the 3bet/4bet/5bet game almost pays big dividends.

tough table last night - was waiting for another so I could move, but one wasn't coming up, so I tried to ride the storm for a few orbits.

Trying to become much more aware of table dynamics - where are the bad players, where are the shortstacks, where are the TAGs. Where is my money going to come from.

On this night, I had a 25/20 two seats to my left. His stats say that he folded 87% of the time to steal attempts, but he wasn't folding to me.

First attempt was a three bet. I had garbage and let it go.

Second attempt was a call from the blinds to defend, then a donkbet into a Queen-Eight-Four flop. I held ace-four. First instinct was to give up with bottom pair, but I chose a different tact. I considered what types of hands would make this play - I decided pocket pairs trying to setmine (and missing), and maybe weak queens like JQ, played for connector purposes, but now testing the waters as a top pair hand. None of those hands are thrilled with their standing right now. I floated the bet.

The turn brought a ten. Fills some gutshots, not much else. The villain donks again - he's got some type of hand, but I don't feel he's very strong here. I raise him up with bottom pair. He thinks an awful long time, then folds. The power of position.

My aggressive image is all set up - now all I need is to have a hand to back it up next time. How about pocket kings? Folds to me on the button, I make my standard raise. The defender three bets. Smooth call or four-bet? I choose the latter - I'm hoping he decides to make his stand now with ace-jack or ace-queen. He smooth calls the four bet - an odd choice, I figure all that this can be a pocket pair hoping to setmine (with insufficient odds to do so in a four bet pot), or maybe ace-king.

Once he smooth calls, I know I can comfortably get it in on a non-ace board - the stack-to-pot ratio is somewhere around 2. A nine-nine-five board is about as safe a bet as you can get. I'm hoping pocket tens+ decide the same thing (or even ace-king if he REALLY thinks I've been out of line), but the villain check/folds. I still end up with a decent pot, though.

After this hand, the table changed again, and was even further against my liking. I called it a night.