Brainlocks and Bluff-raises

It's time I admitted that my regular opponents are improving, and that I should expand my in-hand thinking.

My Sunday night tourney had a few hands worth reviewing. Twelve players, and I had Miguel on my left the whole night. He's plays way too many hands, and he bluffs more than average. It's like he's allergic to checking twice in a row.

I held pocket two's in the small blind, and completed the bet after a solid player had limped in late position. I think it might have been Tim. Miggy rapped the table, and we checked around after a flop of Q-9-8, rainbow. I bet out $200 into a $300 pot when the turn was another queen.

Instantly, I knew it was obvious that I didn't have a queen. With a straight draw on the flop, I would've bet out my top pair immediately, even with a poor kicker. Miggy raised me, $700 total. I folded, and made some comment about how he had to have a nine (implying I had bottom pair). He showed his bluff, K4.

So I took a shot at the pot, but it was caught. Without the presence of the late-position player, I could feel a lot better about checking and calling, hoping to induce a bluff from Miguel.

The important concept for me is that I made a bet that looked fishy, and I got raised by a player who sensed it. I needed to consider what my opponent thought I was doing. Normally my poker thinking is at the most basic level: what I have, and what my opponent has. I need to start considering what my opponent thinks I have. Months ago, poker play at my homegame was so poor and so basic that deeper thinking wasn't necessary. As players improve, I'm going to have to dig a little deeper.

I'm not sure if it would've been a good move for me to call that raise, then check-call all the way down with my tiny two's. But it is still a fact that I'm a little too weak-tight after the flop, when I'm not the aggressor in the hand.

I pulled my own bluff-raise later in the evening, briefly casting off my weak-tight post-flop mantle.

On the button with JT-diamonds, I popped it up to $400 after one or two limpers entered the pot (blinds at $50/$100). Nick, who is brand new to my poker game and a potential new roommate, was the only caller. The flop missed me totally, K-4-2 rainbow. Nick checked and I fired my obligatory continuation flop bet. He called. The turn was another 2, and Nick bet into me for $600. I thought that was a small, odd, weak bet. Against Eddie, Tim, or Albert, I'd be concerned about a weak lead...

I certainly can't have the best hand here, but I'm gonna see what being aggressive gets me. After a lot of thought, I raised him another $1500. He folded after some staring. I was pleased. I showed my cards - perhaps a jerk move, perhaps good advertising for the next time I raise with the goods. The bluff-raise isn't a move I use often, and that's something I need to add to the arsenal. (Although my poker "arsenal" is probably more like a small water pistol.)

~~

I'm not pleased with the last hand I played. Ad-9h in the cutoff, nine-handed. Scott, Forty Ounce Dave's brother-in-law and a newcomer to the game, was the only limper. As I raised, I announced "Hey, I haven't played a pot with Scott yet." File under: Be careful what you wish for.

The flop was ten-high with two diamonds. Scott checked, I bet. Scott wanted to check-raise, but pushed out a call first, without saying anything, then going back to his chips to raise. The call stood. The turn was another diamond. I had no hand, but I was drawing to the nut flush and an openended straight draw. And that's when Scott pushed all-in, having me barely covered. With more than $7K in the pot before his push, I could fold and keep my $4.2K, giving me 10 BB's, which would turn into 7 BB's four minutes later.

"Let's gamble. Call." Yeah, he had the flush, king-high, and the river didn't improve me. Out in ninth. I didn't take long enough to think about this one. I optimistically thought I had more outs than just the flush draw. And my hand wasn't strong enough to call an all-in... to push first, perhaps. I get in trouble when I ignore the Gap Principle.

Maybe I was tired on Sunday (8am soccer in the hot sun, five hours on my feet at work) but my donkey play wasn't over.

Tired of watching Forty Ounce, Albert (7th consecutive money finish), and Miguel battle it out, Shawn proposed a cash game at the other table. Russ and I were in for $10 each, Shawn for $8 and Adam had $7 on him. Shawn busted out, then Adam, both to Russ. I had less than half of my buy-in when we started heads-up play.

He folded his button twice when I had big hands in my big blind (AQ-clubs, AKo). I also slowplayed two red queens on the button to near-disastrous results. All-spade flop was no good, then the 4th spade made me a set of queens. My set held up, winning me the tiniest of pots.

And I ended the night with another brainlock. I raised on the button with pocket 4's, and the flop was 8-6-3, rainbow. He pushed all-in into me. I was puzzled by that play, and managed to convince myself that he was on an 8-out straight draw, and called. Duhhhhh. He showed 85-suited, and cleaned me out when the last two cards were of no help.

And cardplayer.com's Odds Calculator confirms it: if I put him on 97-offsuit, he's a 53% favorite with the OESD and overcards. Even with 75-offsuit, he's still a respectable 44% to win. And I called all-in, again. Even though I was tired of him pounding on my weak cards (and play), I need to stop this before I form a bad habit.

That tears it... I need more deliberation and less donkification in my game. And GCox is a better SnG player than poker prognosticator.

I also played some 2-7 NL single draw with Tim, in preparation for my week #2 battle with Skipper. It's an annoying game, but I feel more confident, with an inkling what a medium-strength hand is, and how I should react to my opponent's betting and number of cards drawn when I have position.

Tourney: $15 in, $0 out.
Cashgame: $10 in, $0 out.

I'll be visiting Oklahoma Jeff out at Lake Havasu for an extended weekend, so I won't have any homegame action for a week and a half.