Sleep With the Fishes, Dine on the Whales

Where was I? Playing Texas Hold em at the Beau, and I was in the middle of a hand. A guy who didn't like to fold called from the small. I called too with QQ. Flop came AQx. The caller led out (donkbet). I smoothed, the black hair-dyed guy bumped it. Donkbettor got out of the way. I stewed. At this point I didn't know much about the older guy (it's only in retrospect that I labeled him aggressive... I'll get to him later) so I tried to see what was on the board that could hurt me. Nothing really. If he had a set of aces oh well (obviously in poker tournaments you are going to go broke with second set if you are beat and most times you are not). I decided to call. The turn was a brick. I hoped he had like AK or even better AQ and I wanted to build the pot. I thought if I led out weak I could get a raise out of him, maybe tie him to the pot, and get them all in. I did just that with some weak ass bet. He bit and bet the pot. Now there was about 8 k in th...

Headed up to the saturday tournament at the IP. Big Smoove and I planned out a day of tournament action but his littlest one got sick so I went solo. The plan was threefold play some small buy-ins at the IP, the Isle of Capris or Hard Rock, and then check out the Island View at six. I got about 1/3rd through the plan and bailed--ie I played one and went home. Not much to say. I started out on a table of alternates and basically blinded away 1/5th of my stack. Lots of novices splashing around with weak hands. I figured out who I could steal from but was never first into the pot. It's charming to see inexperienced players trying to play correctly but not quite doing it. Yes, they get that aggression is important but applying it is often a problem. They'd make min raises on draw heavy boards, or flop the stone cold nuts like AJ and hit AAJ and go all-in. Their opponent folds and they show their hand proudly. Yes, you essentially had all the outs you can't get paid th...

On the front page of www.gulfcoastpoker.net under the poker news section Daniel Negreanu's linked poker blog kind of answers my own question that I posed a few posts ago. I play small ball, know where I am in the hand and then watch my opponent catch on the river. Usually it works out that the river card also improves my hand but makes his. You can tell by my tongue in cheek cyncism on the front page about getting rivered that I'm tired of this happeneing. It happens in online poker and in live poker. In one texas hold 'em tournament I called a guy until the river with second pair--tens. The flop was king high but he was last to act and I felt like was betting some sort of draw. On the turn, he looked like he wasn't improving and threw out another just go away bet when I'd check to him out of position. I call. His river bet didn't bring a flush or a straight card but was a Queen. This time he bet with some confidence and I felt I was beat. Yet, it was...