Cash Game Update

I've been trying to get in 500+ hands in a session playing 4 tables...still at $50 NL of course. Things still aren't all that good but then again not all that bad. I haven't been playing on my laptop so don't have exact numbers from poker tracker to key you in on the specifics of how I've been playing. I recently hooked up my desktop to my 42' plasma which is soooo sick. I have a wireless keyboard and mouse so I can play from my couch! Talk about being about as lazy as possible! I don't think it's going to be my primary computer to play on, I just wanted to see what the resolution would look like and try it out. I think I will use this setup for hand/session discussion, video viewing with buddies, final tables, and the occasional session.

So back to the point of this post. I have mixed emotions about dropping down to $50 NL in that going in I thought making money would be like taking candy from a baby but after a few thousand hands I can see that I'm a moron for thinking that. There is no such thing as a free lunch...right? Well here is how I evaluate my play at this level so far. I don't seem to have a problem accumulating money at all, but it's keeping it around that gets me. Like I said in an earlier post, I seem to be spewing chips left and right and more of a conscious effort needs to be put into protecting my stack once I have it.

Let's look at a hand that I played last night.
Free hand converter brought to you by CardRunners

Seat 2: cracksito ($193.35)
Seat 3: Neoblitz727 ($50.05)
Seat 4: tortuga0981 ($64.60) -
Seat 5: birdiemobile ($37.55) -
Seat 6: kevark ($66.05) -


PRE-FLOP:

birdiemobile posts small blind $0.25
kevark posts BIG blind $0.50
Dealt To: tortuga0981


FOLD cracksito
FOLD Neoblitz727
RAISE tortuga0981 ($2)
FOLD birdiemobile
RAISE kevark ($4.50)
CALL tortuga0981 ($2.50)


FLOP:

Pot: $9.75
   

BET kevark ($5)
CALL tortuga0981 ($5)


TURN:

Pot: $19.75
    

BET kevark ($8)
CALL tortuga0981 ($8)


RIVER:

Pot: $35.75
     

BET kevark ($25)
FOLD tortuga0981

kevark collected $33.55 from main pot

SUMMARY:
Total pot: $35 Rake: $1.70

Final Board:
     

Seat 2: cracksito folded before Flop didnt bet - Net Gain/Loss: ($0)
Seat 3: Neoblitz727 folded before Flop didnt bet - Net Gain/Loss: ($0)
Seat 4: tortuga0981 button folded on the River - Net Gain/Loss: ($-17.5)
Seat 5: birdiemobile small blind folded before Flop - Net Gain/Loss: ($-0.25)
Seat 6: kevark big blind collected 33.55 - Net Gain/Loss: ($16.05)


Free hand converter brought to you by CardRunners

Ok, so I call the smallish min raise from the player in the BB and see a flop where I flop top pair/top kicker. Before we continue I want to talk about what I figured for this player's range. Given that he had been playing 24.32% / 12.16% / 2.20 through 74 hands doesn't tell me all that much but for the most part I peg him as a TAG'ish type player. So I give this weird raise the range of 77+,ATs+,KTs+,QJs,AJo+. Having said that how the hand plays out is weird on my behalf. Looking back I feel I should have raised the flop to find out where I stood. My reasoning for simply calling the entire way was to try to control the pot given what I floped (which I thought could was good) against his weird 3 bet pre-flop. But then the bet on the river just reeked of strength and kind of push me off the hand. And not to mention that the river card filled the one card straight if he had been bluffing with 10 10 the entire time.

So I plugged some numbers into poker stove and they basically called me a pussy which is what I figured.
--------------------
79,200 games 0.005 secs 15,840,000 games/sec

Board: 7c 7s Jd
Dead:

equity win tie pots won pots tied
Hand 0: 69.488% 65.57% 03.92% 51933 3101.50 {AcJc}
Hand 1: 30.512% 26.60% 03.92% 21064 3101.50 {77+, ATs+, KTs+, QJs, AJo+}
--------------------
I needed to see the numbers to reassure myself that I knew what correct play was, which I did, but the river bet just kind of scared me. It looked like such a "call me" bet after 1/2 pot sized bets on the flop and river that a fold just felt like the right play.

Let's look at another hand I played.
Free hand converter brought to you by CardRunners

Seat 1: Alfparis ($69.25) ( 62.11% / 27.37% / 0.92/ 95)
Player Notes: Plays a very wide range of hands pre-flop.
Seat 2: tortuga0981 ($92) ( 13.68% / 11.11% / 4.67/ 117)
Seat 4: shanks686 ($47.25) - ( 34.48% / 10.34% / 0.87/ 87)
Seat 5: underdogggg@ ($82.85) - ( 55.29% / 27.06% / 1.33/ 85)
Seat 6: FRUIT_BAGEL ($50) - ( 16.22% / 4.05% / 0.42/ 74)


PRE-FLOP:

underdogggg@ posts small blind $0.25
FRUIT_BAGEL posts BIG blind $0.50
Dealt To: tortuga0981


CALL Alfparis ($0.50)
RAISE tortuga0981 ($3)
FOLD shanks686
FOLD underdogggg@
FOLD FRUIT_BAGEL
CALL Alfparis ($2.50)


FLOP:

Pot: $6.75
   

CHECK Alfparis
BET tortuga0981 ($4)
CALL Alfparis ($4)


TURN:

Pot: $14.75
    

CHECK Alfparis
CHECK tortuga0981


RIVER:

Pot: $14.75
     

BET Alfparis ($15)
RAISE tortuga0981 ($85)
FOLD Alfparis
tortuga0981:


tortuga0981 collected $42.75 from main pot

SUMMARY:
Total pot: $44 Rake: $2

Final Board:
     

Seat 1: Alfparis folded on the River - Net Gain/Loss: ($-22)
Seat 2: tortuga0981 collected 42.75 - Net Gain/Loss: ($20.75)
Seat 4: shanks686 button folded before Flop didnt bet - Net Gain/Loss: ($0)
Seat 5: underdogggg@ small blind folded before Flop - Net Gain/Loss: ($-0.25)
Seat 6: FRUIT_BAGEL big blind folded before Flop - Net Gain/Loss: ($-0.5)


Free hand converter brought to you by CardRunners

In this hand, the way the cards feel dictated my play on the river. The loose player limps behind me so I make a pretty standard raise from the CO w/ 99. We see an ace high flop and C-bet in position like I would do 100% of the time in this situation. The player calls and I start to think...the turn brings a Jh and we both check. At this point I put him on a smallish pocket pair or a weak ace. So the river brings the 10h filling the heart flush and the broadway straight. This player is not limping KQ nor would he have called the flop with 2 hearts so I'm not scared of a mate hand here. He leads into me for a pot sized bet of $15 but given my rational here he can't call a push. So I push and he folds. Damn poker can be so easy sometimes!