Bad doesn't even cover it

Sometimes you just want to cry.

PokerStars Game #18406182174: Tournament #93523329, $4.00+$0.40 Hold'em No Limit - Level II (15/30) - 2008/06/26 - 21:37:55 (ET)
Table '93523329 6' 9-max Seat #1 is the button
Seat 1: PatrickMagee (1410 in chips)
Seat 2: FR Vessant (2490 in chips)
Seat 3: kackvogel84 (1290 in chips)
Seat 5: CzarII (2250 in chips)
Seat 6: superman3713 (783 in chips)
Seat 7: chiefsalot (837 in chips)
Seat 8: smtty23 (3460 in chips)
Seat 9: slim1620 (2615 in chips)
FR Vessant: posts small blind 15
kackvogel84: posts big blind 30
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to FR Vessant [Ad Ac]
CzarII: calls 30
superman3713: calls 30
chiefsalot: calls 30
smtty23: folds
slim1620: folds
PatrickMagee: folds
FR Vessant: raises 120 to 150
kackvogel84: folds
CzarII: folds
superman3713: calls 120
chiefsalot: calls 120
*** FLOP *** [Qs 7h 3s]
FR Vessant: bets 420
superman3713: raises 213 to 633 and is all-in
chiefsalot: raises 54 to 687 and is all-in
FR Vessant: calls 267
*** TURN *** [Qs 7h 3s] [2h]
*** RIVER *** [Qs 7h 3s 2h] [Tc]
*** SHOW DOWN ***
FR Vessant: shows [Ad Ac] (a pair of Aces)
chiefsalot: shows [Qh 3d] (two pair, Queens and Threes)
chiefsalot collected 108 from side pot
superman3713: shows [As 6s] (high card Ace)
FR Vessant said, "totally unreal"


I have a losing record in the 4/180s. Given that they are chockful of idiots, you might wonder why. Well, this is why. It happens to me monotonously, every time I play one. There's no other way to play that hand. Maybe I could raise more pre, but let's face it, if he's not folding for 120 more with his stack, he's not folding for any amount.

***

But sometimes their retardedness favours you:

PokerStars Game #18406582780: Tournament #93523329, $4.00+$0.40 Hold'em No Limit - Level III (25/50) - 2008/06/26 - 21:58:48 (ET)
Table '93523329 19' 9-max Seat #8 is the button
Seat 1: trapsterwife (1740 in chips)
Seat 2: yvesdaman (895 in chips)
Seat 3: DonkBetMe (6890 in chips)
Seat 4: FR Vessant (1523 in chips)
Seat 6: skkarlet (4965 in chips)
Seat 7: fenix424 (1250 in chips)
Seat 8: eMEraLdwPn (2685 in chips)
trapsterwife: posts small blind 25
yvesdaman: posts big blind 50
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to FR Vessant [7d 7h]
hotdog1984 is connected
DonkBetMe: folds
FR Vessant: calls 50

A bit loose and normally I'd fold, but often when you limp early, you start a limper train. I hope not to be raised of course.

skkarlet: folds
fenix424: folds
eMEraLdwPn: raises 100 to 150

Boo.

trapsterwife: folds
yvesdaman: folds
FR Vessant: calls 100

I make a thin call for set value. I'm not happy about it, but maybe I will take it away sometimes on suitable flops.

*** FLOP *** [5h 8s Ad]

Well, that's not a "suitable flop" at all.

FR Vessant: checks
eMEraLdwPn: checks

???

I had given up, of course. Is he scared of the ace, or does he have one, feel that I fold to a bet and hope that I pick something up on the turn.

*** TURN *** [5h 8s Ad] [7c]

Huzza! Here comes the cavalry.

FR Vessant: bets 200
eMEraLdwPn: raises 200 to 400

Hmmm. I take it that means he actually did have an ace. I think I'll shove and see whether he would like to pay me a big wedge of chips.

FR Vessant: raises 973 to 1373 and is all-in
hotdog1984 has returned
Hyelander is connected
eMEraLdwPn: calls 973

Yes, he would. He has AsKs. He is drawing dead.

It's not terrible to trap there, but I think you will rarely get a huge pot out of it. He is only allowing me to draw to two outs, so he will rarely get bitten by it. There weren't any draws on the board, except for a low straight that even the bad players in a 4/180 are quite unlikely to be holding, so I wouldn't slate his play too hard on the flop. Mind you, I always bet. I want to get paid by Ax, which many players limp and call raises with, and if they fold, never mind, I probably wasn't getting paid in a big way anyway. But I do slate his play on the turn. The minraise is ridiculous. (Anyone even slightly clued in will read his hand easily: he has a strong hand that he wants you to call with--AK is top of your list in this spot. Along with 77, which of course I know he does not have, and A7, which is quite unlikely. He could have had 88/55 too, with 88 a bit more likely, but you'd expect them to bet the flop small, hoping for action from an ace.) When I shove, he should fold. I mean, it's possible I think K7 is good there, or that I have 66 and am making a particularly retarded semibluff, but my most likely hands are sets and two pairs, which leave him respectively dead and drawing thin. But no one ever folds in a 4/180.