We played four rounds today. The first one started at 13:00 and I finished a little before 20:00, though many tables were still playing for some time thereafter.
My first opponent was by far the toughest. He’s a regular with a in biggest NLHE games on Poker Stars, not as well known as most of the guys who play in the game but with a respectable win rate. I don’t think we’d ever played cash together, so it’s possible he knew nothing about me. He certainly seemed to underestimate me, anyway. He was 3-betting a lot, and the first time I 4-bet him, he shoved 87o and lost to my AA. That got me a 3-1 lead, but then I got it in with K7 vs. AA (he flat called pre-flop) on a KQ6 flop and doubled him up. The second time I 4-bet him, he shoved and I folded. The third time, he shoved and his Q2s lost to my KK.
My second opponent was the weakest of the four, though he got an early lead when he one-outed me in a 3-bet pot. I’d called his 3-bet with Q8, and he’d check-called two bets on a Q-high board. The river was an 8 and put four to a straight on the board. He checked and called a big bet with 88. I got back to even with AA vs. his KK, then ground him down and polished him with AK vs. his KQ.
In round three the guy was just aggressive in all the wrong spots. It helped that I connected with a few flops, but he pretty much never won a sizable pot from me. I always either got it out early or called him down with the best hand. I busted him with a set vs. his top pair and flush draw in a 3-bet pot.
Round four gave me an opportunity to revenge my loss on the final table bubble of the SCOOP 4-max tournament. My opponent was Roxx Box, who busted me in that event and went on to win it. “Her” maniacal LAG play didn’t work out so well in a deep-stacked heads up format:
PokerStars No-Limit Hold’em, 530 Tournament, 25/50 Blinds (2 handed) – Poker-Stars Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com
BB (t6614)
Hero (SB) (t8386)
Hero’s M: 111.81
Preflop: Hero is SB with A
, 3
Hero bets t100, BB raises to t250, Hero raises to t666, BB calls t416
Flop: (t1332) 9, 2
, 2
(2 players)
BB checks, Hero bets t777, BB calls t777
Turn: (t2886) 8 (2 players)
BB checks, Hero bets t1444, 1 fold
Total pot: t2886
Results:
Hero didn’t show A, 3.
Outcome: Hero won t2886
Just proving that skill won me some of my chips, as I finished her off with AA vs. her KK.
Here’s the craziest pot that I played, obviously vs. the very good and loose-aggressive round one opponent:
PokerStars No-Limit Hold’em, 530 Tournament, 40/80 Blinds (2 handed) – Poker-Stars Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com
SB (t3297)
Hero (BB) (t11703)
Hero’s M: 97.53
Preflop: Hero is BB with J, 8
SB bets t160, Hero calls t80
Flop: (t320) 5, J, 2 (2 players)
Hero checks, SB bets t160, Hero raises to t444, SB calls t284
Turn: (t1208) 6 (2 players)
Hero checks, SB checks
River: (t1208) 8 (2 players)
Hero bets t789, SB raises to t2693 (All-In), Hero calls t1904
Total pot: t6594
Results:
SB had 4, 7 (straight, eight high).
Hero had J, 8 (two pair, Jacks and eights).
Outcome: SB won t6594
Can you explain why SB calls your flop raise? How is he hoping to turn that into profit?
I don’t think it’s a good call, but I had been check-raising him a lot, and I believe his expectation was that I would give up and he could just bet the turn to win the pot.
I was also initially surprised that he didn’t bet this turn, but the more I think about it, the more I like it. It’s actually very very likely that if I were bluffing, I would follow-up with another bet when the flush draw comes in. Given that I didn’t do that, he may have correctly concluded that I had a good but non-flush hand. He probably realized that I wasn’t going to give him credit for the flush, and so he chose to take a free card now that he had picked up 8 outs.
Obviously I don’t know for sure that that’s what he was thinking, but that’s my best guess.
So he calls your check-raise on flop to float you, then checks behind when he turns an open-ender? Wouldn’t the turn have been a good card for him to bet, or do you think he was just happy to take the freebie?
This is standard call in HU tourney(SNG) for “very good and loose-aggressive” player.
This is not value call.He believes in his reading skills and he will find good fold equity spots at later streets turn or river.
Turn changes situation.He wants to see river.Why?
He is “loose-aggressive” so he can play nuts “transparently”- he can expect big (allin)calls with this board,pocket and profile.
I see just pure fundamental strategy for loose-aggressive profile in case of tourney.
In HU cash games you can wait for better spots.
I wouldn’t call it standard. Even if you’re going to float, this is a particularly poor hand to do it with, since it has damn near 0 equity vs. my value range (results notwithstanding). I think this is an example of his underestimating and deviating too far from balanced play in the interest of trying to make moves on me.
Thanks for your reply Foucault.
I try to explain you what I meant by standard call in context loose-aggro style and HU tourney.
My limited experience is about winning in mid,high HUSNG with very aggressive table selection and loose-aggro style.
What is standard objective for loose-aggro style to make money in HUSNG tournament?
What is main benefits from playing lose-aggro sytle in HUSNG?
My anwer:
HUSNG is more about holding projection,image and your perception.
Implication lose-aggro style is very standard situation when I see flop in position with much weaker holdings than my opponent.
I realize that!!.LOL.So optimal play is last objective on my mind.My first objective is exploitative play.
My thinking…
This is very bad move against classic calling sta -your calculation “near 0 equity vs. my value range” is reality.
The same “bad” call can be my best play in “whole” tournament for other styles.
Scenarios:
a) you make “nuts” and win opponent stack.
“Nuts” for loose-aggressive or maniac are much more valuable asset that for other profiles
b) you bluff your “bluffy” opponent on river and win pot.
c)your “4x7x” see showdown (cheaply) with your “standard” flop call.
Exploitative play is not just only about your opponent style but about his perception of your style.
In c) case I see some “image creation”- my opponent see my standard “4x7x” and he make adjustments.
His perception of my “bad” call is standard for my flop behavior.
His adjustment to my standard call is big asset for my loose-aggro style in future rounds.
Those are arguments for floating, but they aren’t arguments for floating with this exact hand. I can think of like 200 hands off the top of my head that would make for better floats than this one. How wide does your floating range need to be?
“Those are arguments for floating, but they aren’t arguments for floating with this exact hand. I can think of like 200 hands off the top of my head that would make for better floats than this one. How wide does your floating range need to be?”
Foucault you are the man.I do not have arguments.
Well some players when they see my holdings they will have answer.
I usually open 100% of my button and this make people frustrated.OK
They will jump to conclusion that my float range is close to 100% of my range.
They will classify me as maniac and adjust their strategy.
Some will classify me as calling station.
Frequently I will see comment about my play and indication of over-adjustment.
“4x7x” brings some emotional charge.It is beter than 27 offsuit for this board.LOL
Fair enough. Image is definitely huge in HU matches. I’m just saying that image is something you pay for, and in this case I think calling with weak hands that have better equity than 74 will get you 90% of the image for 20% of the price. And of course, in order to take advantage of your image, you have to stop playing that way at some point, which is where many LAGtards fail :-).
he is “very good and loose-aggressive”.
he had plan for turn and river.I like two reasons:
a)
“He probably realized that I wasn’t going to give him credit for the flush, and so he chose to take a free card now that he had picked up 8 outs.”
b)
He probably realized that you were not going to give him credit for the str8 on river, and so he take your stack.
I agree that his river shove is good. Presumably his plan is also to bluff the turns that don’t give him a pair or an OESD, which is going to cost him money when I check-shove. So yes the times that he goes runner-runner straight he is going to double through me, but I don’t think that’s going to be enough to make this a profitable float.