Yeah, I Hit and Run

When starting a session last night, I noticed that there were two 40/80 games going with several players whose names I did recognize. That’s usually a good sign, so I snatched up the last open seat at each and played a few hands while googling the unfamiliar screen names.

It turns out I didn’t recognize these guys because they are regulars in games so big I don’t even keep an eye on them to see if they’re ever worth playing. One guy was described as a “regular” at 300/600, which doesn’t even run regularly, so I’m not sure whether one can really be called a regular in them. In any event, I decided these weren’t actually games I wanted to play in.

In the meantime, though, I picked up some cards and won some big pots, including this one:

Full Tilt No-Limit Hold’em, $80.00 BB (5 handed) – Full-Tilt Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com

SB ($13765.10)
Hero (BB) ($8080)
UTG ($14597)
MP ($19746.50)
Button ($17475)

Preflop: Hero is BB with A, A
UTG bets $240, 3 folds, Hero raises to $820, UTG calls $580

Flop: ($1680) 10, 10, 2 (2 players)
Hero bets $1212, UTG calls $1212

Turn: ($4104) A (2 players)
Hero bets $2468, UTG calls $2468

River: ($9040) 9 (2 players)
Hero bets $3580 (All-In), 1 fold

Total pot: $9040 | Rake: $3

Results:
Hero didn’t show A, A.
Outcome: Hero won $9037

I completed my third orbit at each table and said, “Peace, I’m out,” having averaged something like $200/hand.

Yes, I hate it when people win a big pot and quit. Yes, I give them a hard time about it in chat. Do I feel like that makes me a hypocrite? Not really.

I get that for a lot of people, it’s a wise move not to stick around in a tough game when they have a lot of money in front of them. I don’t generally believe that they’re under any actual ethical obligation to sacrifice their self-interest for the sake of playing a few more hands. Quitting is good business for them; I get that.

Trying to goad them into staying is good business for me. If I think the guy’s a favorite to lose the money back, of course I’m going to try to get him stay at the table. Creating a generalized social more against hitting and running is in my self-interest, plain and simple.

For example, the other day I was playing heads up with a guy who sat out any time we got 150 BB or deeper. He was willing to start new 100 BB tables, but he wouldn’t keep playing deep. I gave him a hard time about it, I told him he wasn’t being sporting, etc., but ultimately… I started new tables with him. I would have rather played him deep, but it was still worth it to play him shallow. And in the end, I took him for a couple buy-ins.

That said, I don’t sit down in a game intending to quit if I win a big pot. But I will leave without compunction if the conditions that first led me to sit down change, ie if a fish leaves or, in this case, I learn that the spots I thought might be soft were actually quite tough.

Yeah, I bought in for 100 BB at a deep table, too, even though I always give a hard time to the weak regulars who do that at 5/10. See above.