Quick Study

You often have to act fast once you identify a target at the table, there's a good chance he won't be there long.

It starts with me raising AQo from second position. This hand is borderline for me from this spot, sometimes I open, sometimes I fold. I have grown by leaps and bounds in the past 60 days in looking at the factors at the table that help me decide one way or the other. At this table, as it turns out, there were 2 people sitting out - making my position all the stronger, and the blinds were comprised of a 48/13 and a brand new player. We want to play pots with fishy people in the blinds, and a 48/13 fits the bill. I made the standard 3x raise.

Fishy guy flats, and then new guy, the big blind, makes a minimum 3bet to 5x. There is no purpose to the minimum 3bet. Are you pumping up the pot because you have a monster hand? Well, fine, you just gave me 5:1 odds to crack you (and more if the guy between us calls). As a habit, I don't fold to minraise 3bets, and I don't fold here, either. We see a three way flop.

The flop is a miss for me. Five-Five-Two, with two spades. Minraiser comes out, uh, firing, he bets .10 into a 1:50 pot, giving me 16:1 odds with ace high. Good enough for me. I make the call, as does the small blind.

The turn brings a king, and minraiser repeats his trick, betting .10 - this time giving me 19:1 odds. Direct odds to hit my ace. I make the call.

The river bricks off and brings a third spade. I half expect the guy to fire pot now, but he bets .10 into a 2.10 pot now, and I make the call again. This time, I just want to see what the hell he's up to.

He shows King-Jack offsuit. So, let's review. He three bet with a mediocre broadway hand, then minbet all the way down, even when he hit top pair on the turn. Obviously no thought of value or bluff, no thought of opponent ranges, just some goofball clicking buttons randomly. It cost me 8 big blinds, but I consider it a down payment on knowing what this guy is doing.

I don't have to wait long to use my newfound knowledge. Ace-king this time, suited in clubs this time. I make the standard raise. Given his cue, the button-clicker makes the min-3-bet again.

We have one hand of information on the guy, but it's all I need to know. I four bet to 29 big blinds. Button clicker calls the 4 bet, wanting to see a flop.

Flop misses me entirely, and is a bit dangerous. Seven, nine, ten, two spades again. I have clubs. The pot is now 5.90, and We have 8.50 back. An SPR of l.4. Button-clicker brings out his minbet once again - .10 into a 5.90 pot, giving me 60:1 odds this time. Even though he minbet last hand after hitting a pair, I decide my unimproved ace-king is still good enough times vs. this rando, AND that he will call with less (spades or an 8). I value shove ace-high. Button clicker doesn't seem to like this development - he searches for the correct action for several seconds, and then finally finds the fold button (which probably hasn't been clicked in a long time).

Button clicker goes on the min-3bet 5 times in 29 hands. He 3bets me one more time, as well - this time I'm holding queen-ten. Not a great hand, but as I said, I don't like to fold to min-3-bets, especially from a guy who doesn't know why he's using them. I hit a queen on the flop and call a minraise flop and turn. He decides to bust out a .30 river bet, giving me 8:1 odds this time, and even with 3 clubs, a pair of fives, and an ace on the final board, I make the call with second pair, ten kicker. Button clicker was value betting this same board with third pair - I drag another pot. It's my last at this table, capping a great +2 buy-in night.