When you're 1/3 and it turns into 2/5 (1 Viewer)

[HanShot1st]

So on a recent trip to our closest casino (1.5 hrs away). The smallest game played is 1/3. Which is fine by me, I'm not rolled to play 2/5. I hope to someday...I just know that today's not that day. I have played in a couple 1/2 games where a well known donkey tried to make it 2/5 and we ended up trading chips back and forth for a while. I was having fun and it was ok.

This 1/3 game however was different. There were at least 3 regs at this table. Two guys who obviously play 2/5 and don't care about the money. An old rock, and a couple fish... Who later seemingly were traded out to bring in more regs. I've been trying to start paying attention to table selection more, and I knew this table was tough. I also knew there was a LOT of $$ on this table so I stayed. I only had brought 3 bullets with me ($200 each).

My first bullet was wasted, I had QQ in position, raised and got called by two players. The flop was all under cards but a straight was possible. I get checked to, I bet, get raised significantly, and then the second player calls. This means they called me out of position with garbage. I know I should just fold here and find a better spot, but I make a stand here early and jam. They both call...sigh...I get beat by two pair. At this point I know I'm in for trouble, but possible to make some $$ if I play right.

At this point I'm card dead for a lot of the session. I wake up with As Jc in position, raise and get one caller. The flop comes out Ac Xc Xd, the first player raises to 70, and I make the call. The turn brings a 3rd club, and he leads into me again for 80. I call. Of course, the river is another club, so now I have the third nutz. He leads into me for 120, I shake my head and flip in one chip for the call...he turns over Q8c. 2 buy-ins gone.

At this point I really play lockdown poker. It's really hard when every time you have a playable hand in position and you get reraised 3x almost at every turn. I know he was playing at me and that I didn't want to risk my stack on marginal hands. So I folded a lot. But I did manage after running down to about 100 to double up twice. So after awhile I'm poised to really be able to play with these @zzholes who've been making it rough. Enter the run bad...and card dead.
I'm back down to about 200 when this happens.

J7dd middle position. The straddle is on, and at this point I only limped in. As expected the straddler raises it to 40 ( more than I expected but this guy as been over the top LAG, it would have been nothing for him to put in 80 or 100 there...yes he'd already done it is session. I make the call. The flop comes 765, one diamond...I believe two hearts. I have about 150 or so behind. He has slightly less. He gets out 100 after this flop. I have top pair and no reason to believe this guy has anything but air. He proceeds to start trying to tell me to just fold my top pair/over pair. Really being an ass. He finally says that he should just shut up and let me do what I want. I decide ultimately that I am sick of his, and his buddy's shit and I jam. He snap calls...the turn is a 9 and the river is a 3. He then turns over 42h and says I think that's a straight. I just stood up, said nice suck out ... The reg next to me tries to console me with a "that was a great call..as yes I was ahead, he rivered me.

In then end I should have either asked for a table change, or left when I got 2 of my buy-ins back. I could have left satisfied with that... But no. I was sure I could out play these guys, as it turns out the higher stakes they forced the game to made me change up my game. Made me vulnerable. I hate that. But that's hind sight... Another day I promise you I will sit across from some of these guys and I will stack each and every one of them in time...

I know that's not the right mindset, but I needed to vent, and wanted to hear about any one else's misadventures into elevated stakes where the players at the table are just playing bigger than the normal. Not kidding the smallest opening standard bet was $20. Each hand got expensive fast.

Anyway... I release me anger/frustration to the void that is the net. Let the run good commence.

 

[Lemonzest]

its hard to play well when playing stakes your not rolled for. There is so much variance even great players bust playing too high. GG get em next time.

 

[DrStrange]

You might find shared wisdom if you post a hand or two in a strategy thread (or two if it is two different hands). On the surface it looks like you can identify several sub-optimal decisions you made including staying at the table in the first place. Alarms should be going off when you find your "little inner voice of indiscretion" can talk you into playing J7s in a straddled pot with a raise sure to come. No matter that Hero hits the flop - just the idea of playing that hand in this environment is all I would need to rack up and go away.

Heroes playing at a table with $20+ preflop raises, even when there isn't a big straddle, have to change strategies. 10x this with "short" stacks - $200 is quite short if the standard preflop line is $20 to go. You'll fold a lot. Get any limps you put out snapped off { think of lost limps as chumming the waters}. But there will be a time when you get to play a premium hand for stacks with a 70+% edge. Still a bad night is possible - no one said you'll win those 70+%, just that you have plenty of equity.

Live and learn -=- DrStrange

 

[SixSpeedFury]

Exactly what the doc said. At those blinds with your buy in you're essentially being a short stack ninja.

 

[HanShot1st]

You might find shared wisdom if you post a hand or two in a strategy thread (or two if it is two different hands). On the surface it looks like you can identify several sub-optimal decisions you made including staying at the table in the first place. Alarms should be going off when you find your "little inner voice of indiscretion" can talk you into playing J7s in a straddled pot with a raise sure to come. No matter that Hero hits the flop - just the idea of playing that hand in this environment is all I would need to rack up and go away.

Heroes playing at a table with $20+ preflop raises, even when there isn't a big straddle, have to change strategies. 10x this with "short" stacks - $200 is quite short if the standard preflop line is $20 to go. You'll fold a lot. Get any limps you put out snapped off { think of lost limps as chumming the waters}. But there will be a time when you get to play a premium hand for stacks with a 70+% edge. Still a bad night is possible - no one said you'll win those 70+%, just that you have plenty of equity.

Live and learn -=- DrStrange

Oh yeah... Several things I would do differently. That's called a learning experience I believe.

As for the short stack strategy, it was working for a while... I seemingly thought that when I got those two buy-ins back that I was in position to deal with them. That I think was another mistake on my part.

 

[joker80]

What was the max buy in? What was the standard preflop raise amount? Was everyone straddling?

 

[upNdown]

Alarms should be going off when you find your "little inner voice of indiscretion" can talk you into playing J7s in a straddled pot with a raise sure to come. No matter that Hero hits the flop - just the idea of playing that hand in this environment is all I would need to rack up and go away.

beautiful

 

[Schmendr1ck]

I was at a 1/2NL table like this last weekend. The action was good when I sat down - two deep-pocketed fish, a few loose-passive regs, and a couple of patient guys looking to play a big pot in the right spot. I joined the last group, bought a drink and started chatting.

I hadn't been there long when one of the regs a couple seats to my left lost a pot to one of the fish. He had a healthy stack - maybe $500ish after the loss - and suddenly decided we weren't playing 1/2 anymore. He started opening nearly every pot for $20-25. He got folds for the first 3-4 hands, but once the table figured out what he was doing, he started getting 2-4 callers each time.

I went into shortstack nit mode - I had about $200, and I wasn't putting money in the pot unless I was prepared to put it all in on a favorable flop. It was a LOT of folding and a bumpy ride with the hands I did play. It also wouldn't have been a bad decision to get up and find another table if I wasn't expecting and prepared for high variance.

 

[HanShot1st]

What was the max buy in? What was the standard preflop raise amount? Was everyone straddling?

Max buyin 300
Avg initial raise 20
About half the table was straddling

 

[Quad Johnson]

I see this happen more often than not at 1/3 compared to 1/2.

To be quite honest, I hate 1/3 for this reason and I'm glad my local track does their games in 1/2, 2/5 and 5/10. 1/3 games always end up playing like 2/5 and someone coming in prepared to buy in and play 1/2 finds themselves forced to gamble or play short stack shove. Either way, you're taken out of your comfort zone the moment you sit down.

 

[HanShot1st]

I see this happen more often than not at 1/3 compared to 1/2.

To be quite honest, I hate 1/3 for this reason and I'm glad my local track does their games in 1/2, 2/5 and 5/10. 1/3 games always end up playing like 2/5 and someone coming in prepared to buy in and play 1/2 finds themselves forced to gamble or play short stack shove. Either way, you're taken out of your comfort zone the moment you sit down.

Wouldn’t be an issue if I was rolled for it, honestly it was a pretty good game there for a while opportunity for big pots etc. just found it hard to complete