB (2 handed) Hand History converter Courtesy of PokerZion.com
BB ($2262)
Hero ($2154)
Preflop: Hero is Button with Jh, Kh. Hero posts a blind of $10.
BB raises to $25, Hero (poster) calls $20.
Flop: ($55) 3c, 6d, Ts (2 players)
Hero checks, BB bets $40, Hero raises to $124, BB calls $84.
Turn: ($303) 4h (2 players)
Hero checks, BB checks.
River: ($303) Qh (2 players)
Hero checks, BB checks.
Final Pot: $303
Results in white below:
BB has 3s 5c (one pair, threes).
Hero has Jh Kh (high card, king).
Outcome: BB wins $303.
This is another instance of bluffing with the best hand. I don’t blame him for calling the flop check-raise with bottom pair, but since I’m out of position with little chance of improving, I’d just as well fold out his bluffs and hopefully his Ace-high hands on the flop. I’d fire again at some turns, but this one is more likely to improve his range than scare it.
I Can Call Light, Too
Full Tilt Poker No-Limit Hold’em, $10 BB (2 handed) Hand History converter Courtesy of PokerZion.com
Button ($2655)
Hero ($1759.50)
Preflop: Hero is BB with 6h, Ah. Button posts a blind of $10.
Hero raises to $25, Button (poster) raises to $90, Hero calls $60.
Flop: ($175) 4c, 3c, 5d (2 players)
Button bets $120, Hero raises to $369, Button raises to $1111, Hero calls $742.
Turn: ($2397) Td (2 players)
Button bets $1454 (All-In), Hero calls $558.50 (All-In).
River: ($4409.50) Ks (2 players, 2 all-in)
Final Pot: $4409.50
Results in white below:
Hero has 6h Ah (high card, ace).
Button has Qc Jc (high card, king).
Outcome: Hero wins $3514. Button wins $895.50.
I’m still not sure whether this is good. I think I make life too easy on him by just calling the flop when he’s 3-betting such a wide range pre-flop, but I kill the value of my hand if I fold to a 3-bet. In particular, I think a decent portion of his 3-betting range is semi-bluffs, but that’s not necessarily good for me, since he could have a better Ace than mine with the nut flush draw, and regardless if he’s semi-bluffing clubs, he’s drawing to the better hand even when my Ace is good, as it was here.
Another Little Value Bet
Full Tilt Poker No-Limit Hold’em, $10 BB (2 handed) Hand History converter Courtesy of PokerZion.com
BB ($1691)
Hero ($2790.50)
Preflop: Hero is Button with Th, Qh. Hero posts a blind of $10.
BB raises to $25, Hero (poster) calls $20.
Flop: ($55) Td, Kc, 5d (2 players)
Hero checks, BB checks.
Turn: ($55) Ks (2 players)
Hero bets $40, BB calls $40.
River: ($135) 3d (2 players)
Hero bets $120, BB calls $120.
Final Pot: $375
Results in white below:
BB doesn’t show.
Hero has Th Qh (two pair, kings and tens).
Outcome: Hero wins $375.
Any decent player is going to value bet this river, but what I think is important here is the size of my bet. A lot of people will make smaller value bets with their less strong hands and bet big with monsters and bluffs, but especially against this player, I was consciously trying to make all of my value bets big, since he’d shown a willingness to pay them off.
There’s That Fold Button
Full Tilt Poker No-Limit Hold’em, $10 BB (2 handed) Hand History converter Courtesy of PokerZion.com
Button ($1979)
Hero ($2500.50)
Preflop: Hero is BB with Jh, Ts. Button posts a blind of $10.
Hero raises to $25, Button (poster) calls $20.
Flop: ($55) 5h, 9d, 7d (2 players)
Button checks, Hero bets $40, Button calls $40.
Turn: ($135) As (2 players)
Button checks, Hero bets $100, Button calls $100.
River: ($335) Kh (2 players)
Button checks, Hero bets $280, Button folds.
Final Pot: $615
This is the kind of stuff I can get away with because I’ve shown the ability to get three streets of value from one pair hands and make sizable value bets with even my intermediate holdings on the river.
Strange Underbet
Full Tilt Poker No-Limit Hold’em, $10 BB (2 handed) Hand History converter Courtesy of PokerZion.com
Button ($1855.25)
Hero ($2619.75)
Preflop: Hero is BB with Jh, Ad. Button posts a blind of $10.
Hero raises to $25, Button (poster) raises to $99, Hero raises to $284, Button calls $170.
Flop: ($553) 4h, As, 2s (2 players)
Button bets $10, Hero calls $10.
Turn: ($573) Ks (2 players)
Button bets $100, Hero raises to $540, Button folds.
Final Pot: $1213
This is the Crap I’m Talking About
Full Tilt Poker No-Limit Hold’em, $10 BB (2 handed) Hand History converter Courtesy of PokerZion.com
Button ($1882.75)
Hero ($2590.25)
Preflop: Hero is BB with 9h, Ks. Button posts a blind of $10.
Hero raises to $25, Button (poster) calls $20.
Flop: ($55) 4s, 8d, 9s (2 players)
Button checks, Hero bets $50, Button calls $50.
Turn: ($155) Qh (2 players)
Button checks, Hero checks.
River: ($155) 2c (2 players)
Button bets $160, Hero calls $160.
Final Pot: $475
Results in white below:
Hero has 9h Ks (one pair, nines).
Button has Qs 8s (two pair, queens and eights).
Outcome: Button wins $475.
Not that it would have mattered, but I probably should have bet the turn since there were a lot of draws out there and he’s capable of calling with worse.
Toughest Spot of the Session
Full Tilt Poker No-Limit Hold’em, $10 BB (2 handed) Hand History converter Courtesy of PokerZion.com
Button ($2102.25)
Hero ($2370.25)
Preflop: Hero is BB with Ad, 5h. Button posts a blind of $10.
Hero raises to $25, Button (poster) raises to $99, Hero raises to $285, Button calls $171.
Flop: ($555) Th, 4c, Ts (2 players)
Button checks, Hero bets $300, Button calls $300.
Turn: ($1155) Ah (2 players)
Button checks, Hero checks.
River: ($1155) 8d (2 players)
Button bets $800, Hero folds.
Final Pot: $1955
In a 4-bet pot, my A5 is hardly a monster, even when I make top pair. I don’t put it completely past him to float me out of position with something random here, but I think almost always he has either a pair or a strong Ace on the flop. I don’t think he’d bet a pair like this on the river, so after a lot of thought, I decided he’d often have Aces up with a better kicker, and I threw my hand away.
Bet, Damn You!
Full Tilt Poker No-Limit Hold’em, $10 BB (2 handed) Hand History converter Courtesy of PokerZion.com
BB ($3043.75)
Hero ($1425.25)
Preflop: Hero is Button with 9d, 9c. Hero posts a blind of $10.
BB raises to $25, Hero (poster) raises to $95, BB calls $65.
Flop: ($185) 9h, Kd, 6s (2 players)
Hero bets $140, BB calls $140.
Turn: ($465) 3h (2 players)
Hero checks, BB checks.
River: ($465) 8c (2 players)
Hero bets $290, BB folds.
Final Pot: $755
Results in white below:
Hero has 9d 9c (three of a kind, nines).
Outcome: Hero wins $755.
This particular slowplay does please me. My opponent had shown a tendency to float dry flops like this, whereas a second bullet from me would probably knock him off of anything but a pair of Kings, which I figured he’d bet for me anyway. Given the way this played out, I think he probably had a pair of 6’s or a pocket pair or something, which is just bad luck for me. I’m still happy with my plan to check-raise the turn.
Float On
Full Tilt Poker No-Limit Hold’em, $10 BB (2 handed) Hand History converter Courtesy of PokerZion.com
Button ($2726.75)
Hero ($1739.75)
Preflop: Hero is BB with Qs, Tc. Button posts a blind of $10.
Hero raises to $25, Button (poster) calls $20.
Flop: ($55) 4h, 2s, 9c (2 players)
Button checks, Hero bets $44, Button raises to $132, Hero calls $88.
Turn: ($319) Jd (2 players)
Button checks, Hero bets $222, Button calls $222.
River: ($763) 3d (2 players)
Button checks, Hero bets $555, Button calls $555.
Final Pot: $1873
Results in white below:
Hero has Qs Tc (high card, queen).
Button has 8h Jh (one pair, jacks).
Outcome: Button wins $1873.
As I’ve mentioned, I was getting checkraised a lot on flops like this, and this was literally the only time all session I called him with nothing planning to take it away on the turn. As it turns out, I was right, I was ahead, but he turned top pair and I couldn’t nail 10 outs on the river. I imagine I get paid off a Q or an 8 falls on the river, hard to say with a K, but probably.