Session Notes — Part II

Last time, I started in on analyzing some hands from a session not too long ago. I’m going to jump right back in to that session. As a reminder, this is $5-$5 no limit hold’em with a $300-to-$1,500 buy in.

Hand 1:

The cutoff makes it $35, I call on button with 4-4. The flop is A-K-7 with two clubs. Cutoff checks, I bet $50, cutoff min-raises to $100, I make it $205 and cutoff jams for $900. I fold.

This hand was pretty well butchered. My opponent will definitely play for stacks if he flops well and I flop a set, so I’m fine with calling prelop. However, after that, it’s kind of a disaster. We’ve been battling a bit, even this early in the session, and I’ve three-bet him several times already. Because of this, it’s nearly impossible for me to rep anything on this flop when he checks. There’s some chance I can still get him to fold mid pairs like 9-9-to-Q-Q, but probably still not enough chance for me to fire, especially when I can get a free look at maybe hitting a set on the turn. Additionally, if he checks turn again, there’s a decent chance I can win it there, especially if it’s a club. Poorly thought out bet on the flop and his min-raise was effective, as it made me think that he thought I was bluffing and that he could get away with winning it via a min raise. Very good bet to induce spaz and spaz I did.

Hand 2:

Three players as well as the small blind (SB) limp in, and I check with A-8 offsuit in the big blind (BB). Flop is J-6-4 rainbow and everyone checks. The turn is the 5, which puts up a flush draw. SB (villain from the previous hand and from last hand in my previous column) bets $15, I make it $55, everyone folds.

I like this hand because it’s something that comes up quite often in the games in which I play. There are a bunch of limpers, nobody shows interest in the pot on the flop, and someone bets turn. Almost always, this is a 6 or a 5. I have an 8, so it’s slightly less likely that my opponent has a straight (only very slightly) and I can very easily rep 8-7, 6-5, and other weird two pairs because I’m in the BB getting a free look. In addition, I have equity with a gutshot and an overcard if I do get called. Really solid spot to make a bluff raise and it has a very high likelihood of success. I’m not sure if I would prefer a slightly smaller sizing since I’m making it $55 to win $40. Perhaps $45 to win $40 would be a better price and should usually have a similar chance of success.

Hand 3:

Four off the button, my friend to my right makes it $25, I make it $75 next to act with A 10, he calls. The flop is 8-8-6 with two hearts. He checks, I bet $60, he calls. The turn is the A and we both check. The river is the Q, he bets $100, I call and he has K-J.

I’m very happy with this hand because I exploited something I noticed in one of the first few hands we played together where he was calling my three-bets pretty light. A-10 is a hand I don’t usually three-bet in a nine-handed game three off the button, but since I knew my opponent was peeling three-bets with very weak hands like 8-7 offsuit, it is definitely a good hand to add to my value three-betting range. On paired boards, I’ve been betting pretty small lately and I went for the same again this time. I thought he would fold better ace-highs to pressure and I have the A so I can barrel again on heart turns. On the turn, I can no longer get better aces to fold and my hand has become a top-notch bluff catcher in case he tries to turn mid-pairs into bluffs. Also, if he has an 8, I get to control the size of the pot by checking back a card that he might expect me to bet quite often. He peeled the flop even lighter than I thought he would and now bets even though his range is super bluff heavy, in my opinion. He can have very few combinations that include an 8 or an ace that outkicks the board.

Before we played this session together, I had a different view of this player than I do now. He always looked like he was pretty tight, but I guess I didn’t get to see his cards often enough to realize how loosely he was opening and calling three-bets.

Information like this that you can apply to your read on a player is always useful if you can implement a strategy to exploit that information. Always be looking for ways to improve your read and use that new read to your advantage. ♠

Gavin Griffin was the first poker player to capture a World Series of Poker, European Poker Tour and World Poker Tour title and has amassed nearly $5 million in lifetime tournament winnings. Griffin is sponsored by HeroPoker.com. You can follow him on Twitter @NHGG