*** Export for: Stoneburg Game: Texas Holdem Game number: 368498431 ***
Date: 5/30/2005 1:52:30 PM
Game: 368498431: Table: Catch Me
Normal Table No Limit 0.50/1.00
Rake: 2.20
Seat: 1 higaran
Seat: 2 ladu
Seat: 3 sundancekidd
Seat: 4 Stoneburg
Seat: 5 mrmoney2005
Seat: 6 tlaxxy
Seat: 7 poooker
Seat: 8 Mbjorck
Seat: 9 WorldBFree (Dealer)
Seat: 10 beta

Table is semi-loose and not too aggressive. People tend to not want to call raises preflop. If I have a table image it is probably that I am aggressive since I tend to do the betting. I have the villain covered.

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OpeningBetRound
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beta : Posts small blind 0.25
higaran : Posts big blind 0.50
ladu : Calls for 0.50
sundancekidd : Folds
Stoneburg : Raises for 3.00
mrmoney2005 : Folds
tlaxxy : Folds
poooker : Folds
Mbjorck : Calls for 3.00
WorldBFree : Folds
beta : Folds
higaran : Folds
ladu : Folds
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Not much to discuss. With one limper infront of me I raise 6xBB. So far I am playing the same way I always do. I have no read on the limper, the caller is loose and not *too* aggressive but definetely not passive. I have him on a rather wide hand distribution but I'm leaning towards a PP, JJ or lower in that case, the other option is two high cards such as AK/AQ/KQ.

Flop ($7.25)
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Stoneburg : Checks
Mbjorck : Bets 0.50
Stoneburg : Calls for 0.50
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The flop is super-un-threatening and here I decide to put on some sort of fancy and unconventional play in order to mix it up and (hopefully) extract some money. There are no reasonable draw (I don't think he would be playing 65s against a raise). I decide to be "deceptive" and check it. When he just minibets at me I'm thinking that he'll lay it down if I play back at him, and I decide to just call his probe bet in order to give him some hope. If he has a PP he's either way ahead or he's only got 2 outs, if he has 2 overcards I want him to catch something.

Turn ($8.25)
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Stoneburg : Checks
Mbjorck : Bets 2.00
Stoneburg : Raises for 8.00
Mbjorck : Calls for 6.00
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The deuce seems pretty harmless but it does put a straight draw for 55 and a flushdraw on the board so I'm going to have to charge him to see the river here, however, I've feigned weakness on the flop so in order to keep telling my story I have to check and hope he bets. If he just has 2 overcards he's not that likely to draw out on me, and if he has an over-pair he's going to bet it again.

Once he bets and calls my raise I narrow his hand distribution down to TT-JJ. He probably would have re-raised preflop with QQ, with a set he would obviously re-raise and with 88's or a lower pair he's not going to call here. Obviously I am not 100% sure but that is what seems reasonable.

River ($24.25)
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Stoneburg : Bets 10.00
Mbjorck : Calls for 10.00
Stoneburg : Shows cards
Mbjorck : Mucks cards
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The 8 doesn't look too threatening, I don't *think* he would have called with 88 or 98s this far so I put in a valuebet of about half the pot. If he comes over the top I am going to have to think about folding (which I won't end up doing because I'm a fish who can't let go of AA!). He calls and mucks his TT, giving me decent pot and a huge ego-boost for finally having a correct read after 1.5 years of playing poker.

Showdown
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Stoneburg [ AH, AS, 9C, 8S, 4H - One Pair ]
Mbjorck [ 10H, 10C, 9C, 8S, 4H - One Pair ]
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Result
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Stoneburg Showed Cards (Winning) 42.05


I was hoping that my check-raise on the turn was interpreted as an induced bluff with a missed AK or something, and that my somewhat "erratic" play would make him call my riverbet. Seeing that he actually had an over-pair several questions spring to mind... mainly, could I have gotten more money out of him? But also, I know I played this unconventionally, but did I play it *badly* assuming a different hand distribution? I myself will gladly call a raise with suited connectors in order to bust someone who has an overpair, but I think I am in a minority and my read on this player was that he wouldn't (he played Aces, Kings and Pairs).

Was this a case of FPS that just happened to have a happy ending?