This was from a full ring table, where the game plays very differently than at a 6-max table. There are more fish, in general, but you get fewer opportunities to play hands with them. There are also some real nits who would get killed at a short-handed table but can get away with ridiculous tight play in a 9-handed game. This was against one of the latter type, and truthfully I don’t think folding pre-flop would be bad at all:
Full Tilt Poker – No Limit Hold’em Cash Game – $5/$10 Blinds – 9 Players – (LegoPoker Hand History Converter)
SB: $965.00
BB: $924.00
UTG: $1,000.00
UTG+1: $1,179.80
MP1: $1,107.25
Hero (MP2): $2,354.25
MP3: $1,080.00
CO: $970.00
BTN: $1,530.75
Preflop: Hero is dealt Q
Q
(9 Players)
3 folds, Hero raises to $35.00, 2 folds, BTN calls $35.00, SB folds, BB raises to $135.00, Hero calls $100.00, BTN folds
Flop: ($310) J
9 T (2 Players)
BB checks, Hero bets $150.00, BB calls $150.00
Turn: ($610) 2
(2 Players)
BB checks, Hero bets all-in for $2,069.25, BB folds
Uncalled bet of $2,069.25 returned to Hero
Pot Size: $610.00 ($3 Rake)
My all in was actually for whatever BB had left, which I think was a about $600, so it was a pot-sized bet. I thought KK/AA were very likely for him pre-flop, but when he checked this flop, I saw an opportunity. With a set, this guy would be way too scared to slowplay a board this coordinated. There was a chance he was looking to check-raise all in, but I didn’t think he’d do it with a draw, even a combo draw. I’m not sure how I would have responded to that, call I guess, since unless he has KK I have a lot of outs (in fact, I’d rather he had a set than KK), and I could be ahead of a draw, though not likely.
Anyway, I figured he’d probably check-call flop but fold to a turn shove. Hence my bet sizing on the flop. It’s a little small if I had the set I’m representing, but it set me up to shove for pot on the turn if he checked again.