No. This has nothing to do with the PokerStars player, JACKINTHEHOLE. Tonight, I found myself in a bit of a quandry. I went to Trump to check out this 2/5 $200 game, but really to talk to the poker room manager about a possible 2/5 $500 game or even $1k with the same blinds and a $200 min. I didn't wanna cross the river and go to Harrah's because I was already there and I hadn't played there since I was a 10/20 limit player. BTW, Ken Norman and Kirk Heinrich were playing the 10/20NLHE no max. buy in game, so I was curious and wanted to look over my shoulder. But, anyway, I'm rambling.

I'm up to $450 and the average stack is around $350-$400. People were not averse to rebuying. The format was actually better than I thought. I was up $250 from my initial $200 buy in in less than an hour without showing down one hand. I'm on the button with JJ.

UTG: folds
UTG+1 (very weak player): limps
MP (2.5 red stacks/$250): limps
MP+1: folds
CO: folds
ME: raise to $20
SB, BB, and UTG+1 fold. MP calls the $15.

Flop: T-9-7

MP checks
I bet $60 in an effort to take the pot down, but he called. My only read on the guy was that I noticed him limping a lot and folding on a lot of flops. Poster child for loose-passive play.

Turn: 5

MP checks. I check.

River: J

MP bets $50.

Huh? I really did go into the tank here. He could've had A8, 88, or even KQ But I knew that if I popped him all in, he pay me off with AJ, TT, 99, KJ, QJ, or JT. What should I here:

A.) Fold. H'e trying to get me to raise all in or at least pay him off.
B.) Call. The chances are big that I'm beat, but what I know about the player tells me to:
C.) Raise him all in because he will pay you off with so many hands that this is a +EV value bet.

What's the rake?

with no rake; if he'd follow your all-in chasing a draw..I'd all-in..if he is on a str8 draw you've got some outs (not a lot but some) for the top FH.. he may be drawing you out on a trip/two pair.. in which case you've got it...

I think you'll win this a bit more than lose it (I'm assuming rainbow cards here)

With a substantial rake - marginal call I'd raise him but not all in-- if hes hit it would (I hope) fire off an all-in; if he's trying it on/draw he may just call.

On the other hand this game probably uses those hard bits of paper and plastic discs at a very high limit (lots of coloured discs).. what do I know...

Bob

who is ken norman? sounds familiar kirk is on the bulls right?

i still cant figure out if jacksinthehole is good or not lol

I'd just call personally...even though instinct is telling you that you'll be paid off in a lot of situations. Then again, I don't know how willing you are to risk your night's profit on the chance of making a big score here.

To me, the pot's big enough that just calling the 50 still gives you a good score here, but I understand the whole "its immoral to let a sucker keep their money" angle too. Its hard to get a read if he's truly been loose-passive...I guess my thinking is that its better to try for a bite here and you can always come back and finish off the meal later. If you're wrong and he's got you beat, then you've still got some profit in hand rather than reaching into your pocket to reload.

Then again, maybe that sort of mentality is a sign that no-limit is perhaps not my game.

Originally Posted by xxdemexx

What's the rake?

This is a time table. Every 1/2 hour, $5 is charged like the basement clubs. Everywhere that I've been outside of Vegas and AC does this with NL, so feeding the rake isn't a factor in the game.

This is the cheapest NL game in the house. Four table going to give you an idea. It's college kids, working class guys, and people who just love to watch poker on TV. There were 2 pros at my table. One that I knew from Harrah's and another, I could just tell.

Originally Posted by JKoff

who is ken norman? sounds familiar kirk is on the bulls right?

Norman was on the Fighting Illini in the mid-late 80's and played on the Clippers, Hawks, and Bucks. He lives in Chicago. I think he one of the coaches withe the Bulls now. I know that him and Scott Skiles are friends through Nick Anderson who played with Norman in college and Skiles in Orlando.

Yeah, Kirk Heinrich is putting the Bulls back on the map.

I agree with both sides of what you said Shade and that was my exact conflict here. Was it -EV to just call this hump? Or -EV to raise all-in. With deeper stacks, this is a clear call to me. Nothing more and nothing less. He only had $250 coming into the hand. I mainly fucked up on the turn. I should've bet, but in the moment, I was giving him the credit that I'd give a pro.

yea i call too im a pussy

I went put him all in. His $50 bet put $200+ in the pot left him with $105 in his stack, The pot was pretty large for the $50 bet and an extra $100 could bode well. He called and had QJ. I just put him on big cards or a pair, so I was a puss on the turn, because I thought when he smooth-called, he had a set.

I could feel a big smile on my face, though my mouth was closed and I was trying not to smile because I knew that I'd gotten away with bad play. Tomorrow, today, and many other times, I probably just call.

I actually wanted to go all in because I didn't want people to see how badly I played the hand, so either he folds and I don't have to show or he calls and I know I'm beat and I can just show it like I had meant to make a good bluff.

The card needed for a straight was an 8, so it made me suspiscous and doubtful of the straight, though 88 and A8 are always possibilities, but that's a small amount of hands. KQ would just be one of those miracle hands and I might've gone apeshit if he had Q8. For some reason, I really felt as if he flopped trips the way he was looking at the board and was looking to trap me. It took him forever to call me on the flop and I got the feeling that he REALLY, REALLY wanted to raise.

Originally Posted by the alex

I went put him all in. His $50 bet put $200+ in the pot left him with $105 in his stack, The pot was pretty large for the $50 bet and an extra $100 could bode well. He called and had QJ.

Could you tell this guy that

1] Internet poker is where it is at

2] that I play under the username xxdemexx between the hours of 9pm and 11pm GMT at Party poker and that I am a fish.

You said he was loose passive NOT drunk out of his brain on his weekend break from the local lunatic asylum..!!!

Bob

The Party skins are full of horrible players. Would you really see the difference?