Everyday I'm hustlin'

I just remembered how good a movie Nurse Betty was. I know, if you havn’t seen it you assume it was the sequel to Bridget Jones or some shit, but it is actually violent and hilarious.

Uhh.. artificial segway…

Sometimes you can make money by doing no betting whatsoever. I’ll set the upcoming hand up with a hand that occurred 3 hands previous to it. Same opponent.

doc56: posts small blind 10
RikkiDee: posts big blind 20
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to RikkiDee [Qs Th]
doc56: calls 10
RikkiDee: checks
*** FLOP *** [9d Qc 9h]
doc56: bets 120
RikkiDee: folds
doc56 collected 40 from pot

Alright, that is the heavily edited version, but what is important is that “doc56” is a moron. This is the 2nd hand of the SNG and he limps from the SB and then overbets the 9Q9 flop. I insta-muck the top pair here because who knows what kind of idiot I’m up against, take your 40 chips.

Ok so 3 hands later this happens, remember, same opponent.

Seat 3: doc56 (1480 in chips)
Seat 4: RikkiDee (1470 in chips)
TheKidJNel15: posts small blind 10
wpr101: posts big blind 20
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to RikkiDee [Kh Ac]
doc56: raises 60 to 80
RikkiDee: calls 80
TheKidJNel15: folds
wpr101: folds
*** FLOP *** [6c Ad 4s]
doc56: bets 80
RikkiDee: calls 80
*** TURN *** [6c Ad 4s] [4c]
doc56: bets 280
RikkiDee: calls 280
*** RIVER *** [6c Ad 4s 4c] [As]
doc56: bets 1040 and is all-in
RikkiDee: calls 1030 and is all-in

Ok so here I smooth-call preflop with AK in position, something I’m becoming a big fan of. I also have additional information here in that this opponent has the tendency to overbet. With what, I don’t know, but anyone who overbets the pot is generally a fish. Ok so the flop comes a non threatening 6A4, and because it isn’t threatening I won’t be reraising yet. The only action I’ll ever get from a reraise is if he has a worse ace, which certainly is possible, but if he has no ace he folds (usually). Now because I didn’t reraise preflop I havn’t really informed him as to how strong my hand is, so I continue the slowplay to hopefully induce future overbets. He complies with my wish on the turn and the river. However, once the board reads AA446 and him pushing in on the river, one has to assume we are chopping this pot, so I call and he flips over…

*** SHOW DOWN ***
doc56: shows [2h 6h] (two pair, Aces and Sixes)
RikkiDee: shows [Kh Ac] (a full house, Aces full of Fours)
RikkiDee collected 2970 from pot
RikkiDee said, "thx"

So my hunch was dead on. More evidence to support the whole “watching your opponents” thing.

Did you notice that little, “RikkiDee said, ‘thx’”? at the end there? Yea, I do that. But it is something I’ve really started to think about. There have been so many times in the past that I’ve pushed late game with something like QT and got called by K2o and still won and let them know that I wasn’t pleased with their call by saying something like “great call dumbass”. My motivation to berate them usually was along the lines of “I want to push with impunity late game and if I make them feel bad about calling maybe they’ll tighten up”. But what I think it ends up doing in the long run is just makes them a better player by tightening up. I mean, honestly, I want them to call with K2, as long as I know they will. That way I can adjust my pushes so I’ll be going in with the best of it. Additionally, if they continue calling all their chips off with K2 they’ll continue to be bad players, so the next time I play them they still suck.

This all goes back to the “tapping on the glass” phenomenon. It is important to let fish do whatever they want and not let them know they suck. The more they learn the less you make. Everyone knows this, yet I still feel the need to make fun of them like the “thx” in that AK hand I just posted. That little “thx” could possibly affect them, who knows? Maybe next time they get 62s they’ll actually fold it!

I really need to stop being so short sighted in my table chatter. Sure berating fish may make me feel good now, but when they come back next game improved and ready to outplay me it’s not going to feel so good. I realize this attitude is pretty much standard etc, but its something that I need to constantly remind myself of.