2's Company

Firstly a quick update on the forum league: after a St. Patrick's day Stella or four, I played the forum MTT on Monday night and finished 5th - once again I managed to hit the chip lead at the final table stage but let that slip somehow. Still, I remain in first place for the month and year overall.

On Tuesday, I decided to take a trip to the Vic to play some £1/3 NLH cash. I didn't use the sat-nav this time so the journey was more tolerable. One thing that always strikes me about that place is how quiet it is. Not to say it was empty (there were six or seven tables running), but that literally the noise levels seemed really low. Maybe it's the acoustics.

Anyway, bought in for £300 and in due course lost that in unspectacular fashion. Undoubtedly seeing too many flops. The game this time was certainly not as soft as my previous two visits but I nevertheless pulled up again for a second £300. Quite a volatile period followed and I fluctuated between £200 and £500 mostly until this hand ...

I had about £450 at the start of the hand and picked up Td9d on the button. It was raised to £10 with a couple of callers to me. I called and the blinds called.

Flop Th4d2c. It was checked to me and I bet £50. I thought everyone had folded, and went to muck my hand but the dealer pointed out that the big-blind (a very loose player) had called.

OK. Turn 2d. Now I have a flush draw as well as top pair. Checked to me, and I bet £100 which is called.

River 2s.

Suddenly, the big blind insta-pushes for £600. Since I only have about £300 left, that is really the size of the bet and it's about the size of the pot also.

Oh dear. I have a full house, of course, but I am beaten if he has a Two or if he has been slow-playing a bigger pair.

My instinct says that he may well have the Two. Overbets on the river often are the nuts. Except when they are bluffs of course ... I have been bluffed off the river a couple or more times already today.

He can't have JJ+ surely ? He surely would have raised pre-flop or earlier in the action. But can he have a two ? In the end, it is too tempting to see what he has and hope he's bluffing.

Of course he had 2h3d .... which is good for the £900+ pot and wipes me out.

I rarely carry on after losing 2 buy-ins which is a good rule for avoiding really big losses but it does seem to mean that I often just play till I'm bust.

This was quite an interesting pot, really. Should I have folded on the river ? Should I have kept the pot smaller earlier ? Surely I have to bet Top Pair on the flop ? On the turn, maybe I can check because I have a flush draw myself ? Then on the river I can easily folded if he bets £400 or call a smaller bet.

In a number of pots on the night where I felt I was outplayed, I was out of position. Here, I was in position but maybe did not take sufficient advantage ? Thing is, this player was so loose that I could imagine him paying me off on flop and turn with a pair of fours, say. On the river though ? Of course, he was so loose that I thought he could easily be bluffing which is the power of that style I suppose.

Hmm.... Omaha Wednesday tonight .... must do better !