Poker can be a fun game. But it can also be a really boring game, especially if you mindlessly multitable for hours on end. This boredom can lead to bad play, or at the very least, uninspired play. Sure there are a lot of players who can go on "autopilot" and beat the games for a marginal winrate by just waiting for hands, but that doesn't do it for me. One way I avoid going on autopilot is to find a rival.
Now most players, even so called "regulars" are not worthy of being my rival for the night. It is rare to find an active, smart, sophisticated player who isn't afraid to gamble. I like to think of myself as a playful nit - one who doesn't mind splashing around and trying to annoy the other regulars, but who also usually has the best of it when the money goes in. I'll take a few -EV spots just to see if I can get someone to fold a strong hand, or to try to outflop them once in a while. I do this just to keep the session interesting and maybe put someone on tilt or to help my "crazy" image.
Most players wont play my game with me unless they have a strong hand, so I rarely reap the fruits of my labor vs them. However, there are a select few smart players who not only will play back at me with air, they relish the opportunity to do so. They keep my sessions interesting and my brain active and creative. I may lose to them due to retarded overly tricky plays on my part, but the mere fact that I'm intently thinking during hands with them makes my overall game on other tables improve.
I mean, grinding isn't fun, and I like fun things. This is the only way for me to survive.
Tonight I had a great rival. He wasn't so much as good as he was just very aggressive. Every hand he played vs me he played it as if it were his last. Some examples:
Up to this hand we hadn't done much to each other. A 3 bet here, a cbet there, but no multistreet action. From watching him play I knew he was very active and the hands he was showing down vs other players were indicative of him being a laggy thinking player.
Party Poker, $2/$4 NL Hold'em Cash Game, 4 PlayersHero (BTN): $611.80Rival: $429.60BB: $255.63UTG: $426.60Pre-Flop: 9c 7d dealt to Hero (BTN)UTG folds, Hero raises to $14, Rival raises to $52, BB folds, Hero calls $38Flop: ($108) 5s Td 5h (2 Players)Rival bets $56, Hero calls $56Turn: ($220) 6s (2 Players)Rival checks, Hero checksRiver: ($220) Qh (2 Players)Rival checks, Hero bets $175, Rival calls $175Results: $570 Pot ($2 Rake)Hero showed 9c 7d (a pair of Fives) and LOST (-$283 NET)Rival showed 7c 6c (two pairs, Sixes and Fives) and WON $568 (+$285 NET)So after that hand there was no doubt in my mind that he was up for a game. A brief explanation of that hand would be that he had been 3 betting me a lot and I figured I could bluff him off a good flop. But since I can't represent much on a T55 rainbow flop, I figured I'd float him and represent a mid pocket pair. I checked the turn since thats what I would do with a mid pair and I "value bet" the river when he checks again with his "obvious" ace king. The Queen river was a pretty bad card since without history it is hard for him to imagine me value betting like pocket eights. The problem for him there is that he has to put me on exactly a float that checked the turn - not a common move whatsoever. But he called, good for you, the game is on.
After the hand was over he typed in the chat "I'm too good for this game imo" something I had typed verbatim on another table to another player earlier. He obviously has been paying attention to me too. I love it. Next hand.
P
arty Poker, $2/$4 NL Hold'em Cash Game, 4 PlayersSB: $392BB: $834.50Rival: $506.50Hero (BTN): $508.27Pre-Flop: Jh 9s dealt to Hero (BTN)Rival raises to $14, Hero calls $14, SB calls $12, BB calls $10Flop: ($56) Ts 4s 8h (4 Players)SB checks, BB checks, Rival bets $46, Hero raises to $156, 2 folds, Rival raises to $492.50 and is All-In, Hero calls $336.50Turn: ($1,041) 7s (2 Players - 1 is All-In)River: ($1,041) 4h (2 Players - 1 is All-In)Results: $1,041 Pot ($2 Rake)Rival mucked Qc Qh (two pairs, Queens and Fours) and LOST (-$506.50 NET)Hero showed Jh 9s (a straight Seven to Jack) and WON $1,039 (+$532.50 NET)On the surface this looks like a suicidal play on my part - and it essentially is against most opponents. But the fact is my raise looks ridiculously strong here. I'm raising the preflop raiser with 2 opponents still active in the hand. He knows I'm never raise/folding here since I'll have 2 pair or better so often. He instantly moved all in with queens after it got back to him which really is an overextension since my range here (regardless of history due to other opponents in hand) crushes 1 pair. I sucked out and I'm sure he isn't happy about it. My image couldn't be better.
After this hand he started challenging me to heads up since thats what all tough internet poker players do when they lose a pot. A few hands later this happens:
Party Poker, $2/$4 NL Hold'em Cash Game, 6 PlayersUTG: $384.50MP: $380CO: $804.60Rival: $388Hero (SB): $1,048.77BB: $421Pre-Flop: Jh Jd dealt to Hero (SB)3 folds, Rival raises to $14, Hero raises to $54, BB folds, Rival raises to $112, Hero raises to $1,046.77 and is All-In, Rival calls $276 and is All-InFlop: ($780) Ac 7c 8s (2 Players - 1 is All-In)Turn: ($780) 9c (2 Players - 1 is All-In)River: ($780) 2c (2 Players - 1 is All-In)Results: $780 Pot ($3 Rake)Rival showed Ad 9s (two pairs, Aces and Nines) and WON $777 (+$389 NET)Hero showed Jh Jd (a pair of Jacks) and LOST (-$388 NET)The fact that he called my all in with A9o rather than moved in himself really shows a lot about his game (and his current mindset). After the hand he berated me for not respecting his "first 4-bet yet". Yea, clearly you are the type to only 4-bet aces and kings. A few hands later on a different table...
Party Poker, $2/$4 NL Hold'em Cash Game, 3 PlayersHero (BB): $449Rival: $956.40SB: $82Pre-Flop: 5s 6d dealt to Hero (BB)Rival raises to $14, SB folds, Hero raises to $54, Rival calls $40Flop: ($110) 6h 7d 8h (2 Players)Hero bets $75, Rival calls $75Turn: ($260) 5d (2 Players)Hero bets $320 and is All-In, Rival calls $320River: ($900) Jh (2 Players - 1 is All-In)Results: $900 Pot ($1 Rake)Hero showed 5s 6d (two pairs, Sixes and Fives) and WON $899 (+$450 NET)Rival showed 3d 3h (a pair of Threes) and LOST (-$449 NET)At this point I'm really toying with him since I know he is tilting. In hindsight since I know he is never folding to me ever again I should probably just wait for premium hands to 3-bet with but I just can't help myself. Sometimes in poker you just know you have someone in a mindset where they are going to make such large mistakes that your preflop hand strength barely matters. I insta-pushed the turn as well, not fearing a straight at all since I KNOW he is raising the flop with all his pair/gutshot type hands. I mean at best he has a better 2 pair but there are just way too many hands I'm beating. When I pushed the turn he tanked (obviously, look at his hand lol) and I said in chat "sick value bet imo" since I knew at that point I had the best hand. I guess he took that comment to mean that I was value pushing a flush draw or something since he called with one of the worst hands anyone could have given the action.
About 10 minutes later, I had been 3 betting him a ton and he had been folding to me, until this happened.
Party Poker, $2/$4 NL Hold'em Cash Game, 6 PlayersBB: $80Rival: $458Hero (MP): $400CO: $731.20BTN: $236.40SB: $897.20Pre-Flop: Kc Ks dealt to Hero (MP)Rival raises to $14, Hero raises to $48, 4 folds, Rival calls $34Flop: ($102) 5c 6s 8d (2 Players)Rival checks, Hero bets $75, Rival calls $75Turn: ($252) 5s (2 Players)Rival checks, Hero bets $168, Rival raises to $335 and is All-In, Hero calls $109 and is All-InRiver: ($806) Th (2 Players - 1 is All-In)Results: $806 Pot ($61.50 Rake)Rival showed 6h 6c (a full house, Sixes full of Fives) and WON $744.50 (+$344.50 NET)Hero showed Kc Ks (two pairs, Kings and Fives) and LOST (-$400 NET)Important lesson here - when you have someone on the ropes, never slowplay. His call with 66 here out of position is pretty horrible since he is rarely going to win anything without flopping a set. Anyways he hits his set and I guess his slowplay makes sense because if you are calling with 66 preflop you really can't just be putting me on a premium hand and therefor will check to induce further bluffs. Standard cooler, even more so with the dynamic.
Literally 3-4 hands later this happens.
Party Poker, $2/$4 NL Hold'em Cash Game, 6 PlayersLeggoPoker.com Hand History ConverterBTN: $80Rival: $814.50Hero (BB): $444.50UTG: $725.20MP: $236.40CO: $895.20Pre-Flop: Td Ts dealt to Hero (BB)4 folds, Rival raises to $14, Hero raises to $48, Rival raises to $110, Hero raises to $440.50 and is All-In, Rival calls $332.50Flop: ($889) 5s Tc 2s (2 Players - 1 is All-In)Turn: ($889) 6s (2 Players - 1 is All-In)River: ($889) 5c (2 Players - 1 is All-In)Results: $889 Pot ($3.50 Rake)Rival showed Jc Ad (a pair of Fives) and LOST (-$444.50 NET)Hero showed Td Ts (a full house, Tens full of Fives) and WON $885.50 (+$441 NET)Sure he had a coinflip but just the fact that I can get him to stack off with AJo preflop after he has just won a big pot off me really speaks to his instability. If he is stacking off with AJo pre he is doing it with a lot of other hands TT crushes. I mean, in this dynamic TT is the fuckin nuts. I prayed he raised my blind when I saw TT.
After that hand he continued to berate me and told me that I need to "run better", completely forgetting all the ridiculous calls and suckouts he has made as well. Oh and the heads up challenged never stopped. "Any stakes" he says. I mean I know I have an edge on him (especially at this point) but its not going to be that big. Additionally the match would involve a ton of coinflipping which would just lead to unwanted variance. Also I already know what he wants to prove since I've outplayed him in almost every pot.
Some smaller pots followed in which I just kept up the same aggression even though I had super strong hands.
Party Poker, $2/$4 NL Hold'em Cash Game, 6 PlayersSB: $76Rival: $400Hero (UTG): $889.50MP: $746CO: $220.40BTN: $887.20Pre-Flop: 4h 4c dealt to Hero (UTG)Hero raises to $15, MP folds, CO calls $15, 2 folds, Rival calls $11Flop: ($47) Jc 4d 6h (3 Players)Rival bets $37, Hero raises to $124, 2 foldsResults: $121 PotParty Poker, $2/$4 NL Hold'em Cash Game, 6 PlayersUTG: $74Rival: $420Hero (CO): $963BTN: $740SB: $191.40BB: $875.20Pre-Flop: 9d Ad dealt to Hero (CO)UTG folds, Rival raises to $14, Hero calls $14, BTN folds, SB calls $12, BB foldsFlop: ($46) 2d 7d 5s (3 Players)SB checks, Rival bets $31, Hero raises to $96, 2 foldsResults: $108 PotHe managed to get away from his trash, but I can only imagine what he would have done had he had top pair or better in either. I left shortly after since I had been playing for about 4 hours which is approximately 3.3 hours past my limit, but thanks to my rival providing me with stimulation and entertainment, I was able to stretch out the session to a respectable time.
I ended up $448.34 against him in total, which in all honesty doesn't matter. I mean sometimes I'll win, sometimes I'll lose but in the long run what matters is his contribution to my overall success as a player. He probably hates me now and would hate me even more if he know how he actually helps me to win and stay afloat in the poker world.
