Black Deuces - Poker Blog

… I usually do well, especially in tournaments. I made over 600$ in less then 3 weeks, in less then 15 tourneys. Running pretty good and the competition is quite soft, just look at the following hand.

They just can’t throw away a hand, it’s beautiful!

I recently played a live hand that easily tops my list of “sickest hands I’ve ever played”. AND it’s also the most profitable live hand I’ve ever played (with a pot worth of 995 big blinds).

We’re playing 1/1 with a max buy-in of 100BB’s. There were 3 big stacks at the table, including myself. I’d been playing a fairly tight game untill this hand came up, only showing down top starting hands. So, with these big stacks out there I decided to switch gears a bit and started to play somewhat looser.

I look down at Q8 under the gun (a marginal hand in that position) and decide to min-raise to 2€, just to do something funky and keep my opponents guessing. The player to the left of me makes it 10€. The player next to him calls and so does the button and the big blind. With so much money already out there I decide to call too, hoping to hit the flop hard.

The flop comes down: Q89.

I flop two pair. Big blinds checks, I check too (to see what happens, and maybe check-raise the original raiser if he doesn’t get called by anyone else). The original pre-flop raiser bets out 15€, and the player next to him makes it 40€. The 2 other players fold and it’s my turn to act now.

Now, with a flop like that there are obviously a lot of hands that have me beat. Someone could have flopped a set or a straight. Although I don’t read my opponents that strong, especially not the pre-flop raiser (I put him on an over-pair or less). With so much money out there and a fairly decent hand I decide to call, but to proceed the hand cautiously. Just as I expected the player left of me (the pre-flop raiser) doesn’t re-raise and decides to call too.

The turn is the most beautiful card in the deck: Q89 Q

That card all of a sudden gives me the second nuts! Yet, it’s only the second nuts, so I’m a bit worried, but at the same time very confident that my hand is best. I check, looking to check-raise. Then something unexpected happens, the pre-flop raiser (the one who I read weak) puts 75€ in the pot. The player next of him min-raises him to 150€. And while I’m thinking about my decision the other player acts before his turn and moves all-in for 60 more. His action is binding btw, so he is obliged to move in, whatever I decide to do.

I must admit I was confused at that point. Looking at how the hand was played, especially the pre-flop action, I surely can’t put anyone of these 2 players on Q9 right? So, figuring I still have the best hand, and the other player is probably pushing with a straight or a smaller full, I decide to just call and let him do the pot-building.

The other player calls and so do I (I can’t re-raise ‘caus the all-in doesn’t count as a raise). The river is the K. Although my hand gets beaten by KK or KQ now, I still see that card as a blank and move in for my last 60€, and the other player calls.

Showdown: the pre-flop raiser had 88, and the other player had 99! I spiked a 2 outer on the turn against 2 sets.They were both stunned and couldn’t believe I raised and called a re-raise pre-flop with Q8. Because of a pretty cold deck and me shifting gears at the perfect time, I rake in a pot worth of 995€. Real cooler for my opponents, really sweet for me.

Some nice LHE hands from the past week:

Hand #1: the importance of raising when the odds are in your favour.

I capped the bets on the flop because my hand is a favourite a high percentage of the time. It’s always a good idea to raise or re-raise when you think you’re a mathematical favourite, although you’re only on a draw. This will result in a long turn profit.

Oh yeah, and don’t ask me what Mr. meltdown19 was doing in that hand, LOL.

Hand #2: the right turn, at the right moment and the perfect river to finish it off.

Although I take a little gamble by checking my set on the flop in such a crowded hand, it played out perfectly. That ace gave my opponents just enough confidence to commit some chips. And the nine on the river sealed the deal: not only did it give me the absolute nuts, my opponents improved to a full-house.

Hand #3: and sometimes you just get a right flop.

I flop a straight, he flops a set. The board doesn’t pair and I win a nice pot. End of story. Sometimes it’s really that simple.

When you get heads-up at the river in Limit Hold’em there is no cap on the amount of bets that can be made. Now, sometimes you see raise-reraise-rereraise-etc. on the river untill someone’s whole stack is in, only to see both players showdown the nuts and split the pot.

Well, I thought the same think would happen in my last online LHE session, when I was holding the nuts and my opponent kept reraising me. But only, he didn’t have the nuts!

LOL Donkaments!

Like I said in the previous post: it’s a goldmine out there.

For reasons unknown to me, many players look down on Limit Hold’em. I even heard it being referred to as ‘an old man’s game’. They find LHE isn’t as ‘exciting’ as No-Limit or Pot-Limit games, mainly because there isn’t much action and the pots stay relatively small.

True, the amount you can win in one single hand is smaller than in No-Limit (duh!), but Limit Hold’em might be one of the most action packed poker games out there these days. Players stay in hands way too long with a marginal hand, chase draws even when they are drawing dead, fill up and as a result donk a lot of cash away in short periods of time. And the best part: because the pots stay relatively small, they don’t get the feeling they are loosing big, so they KEEP donking chips away.

A good example:

And the best part: ‘lebruske’ was one of the better players at the table! It’s a goldmine out there, go check it out.