bing bang bong

Goddamnit, I need to learn how to fold.

PokerStars Game #18407219796: Tournament #93523329, $4.00+$0.40 Hold'em No Limit - Level V (75/150) - 2008/06/26 - 22:32:03 (ET)
Table '93523329 19' 9-max Seat #6 is the button
Seat 1: 1zorb (12017 in chips)
Seat 2: javlinman (2729 in chips) is sitting out
Seat 3: DonkBetMe (13141 in chips)
Seat 4: FR Vessant (4806 in chips)
Seat 5: ishouldcallU (4325 in chips)
Seat 6: skkarlet (7083 in chips)
Seat 7: ctopper (5965 in chips) out of hand (moved from another table into small blind)
Seat 8: eMEraLdwPn (3261 in chips)
Seat 9: smallraise (15550 in chips)
eMEraLdwPn: posts small blind 75
smallraise: posts big blind 150
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to FR Vessant [Qh As]
1zorb: folds
javlinman: folds
DonkBetMe: folds
FR Vessant: raises 300 to 450
ishouldcallU: calls 450
skkarlet: folds
eMEraLdwPn: folds
smallraise: calls 300

Unhappy to be called in two places.

*** FLOP *** [4c 3s 2d]
smallraise: checks
FR Vessant: checks

Hate that flop but I should cbet. I can then close down if called/fold if raised.

ishouldcallU: bets 600

He likely has a pair but he can just have OCs and be on a steal. He's very aggro so this is very possible.

I have ten outs to beat the pair, so I can't fold. Maybe I should push and rep a big pair that has trapped.

smallraise: folds
FR Vessant: calls 600

So I do the wrong thing and call. That's the worst option. Just giving up is fine. It would only have cost me 450. My hand is face up as well, so I don't think I can get any implieds here.

*** TURN *** [4c 3s 2d] [2h]
FR Vessant: checks
ishouldcallU: bets 1050
FR Vessant: calls 1050

I still have ten outs imo, but this call is very poor. Even if I do river an A or Q, can I count on getting paid? I will have to donk it because I won't want him to check behind, and he should have an easy fold with anything that I beat. Worst case, he could have 55 and an ace could be terrible for me.

*** RIVER *** [4c 3s 2d 2h] [Js]
FR Vessant: checks
ishouldcallU: bets 2225 and is all-in
FR Vessant: folds

Have to fold. I could still be ahead here, but it's not worth busting out in hope of it. Very few players will threebarrel you with OCs, because most cannot figure out that you must have a big ace here and will fold.

***

AQ is kinder to me a few hands later:

PokerStars Game #18407299808: Tournament #93523329, $4.00+$0.40 Hold'em No Limit - Level VI (100/200) - 2008/06/26 - 22:36:04 (ET)
Table '93523329 19' 9-max Seat #4 is the button
Seat 1: 1zorb (11492 in chips)
Seat 2: javlinman (2504 in chips) is sitting out
Seat 3: DonkBetMe (12691 in chips)
Seat 4: FR Vessant (2481 in chips)
Seat 5: ishouldcallU (8000 in chips)
Seat 6: skkarlet (7533 in chips)
Seat 7: ctopper (5965 in chips)
Seat 8: eMEraLdwPn (3411 in chips)
Seat 9: smallraise (14800 in chips)
ishouldcallU: posts small blind 100
skkarlet: posts big blind 200
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to FR Vessant [As Qh]
ctopper: folds
eMEraLdwPn: folds
smallraise: raises 400 to 600
1zorb: folds
javlinman: folds
DonkBetMe: folds
FR Vessant: raises 1881 to 2481 and is all-in

Villain is new to the table but big stack suggests that he will have played fairly loosely. Anyway, with 12BB, AQ is looking good to me, so I ship it in.

ishouldcallU: folds
skkarlet is disconnected
skkarlet has timed out while disconnected
skkarlet: folds
skkarlet is sitting out
smallraise: calls 1881

He has KQs. His call is awful here. He's never ahead of even a reasonable range; only just priced in against smaller pairs, crushed by AA/KK/QQ/AK/AQ, way behind other aces. I don't mind though. My money is in good.

*** FLOP *** [Qd Jc 4s]
*** TURN *** [Qd Jc 4s] [5d]
*** RIVER *** [Qd Jc 4s 5d] [Ac]

Very nice.

***

Sigh. The same hand let me down though:

PokerStars Game #18407859443: Tournament #93523329, $4.00+$0.40 Hold'em No Limit - Level VII (125/250) - 2008/06/26 - 23:05:25 (ET)
Table '93523329 19' 9-max Seat #7 is the button
Seat 1: CoachBoone23 (13990 in chips)
Seat 2: tbod67 (11022 in chips)
Seat 3: DonkBetMe (6690 in chips)
Seat 4: FR Vessant (5647 in chips)
Seat 5: Sharp1983 (24528 in chips)
Seat 6: skkarlet (9308 in chips)
Seat 7: ctopper (25840 in chips)
Seat 8: eMEraLdwPn (4772 in chips)
Seat 9: smallraise (24131 in chips)
CoachBoone23: posts the ante 25
tbod67: posts the ante 25
DonkBetMe: posts the ante 25
FR Vessant: posts the ante 25
Sharp1983: posts the ante 25
skkarlet: posts the ante 25
ctopper: posts the ante 25
eMEraLdwPn: posts the ante 25
smallraise: posts the ante 25
eMEraLdwPn: posts small blind 125
smallraise: posts big blind 250
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to FR Vessant [Qc Ah]
CoachBoone23: folds
tbod67: folds
DonkBetMe: folds
FR Vessant: raises 375 to 625
Sharp1983: folds
skkarlet: folds
ctopper: calls 625
eMEraLdwPn: raises 4122 to 4747 and is all-in

I should fold. This guy is bad but he's not that loose. He's only been raising 7%, so I'm not that likely to be ahead here.

smallraise: folds
FR Vessant: raises 875 to 5622 and is all-in

But I figure with the overlay, I can take on his range.

He has AK, so that's not nice.

ctopper: folds
Uncalled bet (875) returned to FR Vessant
*** FLOP *** [6s 3d 9c]
*** TURN *** [6s 3d 9c] [7h]
*** RIVER *** [6s 3d 9c 7h] [8h]

I often do this and it's probably my biggest leak in poker. I know I should fold but I invent an excuse to call. I cost myself a cash with that bad call, because now I'm very unlikely to dig myself out of the pit, even though I doubled up a couple of hands later with AK.

***

Sigh. I didn't deserve to be this unlucky though:

PokerStars Game #18407929658: Tournament #93523329, $4.00+$0.40 Hold'em No Limit - Level VIII (150/300) - 2008/06/26 - 23:09:15 (ET)
Table '93523329 19' 9-max Seat #3 is the button
Seat 1: CoachBoone23 (14690 in chips)
Seat 2: tbod67 (12472 in chips)
Seat 3: DonkBetMe (12130 in chips)
Seat 4: FR Vessant (2000 in chips)
Seat 5: Sharp1983 (24403 in chips)
Seat 6: skkarlet (3443 in chips)
Seat 7: ctopper (23890 in chips)
Seat 8: eMEraLdwPn (10494 in chips)
Seat 9: smallraise (22406 in chips)
CoachBoone23: posts the ante 25
tbod67: posts the ante 25
DonkBetMe: posts the ante 25
FR Vessant: posts the ante 25
Sharp1983: posts the ante 25
skkarlet: posts the ante 25
ctopper: posts the ante 25
eMEraLdwPn: posts the ante 25
smallraise: posts the ante 25
FR Vessant: posts small blind 150
Sharp1983: posts big blind 300
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to FR Vessant [5d Kc]
skkarlet: folds
ctopper: folds
eMEraLdwPn: folds
smallraise: folds
CoachBoone23: folds
tbod67: raises 300 to 600

He's new to the table and I put him on an outright steal. I am probably not ahead of his range, but I hope to make him fold.

DonkBetMe: folds
smallraise is sitting out
FR Vessant: raises 1375 to 1975 and is all-in
Sharp1983: folds
tbod67: calls 1375

He has QT. His call is absolutely awful. He was caught stealing and my likely range doesn't usually include K5. It's just that I read him so well. He's very lucky to be as close as he is here. He is just throwing money away most of the time.

*** FLOP *** [Ac 4c 4h]
*** TURN *** [Ac 4c 4h] [3h]
*** RIVER *** [Ac 4c 4h 3h] [Ts]

I hate poker. I make a mistake and get crushed. He makes a mistake and I get crushed there as well.