Concentration

It was suggested that I apply more concentration during online play. Stop surfing the web between hands, think about the table, your opponents, think about ranges. Keep your brain thinking poker.

I did this tonight - I even played 3 tables at once for a time. My results were mixed - lost just under a buy-in on the night. However, most of that can be traced to two hands.

1) flush over flush. Killer when that happens. I would have lost more, too, except that the board paired on the river, so I just called the river bet instead of raising as I hit my flush. Not sure I could do much there.

2) A wrong guess. Pocket nines with a cold-calling, quarter-stack donkey behind me. Flop ace-eight-four. It comes does to whether he has an ace or not. I don't have too many hands to get my read, but he's playing 40% of hands (8/20), and he is c-betting 100% (3 out of 3). Before I act, I decide my action - I'm going to checkraise him all in when he bets. His range is wide and doesn't have to have an ace. I carry out my plan. He has an ace. Oh well.

I am also proud of several hands I played. I called a pot size river bet with ace high when that bet made no sense based on the action. I raised pocket kings and got a call from a player with 5 blinds left. Five. The board was 7 high and a bit coordinated, but who cares for 5 blinds? The player has already made a huge mistake if he called with a drawing hand with that low of a stack. So now, how do I get those five blinds? If I bet, he folds everything that missed. I can check then call any bet (which will obviously be all in).

I try something completely different. I minbet. 0.25 into the 1.50 pot. Bad players do this when they have a hand they don't like. I'm not sure what they think the bet will accomplish. I often raise these bets regardless of my cards. Hopefully he takes the minbet to be bluffy also.

It works. He "shoves" his last 5 blinds in. I call. He has king-seven (top pair).

Not much money, but an unorthodox play gets the job done.