Starting to hate Limit poker again
I know I'm supposed to play hands that have a lot of draw and redraw power, and I know I'm supposed to draw to the stone-cold nuts, so that's basically the strategy I always use. And I know that if the flop misses me completely and I don't have any real draws (or redraws) that I should get out, especially when faced with a bet or two and there's still people left to act. But when I get a hand like AAKQ double-suited, and I can't do anything but put in one more bet and then fold when the flop comes all low cards and all clubs, I have to move on or change strategies. What ticked me off about that hand was people bet and raised and reraised so when it got to me I had to get out. The turn was a Q and the river was an ace, which would have given me trips, which I was certain couldn't have been good. The bets continued to escalate, including being capped on the turn, and two pair won the hand! TWO PAIR?!!??!! One guy was betting his draw and the other players had lower two pair. The guy betting his draw didn't get there but his AQ made runner-runner two pair to win. I would've won a huge pot with trip aces, but how could I stay in? If I could've raised enough preflop I might have taken this pot.
So I mixed it up after that and rallied for a profit when I made the nut straight on the flop playing 4-5-6-7 rainbow. I got my bets in and a flush/full house failed to come on the turn/river. So with my VERY small profit, you know what I did? I moved to a pot-limit Omaha table. Screw LIMIT!
I like PL better because when I have a hand I can make it a little bit expensive for them to play, and if the draws/redraws don't come I can win a nice pot. I also like PL when I'm in late position with a hand because everyone limps and then you can REALLY put in a bet that will make them think twice about playing AJ67o.
Anyway, my limit rants continue. I can't wait till May when I go on a cruise to Mexico on a boat that has only limit Hold Em. That should be torture. So much for relaxation.
Christopher Cosenza is co-host of the longest running poker podcast on the planet, Ante Up! He started playing poker seriously in 2003 and his favorite players are Phil Ivey and Kenna James, though he tends to act like Phil Hellmuth if you make a bad play against him.
Scott Long, Ante Up!'s other co-host, is the author of the monthly Bet on It column in tbt*. He began gambling way too young (don't tell the fuzz!) and in the seventh grade, named his state "Gambleland" for a school project (State Animal? Loan shark, of course).
I think I speak for most when I say -Whhhaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!I am holding the world's smallest violin and it is playing "My heart bleed for you"I am just saying...How many times have I fold 85os and the flop can 885. Then the hand was won with two pair.Ah, the beauty of a blog. You get to post what you want and we get to give you hell. Great show this week. I also speak for most when I say, "the dealer sounded 'HOT'!
Posted by: wvapoker | March 30, 2006 at 09:40 PM
It sucks when you try to use sarcasm and then you make grammatical errors.
Posted by: wvapoker | March 30, 2006 at 09:44 PM
I enjoyed your sarcasm, regardless of your assassination on the English language. But my point isn't that I folded a crap hand preflop and then would have hit it had I stayed in, I'm talking about having a good hand that I can't thin the field with and then getting raised and reraise out of a pot that I would have won had I stayed in. The frustrating thing here isn't so much that I would have won, but rather I didn't have a fighting chance because of limit's structure.But, thanks for the sarcasm. It brightened up my day!
Posted by: Christopher Cosenza | March 31, 2006 at 11:52 AM