Try not to vomit on your keyboard

I sat today in a 5/10 NL full ring game on Full Tilt. This is slightly higher than the stakes I usually play, but mostly it is odd for me because I almost never play full ring online. But FTP pro Layne Flack was at the table, and judging from how the game was playing, quite a few fish had thrown down a few hundred dollars for the opportunity to play with him.

There was one really pathetic guy who kept trying to talk to and about him in the chat: “You have quads again, Lane? I’ll fold this to you, Lane. Quads twice in a row, Lane! I’m going to call you back-to-back Lane Flack. I show my cards only for you, Lane.” Etc. He was trying to strike up a conversation like once per minute. It was stomach churning. But I digress.

I was seated just a few spots to Lane’s left and ended up playing a couple of pots with him, which was not my intention at all when I sat down. From what I’d heard, he was a pretty good player. Here’s the first one we played, I don’t think much commentary is necessary:

Full Tilt Poker No-Limit Hold’em, $10 BB (8 handed) Hand History converter Courtesy of PokerZion.com

CO ($142.80)
Button ($933)
SB ($2580)
BB ($197)
UTG ($1394.50)
Hero ($1000)
MP1 ($1087)
MP2 ($1214)

Preflop: Hero is UTG+1 with Ad, 9d.

1 fold, Hero raises to $30, MP1 calls $30, 3 folds, SB calls $25, 1 fold.

Flop: ($100) 3d, Qd, 9c (3 players)
SB checks, Hero bets $70, MP1 folds, SB calls $70.

Turn: ($240) Qc (2 players)
SB checks, Hero checks.

River: ($240) 4h (2 players)
SB checks, Hero bets $150, SB calls $150.

Final Pot: $540

Results in white below:

SB has 9h 8h (two pair, queens and nines).

Hero has Ad 9d (two pair, queens and nines).

Outcome: Hero wins $540.

So then a few orbits later we played this one. God, I am almost embarassed to post it:

Full Tilt Poker No-Limit Hold’em, $10 BB (8 handed) Hand History converter Courtesy of PokerZion.com

CO ($1000)
Button ($803)
SB ($2904)
BB ($239)
UTG ($1404.50)
Hero ($1227)
MP1 ($627)
MP2 ($1204)

Preflop: Hero is UTG+1 with 3c, 3h. CO posts a blind of $10.

1 fold, Hero calls $10, 2 folds, CO (poster) checks, 1 fold, SB completes, BB checks.

Flop: ($40) 3d, Ks, Jh (4 players)
SB bets $30, BB folds, Hero raises to $117, CO folds, SB calls $87.

Turn: ($274) Jc (2 players)
SB checks, Hero checks.

River: ($274) Ad (2 players)
SB bets $250, Hero calls $250.

Final Pot: $774

Results in white below:

SB has 3s Qs (two pair, jacks and threes).

Hero has 3c 3h (full house, threes full of jacks).

Outcome: Hero wins $774.

Um, so yeah, I guess I’ll try to defend or at least explain this now. Layne is leading out from the SB into a field of loose players. I would guess that he takes this down on the flop less than 25% of the time, so I figured he likely had a strong hand, at least top pair with a good kicker, more probably two pair. It’s doubtful he has a higher set, since I don’t see him just completing JJ or KK in the SB very often. Figuring him for a strong hand, I went ahead and bombed it with my flopped set. He calls, which is good.

The turn paired the Jack. I didn’t necessarily think I was behind at this point, but I did look at it as a way ahead/way behind situation, which is to say that he likely has either a hand like top pair that isn’t going to stand a lot more heat or he has KJ or J3 for a better full house. The other possibility is that he has QT for an open-ended straight draw, but since that hand is drawing dead, I certainly don’t mind giving a free card.

The river completes the straight draw and may also give him more confidence with AK, though I don’t know that he limps that preflop either. He pots it, and although I still think I’m likely to be good, I don’t know that he calls a shove with worse. I would probably fold QT or a bare J to a shove if I were in his shoes.

Given what he showed down and how I saw him playing afterwards, I pretty much hate myself, even though I don’t think my weak play made any difference in this hand.