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BAS Poker School - The Dam Bursts With a Trickle!

By BallsASteel
Oct 17, 08 06:02 PM

What do you call it when you have not only writer’s block, but just a block on life? Poker became no fun as well as everything else. Well there is a fix to that I found; get your divorce finalized! Like a dam, things have burst forward now. I’m back to playing and finally feel that I can write again! Woo hoo!!!! So where do you start when you are starting again? I thought I’d start with a real experience. Sometimes breaking the dam starts with a trickle and not a burst. LOL.
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Last night I am playing through a field of the typical 400-500 in the first $500 on SpadeClub. I have kings in middle position. UTG (under the gun, the first to act position next to big blind) is about $1400 and goes all in. With my $6000 stack I simply call and Mr. Loose Big Stack to my left has $22k calls. The flop is 7, 8, 9 with two diamonds of which I have none. I bet $2k. Mr. LBS types in the chat, “Why are you raising me?” He obviously wants a check down. We still have 250 in the tourney and he is worried about taking out a small stack. This comes up often. He calls though.
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The turn is garbage and I go all in. Mr. LBS folds. Small stack turns out to be in with pocket 8’s. The River is garbage as well. I lose to the trip 8’s, but bank the side pot. Without the side pot, I’m out my pre-flop bet. With the side pot, I make a small $800 profit; so, checking down was a horrible idea. I proceed to tell Mr. LBS why I played the hand as I did. I check down frequently at the bubble points unless I have a definitively winning hand. If I have that, why check down? I’m going to take the pot anyway small stacks and all. My primary consideration in any tourney is to build my stacks. The principle behind checking down is to leave as many hands in as possible to guarantee the small stack doesn’t win. When you have a nut hand, why not bet it! And, when you are mid game, bounties aren’t your primary concern, chip stack is. Play for your interests. So, that today’s little blog. Back with a whimper!
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See the BAS School of Poker Each Tuesday and Friday on DrCheckRaise.com!
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See The Official BAS Poker Page on MySpace at http://www.myspace.com/theballsasteel

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COMMENTS

POSTED BY:
jenkins73p

Oct 19, 08 05:16 AM

im glad to see ya back ballsy!!!

POSTED BY:
jenkins73p

Oct 19, 08 05:16 AM

im glad to see ya back ballsy!!!

POSTED BY:
jontm

Oct 19, 08 12:33 AM

Benn too long without the hat, go get em BAS.

POSTED BY:
BallsASteel

Oct 18, 08 04:49 PM

At the point of my call, I do not know if anyone behind will call anyway. I am hoping they believe my flat call implies a marginal hand and they can muscle me with A-Q or some such. Then If I have two in with aces there are only two outs for the two of them. I like those odds. Should I get no callers, well I am effectively heads up anyway. If I get a raise THEN I can all-in maybe get a fold or put another inferior pair at risk. The flat call gives me all the options.

POSTED BY:
BallsASteel

Oct 18, 08 04:45 PM

You have to understand I flat call the all-in hoping that anyone with any other hand goes all in. I knew I had a loose large stack behind me that I would love to reraise or flat call as he did with an inferior hand. He did what I hoped and called on the turn and folded. Had I run him out, I lose 1/4 of my stack to the inferior 8's. Again, it is so early I am looking to build my stack, I couldn't care so much about Joe Small Stack. Goal #1 is build your own stack. Cont'd...

POSTED BY:
newBrand8911

Oct 18, 08 04:54 AM

Sorry with K's there I dont think you want a caller, to come in with you, A re-rasie is a much better play, and then is some one calls you and a A's hits, so be it, more then likely you are beat. But I think a flat call is very bad there, even if you are close to the bubble. Heads-up is much better then 3 to the flop ( if the all-in does get lucky with the 8's) in that spot, he only gets 2 time his stack not 3 times now. Maybe Iam wrong but I dont like the flat call there.

POSTED BY:
BallsASteel

Oct 18, 08 03:33 AM

Now to make up those 20 SPOY spots I dropped while sitting out! Thanks for the warm welcome gang!

POSTED BY:
TexasHoldem