Well, I was going to get a day like this eventually, everyone does, I just hoped it wouldn’t come so soon just when I had moved up to the 5NL stakes with my bankroll strategy of 15BIs for 5NL. This is what I meant when I said it was a risky strategy. No matter how big your skill edge is, you are occasionally get a day where nothing works out. Outdrawn when all-in, coolers abound, not even your C-bets get through. For those wondering just how bad it was, here are the results for yesterday: Down $41.86. Total $46.24.
Yeah. You’re not misreading that. I lost 9BI’s at the 5NL level through run bad, although there was a mistake or two near the end of the session (more on that later). Now I’m essentially back to square one. But hey, that’s the joy of short term poker. Literally anything can happen. Time to rebuild, and hopefully I wont have such a disastrous session next time I’m back to 5NL. I suppose I could go back to 20NL BIs for 5NL and 10NL, but I’ve got to stick with the requirements I laid down at the start of the challenge, in theory I should be able to progress quicker with this strategy for the lower levels, it just happened to be that I was on the receiving end of the spectrum in this one session.
There were literally no key winning hands in the session which weren’t automatic decisions. There was in actuality only one hand which I managed to get all in and win (a set of nines), there were very few hands I won without showdown, people would call my cbets every single time, regardless of whether I had middle pairs I couldn’t fire two streets with, draws, or complete air. The only time the opponents would fold to my cbets would be when I actually had a strong hand. It was just one of those days where literally everything was going against me. I did manage to get all in with two hands which had both 75% and 80% equity, (A8 on 9c8sAc5d and JJ against 77 preflop) but both of those hands lost. Eventually this took its toll on me. I knew it was time to quit when I played these two hands in short succession:
1. 9c9h MP bets .15, CO calls, I squeeze to .62 in the SB, the BB calls and MP/CO folds
Flop – 4h6hQd (pot $1.54) I make a standard c-bet of $1, and the opponent calls. Because the opponent with a passive opponent, and because I was slightly tilted by everyone calling me down every time I make a c-bet, I start to think the opponent could be calling with a bunch of flush draws and 57.
Turn – As (pot $3.54). In my frame of mind I start thinking that this is the perfect scare card and can shove. Now obviously this is flawed thinking. If I’m under the impression that the opponent would be calling with a lot of flush draws, a large proportion of them are with a suited ace, and in actuality the flop was a dry enough board that the opponent is actually calling with a lot of Queens, and because of the nature of the opponent at these stakes, a pair of Queens is unlikely to be worried about the Ace on the turn. Clearly the opponent isn’t going to fold a high enough proportion of his holdings to make it a profitable bluff, and, unsurprisingly, the opponent calls my shove with AK. There is no nine on the river.
2. KhQc. I bet in MP to .16. BB 3bets to .50. I call.
Flop – 7hKs2h (pot $1.02). Opponent cbets to .53 and I call.
Turn – 6h (pot $2.08). The opponent bets $1.56 (half my stack of $3.97). At this point there are just so many made flushes and better Kings than my hand, but for some reason I’m so frustrated by the session that I think I can shove my hand, folding out better Kings and potentially hitting a heart on the river if the opponent calls. But obviously this is flawed thinking. The opponent calls (obviously) with a set of sevens, and I hit a King on the river. HURRAH! I have a set! I win. Oh wait. The opponent has a full house. Damn.
So obviously, I had to quit at that point. Back to 2NL I go.
Note to self: Think of a witty, original title. 