Last+night's+session...ugg...

So I started playing around 9pm...finished down a few bucks around 2:30am. What a frustrating night! For the record, I began with $50, I'm down to $42-ish. FUCK! I feel like I have one of the best, one of the strongest pre-flop strategies at the table (thanks to "Action" Dan), but it's not paying off. I feel like I implementing his suggestions, but I'm still losing. I'm hoping that this starts working itself out here, that something starts clicking and working for me. I'm playing a tight-aggressive style, but....shit, I don't know. And that can't be good. Obviously, I have a leak (or two or twelve) in my game, but I can't identify it.

Seemed like I was always second best. Top set, but inferior kicker. I had T2os in the blinds, flop comes TTx, I bet, he calls, turn is a blank, he bets I call, river is a blank, he bets I call. He shows KT. FRACK!!!

In a limped pot, I had 83s in the small blind, flop comes A83 rainbow, and I lead out. He calls, then the A hits the turn. FRACK!!! Top two on the flop against an A, but an A comes on the turn, and so hard to get away from top 2 pair when, yes, I KNEW he had the ace, but goddamit, his play made sense if he had QQ as well. Well, maybe not. I guess if he had QQ pre-flop, and the A hit the flop, he wouldn't bet.

When I hit my hands, rivering the nut flush, hitting a well-concealed straight on the flop, no-one, not even one soul, would call a small-ish bet. Even when I slow-played or check-raised the river with the nutz...no call. Pre-flop raises with strong hands would not get called. At the table I was at, everyone wanted to limp and see the flop without a raise. So I had to adapt. I opened my range a bit: basically, any face card with a suited second card became playable. But it didn't pay off.

I'm implementing Harrington's pre-flop calling range, mostly, but still getting beat. At the table I was last night, I would call weak hands in the small blind because players were limping and the bb was checking. If there was a pre-flop raise, everyone folded. Occassionally, I would call marginal/speculative hands from the button or CO seat. More often I would raise from these positions, but I soon learned that they didn't respect those position raises and would call with anything. I'm sure that cost a little money over time.

Tonight, I'm going to stick to Harrington's suggested pre-flop calling range exclusively, no speculative hands, no calling a penny from the small blind with great odds when I hold 83s. NO LIMPING!!! I don't care how many players have limped, I'm not limping with these hands, I'm re-raising. I may even throw in a pre-flop 3bet if the circumstances are right.

Tonight will be better, tonight will be better, tonight will be better. Maybe I'll see you on pokerstars.

Dr.Poker