Final tabling Poker Donkaments is fun part two
I really enjoyed playing with Captain Tom and I think I learned a good bit from him. Though I was constantly asking myself if he was generously giving insight or allowing me to stray adrift from optimal Texas Hold'em play. One hand we discussed afterward I think I played rather badly. I was in the small blind with Q4 suited. My stack was low (five handed). It was folded to Captain Tom who put in an exactly the size of my remaining stack. I was going to get a little less than two to one to call with the blinds and antes but I still had the big blind to my left to deal with. For what it’s worth I didn’t feel like she was going to play. I talked myself out of the hand with some rather bad logic, I believe.
At first I thought Captain Tom must have held a hand to bet out exactly my stack. That was a sizable raise and it would discourage the BB from playing. Then I rethought it and decided he couldn’t be super strong. His bet looks like that but he knows would, so worst case scenario it’d allow him to isolate me with a chance to win my stack with no big blind. It also prevents me from shoving on him and bringing in the big blind because of pot odds.
If he had a really big hand wouldn’t he be trying to induce the big blind to mix it up and get her stack rather than waste it on just mine? I decided that must be true.
Then I went through hand ranges that fit this hand. Maybe K10 as strong as KJ or KQ. Ace weak too. Though, I felt like he’d just bet a standard raise with an Ace (as he earlier showed). Then I started adding Queen high hands. QJ, Q10, Q9 suited. I decided half the hands he could have would have me crushed, throwing in mid-level pairs.
After a lengthy thought process I folded. A couple of hands later another player went out. On break, Captain Tom and I discussed the hand. He said he had AJ, but if I didn’t know that I made a good laydown, because I can’t think my queen isn’t dominated. Again, I wondered if he was merely patting me on the head to encourage bad play.
When the other player went out he told me that was the reason I correctly folded. Yeah, but if I’m playing to win, I shouldn’t care about the one step higher on the pay scale (I thought to myself). After a double up I started to get a bit of positive momentum.
Later, I decided that fold even if it earned me maybe an extra 1000 dollars was a mistake forpoker tournaments. One who knows if Captain Tom held AJ. Two, if he did hold that hand, good chance both cards are live. The Queen plays not that prominently in too many holdings. By the way, replaying the hand, Ace Jack does make logical sense. AJ is a tricky hand and one old school players are loathe to go broke with. His bet sizing really limits the hands the big blind could call with. So even with position, he’d likely tread very carefully post flop with it, and it motivates his bet. AQ he probably doesn’t make such a large bet.
Earlier, I moved in quite freely with some hands as the field whittled down, and I practiced what I’ve preached. In large blinds or antes I've decided I'm no longer waiting for 10 to 15bbs. 15 to 20 bbs for me. It’s amazing how quickly you can rebuild a once mighty stack with shoves that chase away all but the mightiest holdings.
At first I thought Captain Tom must have held a hand to bet out exactly my stack. That was a sizable raise and it would discourage the BB from playing. Then I rethought it and decided he couldn’t be super strong. His bet looks like that but he knows would, so worst case scenario it’d allow him to isolate me with a chance to win my stack with no big blind. It also prevents me from shoving on him and bringing in the big blind because of pot odds.
If he had a really big hand wouldn’t he be trying to induce the big blind to mix it up and get her stack rather than waste it on just mine? I decided that must be true.
Then I went through hand ranges that fit this hand. Maybe K10 as strong as KJ or KQ. Ace weak too. Though, I felt like he’d just bet a standard raise with an Ace (as he earlier showed). Then I started adding Queen high hands. QJ, Q10, Q9 suited. I decided half the hands he could have would have me crushed, throwing in mid-level pairs.
After a lengthy thought process I folded. A couple of hands later another player went out. On break, Captain Tom and I discussed the hand. He said he had AJ, but if I didn’t know that I made a good laydown, because I can’t think my queen isn’t dominated. Again, I wondered if he was merely patting me on the head to encourage bad play.
When the other player went out he told me that was the reason I correctly folded. Yeah, but if I’m playing to win, I shouldn’t care about the one step higher on the pay scale (I thought to myself). After a double up I started to get a bit of positive momentum.
Later, I decided that fold even if it earned me maybe an extra 1000 dollars was a mistake forpoker tournaments. One who knows if Captain Tom held AJ. Two, if he did hold that hand, good chance both cards are live. The Queen plays not that prominently in too many holdings. By the way, replaying the hand, Ace Jack does make logical sense. AJ is a tricky hand and one old school players are loathe to go broke with. His bet sizing really limits the hands the big blind could call with. So even with position, he’d likely tread very carefully post flop with it, and it motivates his bet. AQ he probably doesn’t make such a large bet.
Earlier, I moved in quite freely with some hands as the field whittled down, and I practiced what I’ve preached. In large blinds or antes I've decided I'm no longer waiting for 10 to 15bbs. 15 to 20 bbs for me. It’s amazing how quickly you can rebuild a once mighty stack with shoves that chase away all but the mightiest holdings.
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