Friday, February 25, 2011

Lesson (re) learned

That lesson is this: BET THE TURN.

Cash game last night, not much doing for me - I'm hovering in the profit zone and playing well. Our table is extra-limpy this occasion, and my cards aren't letting me either join the fun or punish. The temptation to join'em when you can't lick'em is sometimes overwhelming - I do indulge in perhaps a few more limps than normal, but for the most part try and stay true to my game.

Poker players are often rewarded for bad play, on this night one of my extra limps, with Jack-Ten, not suited and not in late-enough position, pays off in a half-family pot with a Jack-Jack-Ten flop. Hello, full house! Somehow, even with 3 to act after me before the button, they all folded this hand and left me last to act with the nuts. A nice situation indeed.

Made nicer when the small blind leads out, and the next 2 players call the bet. I call and hope that the board straightens or flushes further on the turn.

Some help comes on that front - a queen, and now the betting goes bet (of $3, into a $15 pot, but still), a RAISE to $6, and then a call of that raise. This is when I should have broken out the big stick - we've got ace-king for a straight, the case jack, and several draws willing to pay the piper. I need to become the piper there.

But I get greedy and call - hoping for more.

My bad play isn't rewarded twice on one hand - a horrible river card comes, another ten. The board is J-J-T-T-x. Now any yahoo with jack-six is chopping with me, and the flushes and straights have bricked off. The piper has left the building. Only the case ten will pay me any money now.

Three checks to me. I make a one-street-too-late half pot bet and get three instant folds. CRAP!

Bet the turn.


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