“I bet one-hundred and eleven”

OK, you guessed it; Felicia and I went back to Binion’s (-grin-). Once again, I played the side games while she played her first Razz satellite (I’ll let you hear from her how she did ; ).

I sat at a 2/5 NLHE table, which was the strangest I’ve played in so far. Mostly, the 2/5 is populated with older, tighter guys (by older, I don’t mean 70ish, I just mean late 30’s-early-40’s); whereas the 1/2 blind tables are usually filled with younger players (just starting mostly, or just can’t swing the higher limits/buy-ins). This time, my 2/5 table was a mixture of both.

Two of the older guys were sitting next to each other and seemed to know each other from playing. One of them had thick coke bottle glasses that made his eyes seem bigger than they really were. This gentleman, I’ll call 111, for reasons that should be apparent from the title as he liked to bet “one-hundred and eleven” most of the time. I watched 111 as he bet that much for bluffs, for second pair, and for strong hands. I’ll admit it was a good tactic, as you never really knew “where he was” from his bets.

The first time I tangled with 111, I was in the cutoff w/ TT. A bunch of limpers already called, and I’ve seen them call 4-6xBB raises with junk hands, so I thought I’d trap if I could -- see what the flop brought. That was my first mistake. Flop came 373, checked to me, and I bet 20 (just shy of the size of the pot). Only caller was 111. Alarms were already going off, but I knew his tendency was to bluff, so I figured I’d be cautious. The turn was a 4, he checked, I bet 20 again, and he check-raises me. How much? You got it, “make it one hundred and eleven”. Just a couple hands ago, someone else was caught semi-bluffing with a large bet on only second pair, so I called thinking that he might be bluffing or playing a draw strongly. When he went all-in for his last 150 on the turn, I really should have gotten out, but the guy who called down the semi-bluff with his KK was still in my head, and I so badly wanted to catch 111 on a steal that I called his river all-in (which was a 9—no miracle T as I hoped). He turned over 34o (called from early position too) and took down the pot. I kept my composure and knew there would be a time that I would get him, so I pulled a couple more hundreds out of my pocket to keep myself at around 500.

I did catch some little pots here and there. It’s nice in a way to have a looser, but knowledgeable table. They keep limping in, and when I flop top-pair and they check to me, I can bet the pot and they all fold. However, the tighter tables have few limpers (usually always brought in for a raise). For this table, if you got the pot on the flop, there was more than just 2 chips in the center :-D .

I caught QQ a couple times. Once, in late position; I made it 50 after a couple of limpers and they all folded to me (I should have done that with the TT—ugh). So I got all the bring-ins then. Another time, there was a limper, and raiser on my right to 25 (I’ll call him EG for Euro-Guy; couldn’t place his accent). I made it 100 to go, and after looking at me like, “yeah, I’m going to call that”, EG folded. Well, “no duh”, I didn’t want a call. I don’t want to see an A or K on the flop!

Then I got a great hand against 111. I’m in the BB; I never check my cards until it’s my turn, so I never know what I have until then. Early position younger guy (YG) makes it 20 to go (I’ve seen him do this with KQs, so I wasn’t expecting to see AA or KK). He gets 4 callers: 111, two to his left; EG on the button; and me, once I saw I had AQs!

Flop is: AKx rainbow (just one of my suit). I liked it, but was unsure were YG was; if he had AK, then he’d have flopped a monster. So, I lead out 20 to see if he smooth called or raised. YG folded. OK, one down.

111 did, however, call my bet, but EG folded. Turn comes another K, but of my suit, giving me 4-flush. I didn’t like the pairing of the board, but liked the flush draw, so I lead out again, 40 this time. I’m really under-betting the flop. I don’t really know where 111 is at. I have a feeling that he’d play AK differently, but I’m not sure. Here, after the pairing, he makes it “one-thirty-six”…huh? 136? Where did that number come from? I feel he’s trying to throw me off here. I fear AK, but at the same time, if he does just have 3 kings, I might outdraw him with the flush; so, I call. I check dark. Felicia doesn’t like that play, but in some cases, like this one where I don’t have position, they can’t get a read on you. I figured that if he had AK he wouldn’t care what the next card was. Perhaps the same with 3 kings. However, if he was on a draw, he may not like to not know where I’m at by checking dark and will have to figure out if he could continue to bluff me or if I’d call him down like I did on his 34o. Goal! He didn’t like the last card and checks too. I show my AQ and he looks at his cards and mucks.

I got him! Got him for 176, plus the other 40 from the other 2 players calling pre-flop. That put me to almost 100 up. I didn’t devour his stack like I would have liked. I actually thought about reraising the turn all-in as a semi-bluff myself, but I was too scared of that paired board. Plus, I wouldn’t bet any more bets from him. I do know that my showing weakness allowed him to keep betting. I also realize that I’m still learning and as I grow as a player I’ll have more confidence to play back at these bullies more. I’ll get there ;-)

Last good pot of the night was the third time that I got QQ. EG was UTG and limped. I made it 50 to go. Now, surprisingly, I get called by YG and EG. TWO callers for 50 straight (10x BB). Flop is T7x (two suited). EG checks and I (happy to see no over-cards) make it 200; over-betting the pot to shutout any draws and to show I’m not kidding. YG frets and frets. Dang I wanted to ask that boy what the heck he had! He really wanted to call, but didn’t want to go all-in to do it (he had been keeping himself short stacked—never much over 200 himself). I know he didn’t want to call all-in and be wrong. I heard someone down his side of the table suggest I must have TT for top set (lol). He squirmed in his chair so much I was beginning to think he had KK and was just sure that I had AA!

Whatever he had, he finally mucked. EG mucked quickly and I took in another 100 :-)

After that, I waited for my BB and got up to check on Felicia. She was almost done with her satellite, so I went back and cashed out, 191 richer. I left to watch the last of her satellite.

My mistakes were with 111 and the TT, and probably not popping back with AQ, or at least betting more on the flop. I can tell I have a lot to learn. I’m rereading Ciaffone and Stewart’s Pot Limit and No Limit book. It’s very good. One of these days I hope that I’ll feel comfortable enough to be in the bigger limits (they also spread 10/20 and 25/50 NL) and that I won’t be making stupid mistakes like not raising my TT!

We all keep learning don’t we ;-)

Posted by Glenn