More Limit Madness

Another crazy session on PokerStars last night. I spent a while 4-tabling at $2/4 and initially I again got beaten up in a variety of cruel and imaginative ways.

Flop a set, opponent runner-runners a gutshot straight - after calling a pre-flop raise and a flop bet with K5o. Turn the nut straight, and cap it whilst doing the 'don't pair the board' chant, only for the table maniac to river quads, etc...

This is one of those situations where the psychology is way more interesting than the actual cards.

Is the glass half full, because there are people queueing up to put three or four bets in pre-flop as big underdogs? Or is it half empty because some of the money they are putting in was previously mine?

The standard is absolutely horrible, but when the fish are schooling sometimes the net can't take the strain.

After dropping a couple of hundred across the tables, I took a time out, had a drink, and got back in action.

At which point the tide turned, and I recovered to a palatable $40 loss for the evening.

Using Poker Tracker it's reassuring to see that my stats tend not to deviate, even on these testing occasions where nothing goes right.

One leak that is apparent is I'm going a bit too far with AK when I miss.

The problem being that while some people will call a raise with 55, and then simply check-call to showdown (meaning I was never ahead), others will call with baby connectors, or any two suited, and call to the river hoping to hit a backdoor draw (meaning I was never behind).

I need to work a bit more on discriminating between the two - which is why my note taking last night was prolific.

A few examples...

Doesn't reraise KK pre flop on button.
Cold calls a raise with J5s.

Calls down to hit idiot end of str8 on a flush board.

Reraises AQo pre flop out of position, but doesn't bet when misses flop and turn.
Limp calls with 44 from EP, and can't put them down even to an ace on the turn.

4 bets pre flop with A2s

Calls down from flop with AA when check raised. Calls a pre flop raise and calls down all the way with A8s. Cannot fold any sort of draw.
Does an unbelievable amount of cold calling.

This last guy was my favourite. He would pay two bets to see the flop with 50%+ of his starting hands. Unfortunately he was sat directly to my left and couldn't miss against me, though he couldn't hold onto it for long either.

I'm hoping to see him again tonight!