Rough day at the tables...

Unfortunately my first post involving poker is about a losing session. Some days things just don't go your way, and yesterday was one of those days. I think I played pretty well for the most part, however, I did make two mistakes in large pots.

I played 2,983 hands over about seven hours and lost about $1,200. I was playing $1/2 blinds No Limit Texas Holdem 6 Max, which is a cash game table with five other players on it. This is the type of game that I normally play.

I have a poker statistics program called "Holdem Manager" that keeps track of all of the hands I play, wins and losses, and a bunch of other statistics. Holdem Manager says that I ran approximately $1,500 below expectation. This means that if I would have had average luck (when I got it all in) I would have actually won about $300 instead of losing $1,200. So obviously I got pretty unlucky yesterday.

I don't like to whine about or dwell on bad days like these, because they are just part of the game of poker. There will be days where you get the money in consistently as a huge favorite and continue to get sucked out on. It is the nature of the beast.

I'm going to post some hands although most of the hands I lost big on were bad beats due to getting unlucky or coolers (hands where I have to go all in based on my hand strength but the other person happened to have a ridiculously good hand at the same time, which beats my extremely strong hand. These types of hands are not figured in when calculating what my "expectation" should have been... because often times I'll be going all in with a very small percent chance to win, but going all in isn't a mistake).


Losing hands:

Hand #1: http://www.pokerhand.org/?2752918

Not much I can really do about this hand... this is a perfect example of a "cooler." I call pre-flop to hit a 6 for a set of 6's... and I actually hit my hand so I have to go with it. It's just unfortunate that someone happened to have a higher set than me.

Hand #2: http://www.pokerhand.org/?2752922

Here I hit a huge flop for my hand... I flop the second best possible hand plus a re-draw to the second nut flush. I'm building the pot on the flop and turn so I can get it all in on good rivers... Notice my bet sizing on the turn is perfect because it allows for a less than pot-sized bet on the river, which means he will almost have to call if I go all in on the river...

Well that river was terrible because it was very likely he had two pair on the flop and that just gave him a full house. He bet so small in relation to the pot on the river I had to call obviously in case he had some crazy hand like AK for only one pair. I had him by the balls though, I was 91% to win before the river came

Hand #3: http://www.pokerhand.org/?2752930

This hand is pretty standard, normally I'm playing pretty aggressive and will be able to profitably get JJ all in pre-flop in a spot where my opponent could easily be squeezing fairly lightly. Not too much to talk about here, I was 57% to win before the flop and just lost the coinflip.

Hand #4: http://www.pokerhand.org/?2752938

Here is another classic cooler. I decide to make a play against an aggressive UTG initial raiser because he is opening a lot of pots and unlikely to have much here. I normally don't have to worry too much about beepokerking because if he had a huge hand he would have re-raised ExB1983 himself. Obviously that's an excellent flop for my hand and I'll be looking to get all in with it... just so happens that he flopped the full house... not much I can do.

Hand #5: http://www.pokerhand.org/?2752945

Another sick unlucky spot. I put so many chips in before the flop, that I pretty much have to go all in on any flop because I have one pot-sized bet left to bet. It just so happens that he hit one of the two cards that could save him on the flop. I was 81% to win pre-flop, and I'm 4-betting here to $68 instead of shoving all in so he can monkey it in with some bullshit like 78 suited. I'm getting all in vs. his high pocket pairs anyways, however, 4-betting to an amount 2.5x of what he put in gives me options if I'm bluffing and gives him some rope to make a huge mistake.

Hand #6: http://www.pokerhand.org/?2752974

Another bad beat. I decide to just call his 3-bet in position because I had not 4-bet yet at that table, which means I would get a ton of respect and he would fold most of his hands. This is a great flop for me because AK just hit top pair, top kicker... so I bet/call on flop and get 2 outed on the river. I was 91% to win on the flop.

Hand #7: http://www.pokerhand.org/?2752982

This hand I actually made an error in. I don't think getting it all in on the turn is profitable, once he goes all in. However, my initial read on both of these players on the flop was that they were on draws or mediocre hands because they like INSTA-called my c-bet. Most opponents will take a second or two to think about what they want to do with hands like a flopped straight, two pair, or a set. It's pretty uncommon to have someone just snap-call a c-bet on this draw-heavy board with a set because they normally consider raising. That's why I like my turn bet, but once he shoves it's a pretty clear fold against this opponent I think.

Hand #8: http://www.pokerhand.org/?2752999

I made a pretty large error in this hand... I was raising on the flop to protect my hand and extract value from worse Jacks... however once he comes over the top again it's pretty obvious that he has me beat and is holding JT, QQ+, or a set. I should have folded to his $82 raise.

Hand #9: http://www.pokerhand.org/?2753004

Just a bad beat, I was 71% to win when the money got in.

Hand #10: http://www.pokerhand.org/?2753006

Another bad beat, got the money in as an 89% favorite on the flop.

Hand #11: http://www.pokerhand.org/?2753011

I have the best starting hand in poker, we go all in before the flop, and I lose to quads. I'm 81% to win pre-flop.


So yea, not a whole lot to learn from these hands other than hands #7 and 8... but sometimes it feels good to post these types of hands just to bring closure to the bad day, as well as re-assure myself that I was playing well and getting most of the money in good.


Here are a few winning hands:


Hand #12: http://www.pokerhand.org/?2753023

I actually won a hand with AA this session, believe it or not.


Hand #13: http://www.pokerhand.org/?2753031

I played this hand perfectly... I made a good all in shove on the turn and he made a terrible call... he had been playing wildly.

Hand #14: http://www.pokerhand.org/?2753040

This is what happens sometimes when you 4-bet to 2.5xs... this guy took his rope and hung himself.


Ok well this entry got pretty long, but hopefully it was an OK read. I plan on making my standard entries a lot shorter, but I just got a bit carried away on this one. I plan on playing tonight, as Friday night is the most profitable night to play online poker because of all the recreational players playing. Also, lots of drunk people play, etc. so the games get pretty juicy.

Have a great weekend.