Notes: Omakase #3

Omakase #3

Watched #2 - the individual hands were well above my level at this point, so I didn't keep the notes to hand.

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Video session with sthief09

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Hand #1: Hero has A5o on the button

Preflop: Hero bets $10, SB calls

((ME: standard button steal raise))

Flop: A92r ($24): SB checks, Hero bets $16, SB calls

((ME: Villain's range? A lot of unimproved pairs and 89/T9 type hands along with weak suited aces. We're behind most of the aces given the flop. As dry as it is and given our position preflop, he could easily choose to float without the ace here.))

Turn: Q ($56): Villain checks, Hero checks.

((ME: We can't be getting value here. Villain is folding anything we beat to a second barrel and there's no way that queen helped his hand, while it could easily have helped ours.

Can we get a better hand to fold? Very unlikely. An ace with a weak kicker has no reason to assume he's beaten here. So betting serves no purpose except getting money in bad.))

River: 4 ($56): Villain checks, Hero bets $26

((ME: Villain had the opportunity to bet the river for value if he had a legitimately strong hand. He chose not to, so we can eliminate most of the strong aces from his range as well as sets since he can't assume we'll bet the river after checking the turn back. As such, our weak ace is looking stronger and stronger.))

Villain is 31/15, so somewhat passive. His preflop range and flop call range are going to be wider than that of a TAG, increasing the number of hands that we actually beat in this situation. This is a thin value bet and we'll sometimes get called down by A8s, but there should be enough TT/T9/88 type hands in there that make a crying call given the action to make it profitable

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Hand #2: Hero has JJ on the button

Preflop: MP (17/14) opens to $12, Hero calls

Perfectly reasonable decision here. If we raise and get 4-bet we have to give it up to the TAG and we don't want to do that. By not raising here, we keep his range wide.

Flop: AQ3tt ($30): MP bets $24, Hero folds

((ME: Pretty ugly flop for us, but what's Villain's range from MP? Probably any pocket pair, Aces down to AT, KQ/KJ, QJ and a few random suited connectors. We're actually ahead against that range about half the time. The problem we're facing is that we can stand up to precisely no pressure. If we call in position and Villain bets the turn, we have to fold.

Is he likely to apply pressure on the turn? Not really. There aren't that many legitimate draws we can represent, so our call is most likely a made hand - KQ at the worst, an ace otherwise. A lot of stuff that isn't going away. The TAG will likely shut down in this spot if we call and he doesn't have it, so float and attempt to take it away on the turn if he checks it to us.))

Villain is TAGgy and makes a lot of c-bets, but doesn't continue to barrel often. This isn't a bad place to float.

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Hand #3: Hero has AKo UTG

Preflop: Hero raises to $16, SB raises to $52, Hero folds

This specific player is very nitty when it comes to his 3-bets. Against a TAG player, if we flop a K against his QQ-TT, he's likely to pay us off, and if an A comes down we have a good chance of dominating him. Here, we can't be sure of getting paid in this spot, and our chances of dominating are much less.

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Hand #4: Hero has KTo in the BB

Preflop: SB raises to $12, Hero... calls

((ME: Villain is loose and aggressive preflop over a limited sample size. We're very likely to be ahead in this spot, so the decision is to call or to raise.

If we raise, we are pushing out most of the hands that we're ahead of, and our hand isn't particularly strong against the resulting range. Calling would therefore be my selection, trying to hit a hand and get some value by letting him overplay and bluff.))

Standard

Flop: T97tt ($24): SB bets $20, Hero... calls

((ME: Top pair, good kicker on a very drawy board. Villain is likely c-betting here with his entire range, as that board is just so wet that he can easily rep having hit it. How is he going to respond with...

Air? If we re-raise he's either going to fold or 4-bet bluff back at us - I'm guessing fold, as it's too easy for us to have a hand willing to go to showdown.

A draw? The better draws are probably willing to go all the way here and we're coin tossing.

A made hand? Anything significan't weaker than us is willing to walk away unless they have a flush or straight possibility to back them up.

We can't bet for value here with our top pair, so just flat and see what comes on the turn.))

Turn: J ($62): SB bets $24, Hero... calls.

((ME: pretty ugly card. We now have second pair and a lot of draws and two pairs just came in. About the only hand that would bet on the flop and continue betting on the turn that we can beat is QT. We've added a gutshot to our range, so we're sitting on three clean outs to what is likely the best hand.

What's Villain's range here? Pretty much the same as the previous street. He can represent a lot here, while we're unlikely to have an 8 for the straight and KQ probably wouldn't have continued on the board.))

With AT we're probably going away here since we don't have any kind of a draw. AT vs a straight is no equity. With the king, we have some equity against his big hands.

Most of his hands are either made hands or have strong equity in this spot. Folding is probably the choice, as the gutshot is simply so obvious that we aren't likely to get any value from it.

Student: Villain is a loose/passive postflop. He's not betting for thin value in this spot, so his position is going to be rather sharply split into bluffs and monsters. He could very easily check 2 pair here.

River: 2 ($106): SB bets $20, Hero calls.

Getting 6:1? Pretty much have to call with any decent hand in this spot, since we need to win so rarely to justify it. Villain shows down a frightened QJs.

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Hand #5: Hero has AQo UTG

Preflop: Hero raises to $16, button calls

((ME: button is tight/pasive pre, limp-reraised from UTG earlier. His numbers look like he's a raise or fold type postflop.

What's his range? Most pocket pairs, AQ/AJ/KQ more than AK, and some connectors and suited aces/broadway))

Flop: KQ3r ($38): Hero... checks, Villain checks.

((ME: c-betting would be the standard play here to pick up the pot without a whole lot of fuss, folding to a lot of aggression from your typical player. Is it right here?

If we c-bet, he's folding anything without significant equity, so we're squaring off against AK/KQ/AQ/KJ/JT/33. All the medium pairs are going away on that board.

If we don't c-bet, is he going to try and pick it up? Very possibly. We can get a street of value from those medium pairs and weaker queens.

My thought would be to pick it up now. The C/C looks very suspicious, and simply checking to him on this type of board that's almost a lock to have hit us isn't going to induce too many bets.))

Checking to give him the opportunity to make a mistake. High aggro/low go to showdown is the type of player you want to give the opportunity to bluff to. Against most opponents, you want to bet out because you'll be getting called by some mid pairs.

Turn: K ($38): Hero checks, Villain checks
River 6 ($38): Hero bets $24, Villain folds

Have to try to get some value from the best hand.

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Hand #6: Hero has 88 in the SB

Preflop: Hero raises to $16, BB raises to $48, Hero calls

If you're going to 4-bet here you have to just get it in. We're not entirely set mining here when we call, but we need to be aware of the board texture and play carefully. Our decision here unless against an aggro monkey is fold or call preflop.