Couple of interesting hands

So I was massively multitabling today as usual, and obviously I can't pay 100% attention to every single table. However, I pride myself on being able to play well at every table, even if I am really pressed for time, as that is something I really strive for. Anyone can just load up 30-40 tables and just shove fold, but I try my best incorporate some creative strategy other than "push/fold." In 6max games especially, there are a tons of spots for creativity and post-flop play, and from time to time I try to take advantage of these spots as best I can.

Here is one hand in a $235 6max, on the bubble, against a solid regular:

Seat 1: jbidouilles (3600 in chips)
Seat 3: roo_400 (2890 in chips)
Seat 6: azntracker (2510 in chips)
azntracker: posts small blind 75
jbidouilles: posts big blind 150
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to azntracker [8h 6h]
roo_400: folds
azntracker: raises 180 to 330
jbidouilles: calls 180
*** FLOP *** [6s 7s 2s]
azntracker: checks
jbidouilles: bets 300
azntracker: calls 300
*** TURN *** [6s 7s 2s] [3s]
azntracker: checks
jbidouilles: checks
*** RIVER *** [6s 7s 2s 3s] [2c]
azntracker: checks
jbidouilles: bets 300
azntracker: raises 705 to 1005
jbidouilles said, "this is naughty"
jbidouilles: folds


With a pretty deep bubble, even stacks all around, I just opened with my standard raise blind vs blind with a quality hand, 86s. I flop mid pair which is good the vast majority of the time, but on such a wet board, I elected to check/call (instead of betting and getting raised). The turn is a nasty spade, so I'm pretty much done with the hand. River bricks, I check hoping he checks back and I'm good some % of the time, but he value bets small. I figured this was an excellent time for me to turn my hand into a bluff, thinking that 1) he would have bet his nutty flushes on the turn and 2) he is probably just value betting his medium Jack or Ten flush hoping I'd call with worse and 3) a check/raise to him has got to appear to be the nuts since he wouldn't expect me to be bluffing ever in that spot. Seemed like good logic at the time, and it worked!

Here was a spot heads-up in a $325 6max, against another solid regular:

Seat 2: azntracker (4951 in chips)
Seat 6: canbonly1 (4049 in chips)
azntracker: posts the ante 25
canbonly1: posts the ante 25
canbonly1: posts small blind 200
azntracker: posts big blind 400
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to azntracker [3d 2d]
canbonly1: calls 200
azntracker: checks
*** FLOP *** [6s 4d 6h]
azntracker: bets 400
canbonly1: calls 400
*** TURN *** [6s 4d 6h] [Kc]
azntracker: bets 626
canbonly1: calls 626
*** RIVER *** [6s 4d 6h Kc] [Ts]
azntracker: bets 1250
canbonly1: folds


We are only 10 BB deep here, and I was still able to pull this off. I check pf with 32s (since it's 32). I flop a gutshot and runner flush draw, so I take a stab at it, knowing if I check, he's likely to stab at it and I can't really raise there profitably since I don't rep anything on 664 rainbow flops. When I stab like that, I'm going to start repping that I have the 6, in case the hand continues. Most of the time I give up the turn, but I could tell he was floating me with his Ace high or even just QJ QT stuff like that. It's unlikely he has a pocket pair like 77-JJ (since pairs are so rare anyway), and I'd expect him to raise the flop. Turn comes a K, perhaps a further card I can rep, so I decide to stab again. After he calls, I STILL believe he doesn't have much, only Ace high at this point. River comes T and I complete the 3barrel and he snap-folded.

Of course these plays are not that common for my. I just thought they were fun hands to break the monotony of 40 tabling and doing the same things over and over again. In addition, I easily could have been called on any of these bluffs, and wouldn't be posting them if they hadn't worked. Some of you will probably disagree with my logic/lines and say they were spewy and I got lucky that they folded. Perhaps so. My only point in posting these was to show that I try to be a thinking player in all my games, even if I am in 30+ all the time. And also I think blogging about hands once in a while makes things interesting!

Despite these plays, I was still down a good 10k today; further goes to show luck > skill in the short run :) I've been having big losing days so far, but I'm only -16k for the month though. VPP count is up to 808k, chugging along, hoping to get to SNE by the end of the month!