Vegas & The Aftermath - Diary

[tikay]

I find the new loosey goosey approach quite thrilling

Ha, me too.

Have most definitely found different gears this year, & turned up with some hands which have raised a few eyebrows. It's not yielded any tangible benefits yet, but it's sure fun.

[tikay]

I mentioned a weird cash game hand that went off a few nights ago.

I am 100% certain of what the correct play should have been, but several at the table disagreed strongly.

Here's the coup.

It's $1 $2 $5 Big O Cash with a mandatory $5 Button Straddle & so, in effect, a $5 bring in. Big O is 5 card Pot Limit High-Low.

Max pull up is $500.

The game has been running all evening, & there are some tidy stacks on the table by now, you know how it is with cash games, the stack sizes increase as the evening goes on.

The 3 players in the hand post flop had $1,600, $3,500 & I had $1,400. The first 2 players were both very handy & knew the score.

I had only pulled up my original $500, & I was about to quit the game as it was gone midnight & "time" (rake) had been called. So I'm a very useful $900 ahead before the hand. I'm not "stuck" in the cash games on the trip either, have made a few bob most nights so don't have any money pressure as such.

It's my button, so I've got the straddle, but I had made it $10, as it's easier to get rid of the limpers when the straddle is $10 & I'm playing reasonably deep.

The hand follows.....

[Longines]

Can you make the straddle any amount you want? I've only played the fixed 2/2/5/10/20/40 etc. format.

[tikay]

I have.....

 

Everyone limps for $10 (almost everyone always limps) & when it gets to me I make it $60 to play. I've not been particularly active, but generally raise my Button.

SB calls, BB calls, (these are the other 2 big stacks, $1,600 & $3,500). Everyone else folds. So far, so good.

Flop is.....

 

So I've flopped the abso nuts, plus the J-10 2 pair, but I don't have spades or backdoor clubs. I do have extensions with the 2 pair J-10 but they could very easily be "dead" extensions.

It goes check, check, & I make it $200. Think I have to bet here.

I'm a little surprised when the SB now check raises me, as he's very nitty. He made it (approx) $1,000.

Pretty sure I know his hand, & whilst I'm digesting this news, the BB (VERY aggro & playing $3,500) now re-pots it.

Ooh-er mother.

It's all-in for me to call, &, in my case, the main pot will be around $4,500 ignoring the side pot.

You'll be astonished to know that there was a very strong (though perfectly civil) difference of view on the hand, with 3 saying it was a no-brainer call & 2 saying it was a trivial straightforward fold.

In my spot, what is the correct play here, & why?
 

[tikay]

Can you make the straddle any amount you want? I've only played the fixed 2/2/5/10/20/40 etc. format.

You can make it $10, any more than $10 needs the agreement of the table.

Most of us know each other & we often all agree to $10, unless there are objections. I've never seen bigger than $10 though.

When we all know each other, there is some flexibility as to the house rules.

[animalpoker]

Looks like an easy fold with 1150odd behind , I’m too lazy to do proper maths but given the player descriptions and how it played out I would expect Ak with nut or 2nd nut spades and ak with set ( maybe even spades too) to be out there.   I’d prob cringe and go with it if only had another 500 behind , pot being effectively 800ish but I’m not sure where my cut off to fold would be , depend how drunk or tired I was too 😛

[tikay]

Looks like an easy fold with 1150odd behind , I’m too lazy to do proper maths but given the player descriptions and how it played out I would expect Ak with nut or 2nd nut spades and ak with set ( maybe even spades too) to be out there.   I’d prob cringe and go with it if only had another 500 behind , pot being effectively 800ish but I’m not sure where my cut off to fold would be , depend how drunk or tired I was too 😛

Actually Rob, you know both of the players involved, 1 was Russia, the aggro kid (he was the big stack), the other was the posh bloke from England (now lives in Vegas) with poncey hair, perfectly capable of getting out of line & never known to fold much at all.

[Longines]

In my spot, what is the correct play here, & why?
 

Snap fold. If you somehow fade a spade it's risking $1400 to win ~$800 or ~$30.

[booder]

Think i agree with animalpoker.

Think you are playing well,good luck tonight.

[Marky147]

Can't believe we haven't seen one sticky bun, yet.

Keep on splashing, big win coming!

[bobAlike]

Good luck TK

[Simon Galloway]

Smirk and a fold for me.

This "not going to Vegas any more" is taking some getting used to ~ glad to see you having a blast.

[tikay]

In that hand......

I think how much we have behind is quite important here.

Grant - don't forget we have $260 invested, which, if we run the hand through a calculator, must make a difference.

[tikay]

Table 11, seat 6, so seat 6 works, as I can see the board, and other hands at showdown, reasonably well from here.

It's so embarrassing in seat 2 or 9 or similar to keep saying "err, what has he got?" or asking the dealer "is the flop 3 clubs or 3 spades?"

[tikay]

Off we go.