It Might Be Time for a Drunk Post

Ok, not so much drunk as "had a few beers, some muscle relaxers, Lortabs and am really tired" type of post. I made a bit of a SNG comeback starting the other night only to find that at UB they've eliminated the standard two maniacs previously required per table and filled those spots w/ "odd" players.

That's really the only way I can describe the play. It seems we have a table full of 10 players that seem passive. They'll call reasonable bets w/out odds but will fold to over bets. The MAJOR drawback here is that these same players choose the "slow-play" as their weapon of choice. Meaning they'll make weak calls w/out odds holding nothing but 2nd pair and NO kicker OR.... they'll make the same calls with top set or full.

However, and maybe I've just gotten unlucky, but it seems everytime I hit a HUGE hand I get NO action. Without looking you'd think that I must be doing something out of the ordinary to "warn" my opponent of impending danger. But going back over the HH I have played my big hands the same as my bluffs or any other hand for that matter. The difference being that the weaker hands are getting called down and sucked out on or my bluffs are getting called out.

Oh well, that's poker. Funny thing is that the bad beat really doesn't bug me at all anymore. It's the bad play and the bad calls BY ME that drive me nuts. I've just been card dead for the most part in a lot of the SNG's I've played the last few nights, except for one or two where I made ONE critical error each time causing my demise.

The problem is when you don't catch cards in these single table SNG's and you have players that are all VERY similar it's very hard to change up your strategy. Explain: when you have the typical set up with two maniacs, two calling stations, two weak-tight passive players, one wildcard and two solid players (then you obv.) you can manipulate your "image" w/ the other players simply by the pots you play w/ the players described. Since you'll play each player differently (focusing on the aggressor in multi pots) you can be "aware" of your table image to the "other" players. SINCE, you were playing your hand based on the player in the hand (or players) your style will be as different (or would be) as the number of different styles you encounter. THEREFORE, in a situation where you are facing 9 players w/ a TAG style you're ability to "mix up your play" is solely dependant on the situation and NOT the individual players. This creates a greater need for "luck". Luck doesn't come into play ONLY w/ YOUR cards but you must be lucky enough that your opponent catches a "good but not better than yours" hand when you enter a pot w/ them.

ANYWAY, this is my new focus. Working on mixing up my game when facing 9 "chairs" w/ similar styles. You know, it would be easy if they were more predictable, but these players I've encountered of late are.....wel, just odd. They seem to like to show their cards also, never understood that. Don't get me wrong "time and place" but they're showing hands for now reason. Altho' I did use one to my advantage tonight.

I had 8-10 of clubs from the SB and faced a small raise (may have been 3x unsure)from a player I deemed weak-tight. I called w/ the idea that 1) if I hit big and he had a hand I could bust him and 2) I knew I could out-play him post flop. on the flop I hit a flush draw. I checked to him, knowing he wasn't the type of person to allow me to steal the flop. He bets, so I call (small less than 1/2 pot) knowing I'll "float" the turn and semi-bluff him. Turn brings me a open-ended straight draw to add to my current flush. I have confidence that he has a weak-ish hand and would fold to a bluff here, but I also feel that if I can catch a cheap card and hit that I might be able to extract a few more chips on the river (I have him on an under pair at this point w/ 2 overs on the board). I check, he makes another weak-ish bet (same as pre so even smaller than 1/2 pot). river is a blank 6. Now I bet. He folds showing 77 (as I had him, med PP).

I then decide, since he'd been active in the chat, to tell him what a bad fold he made. He doesn't believe me and I offer to email the HH. He declines and calls me a "dikhead", ouch. He then proceeded to come after me after that, unfortunately I went so card dead I couldn't do anything, but his tilting got him busted after a short while. I pretty much blinded out after that as I couldn't find a spot to make a move nor did I catch anything to build chips with. Finally moved in w/ 9 BB left w/ J-10s. Got called by 99 only to see a flop of 7-8-9. Good right? beware the full on the turn. The mighty 8. Ball game. Could almost feel it coming, at least the guy that took my chips and had the advantage pre seemed pretty cool. So it goes.

I'll have some new blogs to P1MP in my next post, whenever that will be. And I'll be back grinding the Micros tomorrow.

---------------

Almost forgot. There may be some life at CP yet. Some good posts w/ some nice debates lately. I may have been overly harsh on a newer poster complaining about the seer luck involved in the micros and the lack of skill. I apologized but it wasn't very sincere. He did seem to somewhat retract his statement and have an open mind regarding the ability to beat these games. I hope he sticks around, they need some new blood there. Anything to stimulate some good poker talk. A few posters I respect have made a brief return. Fritz has been posting like a whore there and over at ATE's site. He just got back from Europe and obviously is avoiding returning to "real" work at all costs. Can't say I blame him, drunken Eruo-trash (I really should put a smiley emoticon there but I don't do smiley's).