Let's take a look as to how much was luck and how much came from reasonable decisions:
Hand 1: I toss this tempting starter from MP. 8s Ac Ks 9h. Good choice.
Hand 4: My big blind hand Kh 6d Ac 7s - not ridiculously bad, and I see the flop for free 3 way. There is no action on any street, and I have the low on this board.
[Qc 4d Ts 3s] [As]
Hand 6 - My LP limp - 2c 4c Qh 3h
No action on the flop, and here's the turn, four way.
*** TURN *** [Ah As Kc] [8s]
I folded to a half-pot bet, despite having the nut low draw. I would have risked 40 to win 20, which didn't add up, and I didn't expect other callers, and didn't want o get in the middle of a raising war on the high side. Reasonable decision.
Hand 7 - A reasonable limp, 2h 3h Qs Kh, and the flop is A35. I'm counterfeited and gone.
Hand 8 - A high side limp, 9c Qd Js Kc, and the flop is 942, and I fold to a min-bet multi-way. Okay.
Hand 11 - This hand was very instructive about this opponent.
Seat 1: razzler (1605 in chips)
Seat 2: gater123 (1405 in chips)
Seat 3: beavorsky (1045 in chips)
Seat 4: kent hashr (820 in chips)
Seat 5: BigBanana4u (2360 in chips)
Seat 6: FrankNagaiJr (1440 in chips)
Seat 7: ottfig (1755 in chips)
Seat 8: galafish (1586 in chips)
Seat 9: ZYMERGY (1484 in chips)
Dealt to FrankNagaiJr [3h 6c Kh As]
BigBanana4u: calls 30
FrankNagaiJr: calls 30
kent hashr: checks
*** FLOP *** [6d 7s Ac]
FNJ I have a weak low draw and two pair here.
kent hashr: checks
BigBanana4u: checks
FrankNagaiJr: bets 60
kent hashr: raises 60 to 120
BigBanana4u: folds
FrankNagaiJr: calls 60
*** TURN *** [6d 7s Ac] [Ts]
I had a feeling based on the reraise, that he had the nut low, but not that he would have bet the outside/wrap straight draw, and that my two pair was likely still good. If I was wrong, I still have a chips left.
*** RIVER *** [6d 7s Ac Ts] [Jd]
kent hashr: bets 325 and is all-in
FrankNagaiJr: calls 325
kent hashr: shows [Td 4s Qc 2s] (HI: a pair of Tens; LO: 7,6,4,2,A)
FrankNagaiJr: shows [3h 6c Kh As] (HI: two pair, Aces and Sixes)
And lo and behold, he was going to town with the second best low, and a weak flush draw. I had also seen this player get agressive on other weak-ish hands.
Hand 12 - 4d Ac 4h 3d - 4 of us limp to see the flop
*** FLOP *** [8s Ad As]
I have trips, and second best low draw, so I test the waters.
kent hashr: checks
BigBanana4u: checks
FrankNagaiJr: bets 60
gater123: calls 60
kent hashr: calls 60
BigBanana4u: folds
*** TURN *** [8s Ad As] [8d]
I didn't like the turn, but I bet it anyhow, and one player, from the prior hand, came along, and the other two dropped.
*** RIVER *** [8s Ad As 8d] [2s]
Yay, I've got lock low, and trip aces!
kent hashr: bets 480
FrankNagaiJr: raises 803 to 1283 and is all-in
FrankNagaiJr: shows [4d Ac 4h 3d] (HI: three of a kind, Aces; LO: 8,4,3,2,A)
kent hashr: shows [2c 3h 9h 5c] (HI: two pair, Aces and Deuces; LO: 8,5,3,2,A)
And sure enough, this player's tendency to play second best hands catches up with him. I now have a chip stack that allows for a little bit of patience.
Seat 1: razzler (1605 in chips)
Seat 2: gater123 (1315 in chips)
Seat 3: beavorsky (1030 in chips)
Seat 5: BigBanana4u (2300 in chips)
Seat 6: FrankNagaiJr (2425 in chips)
Seat 7: ottfig (1755 in chips)
Seat 8: galafish (1586 in chips)
Seat 9: ZYMERGY (1484 in chips)
Hand 20 - Here's a questionable decision on my part. Bear in mind that the raiser frequently came in with a raise whenever he came in.
Seat 1: razzler (1545 in chips)
Seat 6: FrankNagaiJr (2410 in chips)
Seat 9: ZYMERGY (944 in chips)
Dealt to FrankNagaiJr [5c 9c 9h Jh]
ottfig: folds
galafish: folds
ZYMERGY: calls 50
razzler: raises 150 to 200
gater123: folds
beavorsky: folds
BigBanana4u: folds
FrankNagaiJr: calls 150
There was 325 in the pot, and I anticipated a call from Zymergy, which would mean I was getting 475 to 150 to call with this two-suited goofball hand. Even though I don't have a low draw, this seemed reasonable.
Sample percentages on two-dimes against an A2xx and and AA3x hand put me at 31%, or if both my flushes were behind, down to 23%, or 4 to 1 against, I would need a specific flop to continue, of course. Oddly, the initial limper disregarded pot odds and folded, and the flop was totally wrong for me, and I folded to big cont-bet. My call was marginally a bad decision, but the expected pot-size cont-bet did materialize, so it wasn't truly bad.
*** FLOP *** [Td 2d 7h]
Hand 29 - I fold this hand [9d Ad 7s 4c] after a limper and a pot raise. It has a flush draw, sure, but it also looks like a great second-best hand. It turns out the raiser (BigBanana4u) had to show this hand [6c Jh 3s Jc], so his raises after this will likely result in looser calls from me.
Hand 35 - I have been tight/passive, and I limp utg [5h 8s Ah Ad], and I make a probe bet into this flop [6c Qs Qd] and get no resistance. Blinds are 50/100, my chip count is 2235, and there are still 8 players of the original 9.
Hand 37 - I make an SB steal to take the BB. I liked my cards [Ad Ac 6h Ks]
Hand 38 - Dealt to FrankNagaiJr [7d 7s Ac 8c] 5 of us see the flop.
*** FLOP *** [6d 9d 5h]
ottfig: bets 100
galafish: folds
ZYMERGY: folds
BigBanana4u: raises 647 to 747 and is all-in
I have the nut straight, and want to push out ottfig if he's got a flush draw.
FrankNagaiJr: raises 1388 to 2135 and is all-in
ottfig: folds
*** RIVER *** [6d 9d 5h Ts] [Ad]
*** SHOW DOWN ***
BigBanana4u: shows [9h 4c As 3d] (HI: two pair, Aces and Nines; LO: 6,5,4,3,A)
FrankNagaiJr: shows [7d 7s Ac 8c] (HI: a straight, Six to Ten; LO: 8,7,6,5,A)
And my opponenet did not have the flush draw, but was pulling for a decent low draw, and an outside straight draw that would have lost to my higher made straight. We chop.
Hand 44 - My 'steal' was correct, and I was rivered. Let's see
Dealt to FrankNagaiJr [8d Ad Jh As]
I am in BB and check after two limpers.
*** FLOP *** [9h 6s Tc]
BigBanana4u: checks
FrankNagaiJr: bets 300
beavorsky: calls 300
BigBanana4u: folds
We check it down and he rivers trips, which he chose not to bet. When I two-dimed the flop, I was the the 72.5% fave, as he has only runner-runner flush draws,, runner-runner QJ, or the two Kings to save him.
*** RIVER *** [9h 6s Tc 3c] [Kc]
FrankNagaiJr: shows [8d Ad Jh As] (HI: a pair of Aces)
beavorsky: shows [Ks 4h Kh 9s] (HI: three of a kind, Kings)
Hand 47 - Blinds are 75/100, I have 1910, and there are still 7 players left. I need to make a move soon. The hand below is a little weak, so I'd prefer not to see a flop.
Dealt to FrankNagaiJr [Ah 6d 7s Kd]
galafish: calls 375
ZYMERGY: calls 300
*** FLOP *** [4d Jc 3c]
galafish: bets 316 and is all-in
ZYMERGY: folds
FrankNagaiJr: calls 316
If galafish had more chips, I probably would have folded, but I had four fives for the straight, and a hope that he was betting on high and that my weak low might be enough. I was getting 5 to 1 to call.
galafish: shows [Ts 3s 4s Td] (HI: two pair, Fours and Threes)
FrankNagaiJr: shows [Ah 6d 7s Kd] (HI: two pair, Aces and Kings; LO: 7,6,4,3,A)
Hand 48 - This hand really bothered me. We both had the nut low, and neither of us had a pair till the river.
Seat 6: FrankNagaiJr (3126 in chips)
Dealt to FrankNagaiJr [Ac Qc 3d Ks]
FrankNagaiJr: raises 300 to 450
*** FLOP *** [2h 6s 4d]
beavorsky: checks
FrankNagaiJr: bets 450
beavorsky: calls 450
*** TURN *** [2h 6s 4d] [Js]
beavorsky: checks
FrankNagaiJr: bets 1875
beavorsky: calls 1635 and is all-in
*** RIVER *** [2h 6s 4d Js] [9c]
beavorsky: shows [Td Ah 9h 3c] (HI: a pair of Nines; LO: 6,4,3,2,A)
FrankNagaiJr: shows [Ac Qc 3d Ks] (HI: high card Ace; LO: 6,4,3,2,A)
On the river, he was drawing to six outs to not get quartered. That's now two big hands where beavorsky has caught up to me on the river. My chip count is back to 1877 and blinds are 75/150. I do give myself some credit for not tilting at this point and pushing a wider range of hands pre-flop.
Hand 50 - An EP pot raise from a frequent raiser, and I call with two suited, possible low holdings [4s 8h 2s Kh], and if an Ace fell, or two of either of my suits, or even two pair, I would push re-raise on the flop. However, I folded on the following flop, feeling that a weak low draw and a middle pair only was simply too risky. Down to 1352 in chips.
*** FLOP *** [8d Tc 5c]
Hand 51 - I limp-open in SB w/ [7h Ac Td 3d] and bet on the flop,[Ad 4h 6c]
and the BB folds. Yay. Chip count 1502, six players.
Hand 52 - I choose NOT to button steal with this hand [Qd 6d As Jh]. Maybe I'm too skittish?
Hand 54 - I toss this hand [4c 6h Ad 7c] to a UTG bump, which turned into a raising war. I would have been knocked out, as no low came, and I missed the board. 5 players remain after one gets knocked out.
Hand 56 - I am given a free ride in the BB w/ [2h 3c Ac 8d]. Mixed blessing.
Hand 58 - I toss this hand MP after an EP limper. [Qc 6s 8h Qd]. If it were not a rainbow, I might have pushed with it. A queen flopped, but if it hadn't, I was probably in trouble with this hand.
Hand 60 - I utg pot-raise w/ [Ah Qh 2d 4s] and no callers. This will buy me another trip around the blinds, which have gone up to 100/200, and my chip count is 1802 with five players still in the hunt.
Hand 61 - A playable hand that comes out in my favor. I'm in the BB with 400 in the pot on the flop, heads up SV v BB play.
Dealt to FrankNagaiJr [4s 8d Jc Ah]
*** FLOP *** [6c As Qc]
The flop could be worse, but all I've got is top pair and a weak low draw. We both check.
*** TURN *** [6c As Qc] [Js]
Two pair and no clear straight or flush draw? I'm going to town!
BigBanana4u: bets 400
FrankNagaiJr: raises 1200 to 1600
BigBanana4u: calls 1200
*** RIVER *** [6c As Qc Js] [Ad]
FrankNagaiJr: shows [4s 8d Jc Ah] (HI: a full house, Aces full of Jacks)
BigBanana4u: shows [5d 3h 2c 6h] (HI: two pair, Aces and Sixes)
Two dimes puts us almost even pre-flop, he's got one flush draw, and some wrap straight possibilities, and I've got some high card strength. On the flop we're still almost even, with him a big favorite on the low, and me a big favorite on the high. When our money went in on the turn, I'm the 71% favorite. He needs either of the 6s to scoop, and any of 19 outs to halve the pot. All the other outs gave me the scoop.
My chip count is now 3604, 5 players still in, 100/200 blinds.
Hand 62 - I attempt an SB limp steal against the BB and give up on the turn when he bets. It's very nice having a predictable player on one's left!
Hand 64 - I finally get the better of beavorsky on the river. I small bet this flop and he called, and I made a teaser bet on the river with a weak flush, and a second-best low. He mucked, so I can't two dime it. but you can see that I flopped an inside draw and a reasonable low draw, and turned the flush draw, that I didn't bet for fear of being reraised, and I thought I had a decent scoop chance on the river.
*** RIVER *** [8h 5c Qd Kc] [7c]
FrankNagaiJr: shows [2s 3c 6s Tc] (HI: a flush, King high; LO: 8,7,5,3,2)
('Hello Grasshoppa!')
I have 4504 in chips, 4 players still in the hunt, and one with less than 2BB, 100/200.
Hand 66 - I get another free ride in the BB, this time with mediocre holdings. Yay.
Hand 67 - I pot-raise to open from the SB w/4h Ac Kc 6s and pick up the blinds.
Hand 68 - I isolate the small stack w/Ts Ah 4h Jh and he calls with 8d 9h 9s As, and we chop. Two dimes had me as the 58% fave.
Hand 71 - I call a bump and one caller from the BB w/4d Kd Qc Js and we check all three streets down collectively. The other two players have the weak high and the weak low. I think I would have folded to any bet on any street.
*** RIVER *** [Th 5d 3c 2c] [Kc]
FrankNagaiJr: shows [4d Kd Qc Js] (HI: a pair of Kings)
razzler: shows [2s 6h 7s As] (HI: a pair of Deuces; LO: 6,5,3,2,A)
beavorsky: shows [Ks 3d 9d Ad] (HI: two pair, Kings and Threes)
Hand 73 - I pot raise w/Kh Qh Ac Qc and steal the blinds. The weak stack has recovered a little, blinds are still 100/200
Seat 1: razzler (1169 in chips)
Seat 3: beavorsky (1536 in chips)
Seat 5: BigBanana4u (3381 in chips)
Seat 6: FrankNagaiJr (4954 in chips)
Seat 7: ottfig (2460 in chips)
Hand 74 - I get rivered once again by Beavorsky, who doubles up after push-reraising my initial flop bet. He was drawing to any heart, any king, any jack to win, so I was only the 62% favorite. Nobody had a low draw on that flop.
*** RIVER *** [Ad Qh Th 8c] [8h]
beavorsky: shows [3h Jc Jh Ah] (HI: a flush, Ace high)
FrankNagaiJr: shows [9h As Qs Kd] (HI: two pair, Aces and Queens)
Blinds are now 150/300
Seat 1: razzler (1069 in chips)
Seat 3: beavorsky (3172 in chips)
Seat 5: BigBanana4u (3381 in chips)
Seat 6: FrankNagaiJr (3418 in chips)
Seat 7: ottfig (2460 in chips)
Hand 75 - I limp 2c Ac 7c 8h and bet into my runner-runner low draw and outside straight draw. I'm very happy to take the pot down on the flop, with the other three limpers folding.
*** FLOP *** [Ts 3s 9c]
Seat 6: FrankNagaiJr (4318 in chips)
Hand 76 - A free ride in the BB. Yay.
Hand 77 - I SB limp into BB w/3d Ts 7h 7d, check the flop , and bet the turn into a flush draw, he folds. Yay.
*** TURN *** [9c Tc Ad] [9d]
Hand 82 - I call the tiny stacks all-in w/3h 9d 2d 6d and miss both ways. 3849 in chips, 150/300 blinds.
Hand 84 - I button limp this two-suited beauty 4c 9h Th 5d and bet the flop to pick up the pot. yay. *** FLOP *** [2s 2h Ad]
Hand 85 - I utg pot-steal w/Kc Js Ks Qh
Hand 86 - A free ride in the BB.
Hand 87 - I SB pot-raise w/7s 4c As 3d and pick up the BB. yay.
Hand 91 - I don't defend from a pot-steal w/6h 9c 7c 7s. If it had been two-suited or 6879, I would have been more likely to go for it.
Hand 92 - I defend my BB from a pot steal w/4s 3c 2h 5h and totally miss the flop. I fold to a big bet. *** FLOP *** [7s Qh Qc]
Hand 93 - I limp this [Qh Td 2d 2h] into the tiny stack and have to call his all-in with nothing. He has a boat to my two pair.
Blinds are 200/400
Seat 1: razzler (1426 in chips)
Seat 3: beavorsky (1522 in chips)
Seat 5: BigBanana4u (5631 in chips)
Seat 6: FrankNagaiJr (3661 in chips)
Seat 7: ottfig (1260 in chips)
Hand 95 - I have this in BB after one limper, and I don't raise pre-flop [9d 8d 2d Ac].
*** FLOP *** [Ts 5d Ah]
BigBanana4u: checks
FrankNagaiJr: checks
*** TURN *** [Ts 5d Ah] [Js]
BigBanana4u: checks
FrankNagaiJr: bets 800
BigBanana4u: calls 800
*** RIVER *** [Ts 5d Ah Js] [Qs]
BigBanana4u: bets 2400
FrankNagaiJr: folds
BigBanana4u collected 2400 from pot
BigBanana4u: shows [3s 9s 4d As] (HI: a flush, Ace high)
I was actually the 42% underdog when I bet the flop.
Hand 97 - I'm down to 2061 in chips and make a pot-steal w/2s Kh 3d Ah to pick up the blinds. No opposition, and I've increased my chip stack by 30%.
Hand 100 - I pot steal from SB w/Qs 2c Kd 6s, and my left folds.
Hand 101 one player eliminated, blinds are 200/400.
Seat 3: beavorsky (3608 in chips)
Seat 5: BigBanana4u (7231 in chips)
Seat 6: FrankNagaiJr (2661 in chips)
Hand 103 - I SB limp 4c 2c Kd 5s, check the flop, small bet the turn, and push on the river with two pair. Opponent folds to my river bet, which I expected, since the low draw missed, and the diamond draw missed. I didn't think a runner-runner straight draw hit was likely heads up.
*** RIVER *** [5d Ks 8d Qh] [Th]
Hand 106 - I SB limp this [9s Js Jd 2c] and bet the flop *** FLOP *** [4d 7s Qs]
, and the smaller stack reraises me all-in. I have Jacks and a flush draw, so I feel I've got a decent enough high draw to stay. I was the 45% underdog preflop (no low draw, he's got two flush draws to my one flush draw.) On the flop when we pushed it was a complete coin flip, he with the only low draw, and me a 66% favorite on the high side, since much of his wrap draw was counterfeited by my flush draw.
*** RIVER *** [4d 7s Qs 9d] [9c]
FrankNagaiJr: shows [9s Js Jd 2c] (HI: three of a kind, Nines)
beavorsky: shows [5h 5c 8h 6c] (HI: two pair, Nines and Fives)
Hand 119 - I see-sawed with my opponent for 13 hands, till we pushed pre-flop on this hand. I'm the 43% underdog pre-flop since I have no low draw. Once I flop the flush, he needs to runner-runner a low to survive. Game over.
*** RIVER *** [Jc 4c Tc As] [6s]
BigBanana4u: shows [8d Ah Ks 9h] (HI: a pair of Aces)
FrankNagaiJr: shows [Qc Qh 9d Ac] (HI: a flush, Ace high)
