Tao of Poker

Betting on Another Day

By Pauly

I decided to play a Limit Hold'em event at the WSOP this year. The fields are smaller and due to a hectic work schedule, the Limit event is the best opportunity for me to play. In 2005 I played a NL event (failed to make the dinner break via a badbeat when my A-K lost to A-10) and last year I busted out of the PLO event early. Since I'm a Limit cash game player there's not much of a drastic change in playing style that I have to make in order to play the WSOP event. Because Party folded up shop in the States, my PLO playing has been drastically reduced and I don't feel confident about my PLO game these days. Limit, however, has been very good to me recently.

I started playing Limit tournaments online this past weekend to gear up for the WSOP. They are a chore due to sheer boredom. They test every bit of patience especially since I make more money multitabling cash games. Alas, I'm doing it for the experience.

The good news is that I made the money in a $30 Limit MTT on PokerStars and took 3rd place last Saturday. I played super tight and took the chiplead early on after I won consecutive pots with K-K and A-A.

I raised with Kd-Kh in EP. Two players called and the big blind three-bet. I capped it. Four way pot. The flop was 5d-2d-2s. The big blind fired out and I raised. Two players called for a three-way pot. The turn was 3s. Big blind bet, I raised, and everyone called. The river was 2c. I hoped that no one had Aces or the case 2. The big blind bet and I raised. Both players called. My Kings full held up against Ts-Td and Jc-Js.

On the next hand I found As-Ad and raised. I got four callers. The flop was Qh-Js-4h and I bet out. Two players called. The turn was the 4c and I got worried because I figure one of those twatfarts called my flop bet with A-4 and tripped up. I bet out and was raised. I only called. The river was 4s and I bet out. If he had the case 4, so be it. He raised me and I re-raised. He called and the pot got pushed to me. His hand was the Kc-Qd. My boat was bigger and I tripled up in consecutive hands which is not an easy task in Limit.

I pretty much folded my way into the money and went card dead at the final table. I was shortstacked and pushed all in with Q-2. I flopped a Queen and even though there was a four flush on the board and a straight, I won the main pot as two players checked it down hoping to eliminate me. That allowed me to stick around a while as I gutted out a third place victory. That was my first big cash in a tournament since I won Miami Don's Big Game on Chinese New Year.

I was also playing a Limit MTT on Full Tilt at the same time. At one point I was the chipleader in both tournaments. I won a big hand in the first level with A-A on FT. Sadly, I finished in 52nd place in that one.

In the cash game realm, I've been scouting out the 15/30 games on PokerStars and jump on when a fishy player or two appears. I noticed a trend where 2 or 3 players per table are short-buying for $200 or $300. I assume that they are the desperate souls using the rest of their bankrolls.

I've been mostly hanging out on the full ring 10/20 tables which have been profitable since that's been the latest spots for my hit and runs. According to Poker Tracker, I'm a losing player at 5/10 Limit but I'm a winner at 8/16, 10/20, and 15/30. Those 5/10 games on PokerStars are super tough and most of my loses from that level occurred on Stars. But those tables are just as fishy on FT and based on their skill level, those folks should be playing much lower limits.

I loathe myself when I write about bad beats, but here's an example of some of the loose play at 5/10 over at Full Tilt that I experienced just before I went to Las Vegas. I found Jh-Jc in the little blind and raised to punish the three limpers. Everyone called. The flop was Js-6d-4c and my top set looked great. I bet out and was raised by UTG. Player 2 called and player three folded. I three-bet and UTG called. In a weird move, Player 2 re-raised. He called two bets cold then when it got three-bet by me, he capped it. I had to put him on a set that he originally decided to slowplay but changed his mind. Three players saw the turn of the Qc. I bet out and was raised by UTG. Player 2 called and I three-bet. UTG capped it and everyone called. The river was the 10h. I check-called the UTG's bet, as did Player 2. UTG showed 8h-9h for the Queen high straight and won the $252 pot. Ouch. Nice catch, cumstain. That ugly runner-runner cracked two flopped sets. Player 2 had 6s-6c for a set while I had the Jacks.

By the way, Derek and I went to the Yankees game last night. Head over to the Tao of Pauly for a few photos.

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