Morons on the internet

What is so magical about pocket cards that makes you lose all logic:

PokerStars Game #17488476593: Tournament #88664349, $5.00+$0.50 Hold'em No Limit - Level I (10/20) - 2008/05/17 - 07:07:02 (ET)
Table '88664349 1' 9-max Seat #1 is the button
Seat 1: stretchy88 (1500 in chips)
Seat 2: CashinChecks (1500 in chips)
Seat 3: Cassini_747 (1500 in chips)
Seat 4: xCRAPSHOOTx (1500 in chips)
Seat 5: cdubLv702 (1500 in chips)
Seat 6: 12345Cookie (1500 in chips)
Seat 7: clifty99 (1500 in chips)
Seat 8: cardreaper12 (1500 in chips)
Seat 9: Frobbieduck (1500 in chips)
CashinChecks: posts small blind 10
Cassini_747: posts big blind 20
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to xCRAPSHOOTx [8c 7d]
xCRAPSHOOTx: folds
cdubLv702: folds
12345Cookie: raises 80 to 100
clifty99: folds
cardreaper12: calls 100
Frobbieduck: folds
stretchy88: folds
CashinChecks: raises 200 to 300
Cassini_747: folds
12345Cookie: calls 200
cardreaper12: calls 200
*** FLOP *** [Jd 5s 4d]
CashinChecks: bets 400
12345Cookie: folds
cardreaper12: calls 400
*** TURN *** [Jd 5s 4d] [Qd]
CashinChecks: bets 800 and is all-in
cardreaper12: calls 800 and is all-in
*** RIVER *** [Jd 5s 4d Qd] [Qs]
*** SHOW DOWN ***
CashinChecks: shows [As Ad] (two pair, Aces and Queens)
cardreaper12: shows [6s 6h] (two pair, Queens and Sixes)
CashinChecks collected 3320 from pot
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot 3320 | Rake 0
Board [Jd 5s 4d Qd Qs]
Seat 1: stretchy88 (button) folded before Flop (didn't bet)
Seat 2: CashinChecks (small blind) showed [As Ad] and won (3320) with two pair, Aces and Queens
Seat 3: Cassini_747 (big blind) folded before Flop
Seat 4: xCRAPSHOOTx folded before Flop (didn't bet)
Seat 5: cdubLv702 folded before Flop (didn't bet)
Seat 6: 12345Cookie folded on the Flop
Seat 7: clifty99 folded before Flop (didn't bet)
Seat 8: cardreaper12 showed [6s 6h] and lost with two pair, Queens and Sixes
Seat 9: Frobbieduck folded before Flop (didn't bet)

Cashing Checks re-raises pre-flop - so he is saying that he has something, fine cardkeeper calls as CC might not have a pair.

Then CC calls a large bet saying...I'm not afraid of you

On the turn CC is saying...I don't care what you have...I've got you beat.

Now cardkeeper says all that you can have is 8 of the pocket pairs higher than mine, a Jack, a Queen, a flush, two pair, a flush draw or a str8 draw...but I have pocket 6's, I will call off all my chips on the first hand of the tournament.

Now I wonder if cardkeeper would be so brave if his hand was a 6 on board and a 6 in hand, which is actually a stronger hand...their is just something magical about pocket pairs that makes donks out of players.

PokerStars Game #17488701172: Tournament #88664349, $5.00+$0.50 Hold'em No Limit - Level II (15/30) - 2008/05/17 - 07:26:52 (ET)
Table '88664349 1' 9-max Seat #3 is the button
Seat 2: CashinChecks (2550 in chips)
Seat 3: Cassini_747 (1485 in chips)
Seat 4: xCRAPSHOOTx (2785 in chips)
Seat 5: cdubLv702 (1355 in chips)
Seat 6: 12345Cookie (1823 in chips)
Seat 7: clifty99 (1262 in chips)
Seat 9: Frobbieduck (2240 in chips)
xCRAPSHOOTx: posts small blind 15
cdubLv702: posts big blind 30
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to xCRAPSHOOTx [Th Qh]
12345Cookie: folds
clifty99: calls 30
Frobbieduck: folds
CashinChecks: folds
Cassini_747: folds
xCRAPSHOOTx: calls 15
cdubLv702: checks
*** FLOP *** [5d Tc 7h]
xCRAPSHOOTx: bets 120
cdubLv702: folds
clifty99: raises 120 to 240
xCRAPSHOOTx: raises 120 to 360
clifty99: raises 872 to 1232 and is all-in
xCRAPSHOOTx: calls 872
*** TURN *** [5d Tc 7h] [Kd]
*** RIVER *** [5d Tc 7h Kd] [Kh]
*** SHOW DOWN ***
xCRAPSHOOTx: shows [Th Qh] (two pair, Kings and Tens)
clifty99: shows [As Ah] (two pair, Aces and Kings)
clifty99 collected 2554 from pot
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot 2554 | Rake 0
Board [5d Tc 7h Kd Kh]
Seat 2: CashinChecks folded before Flop (didn't bet)
Seat 3: Cassini_747 (button) folded before Flop (didn't bet)
Seat 4: xCRAPSHOOTx (small blind) showed [Th Qh] and lost with two pair, Kings and Tens
Seat 5: cdubLv702 (big blind) folded on the Flop
Seat 6: 12345Cookie folded before Flop (didn't bet)
Seat 7: clifty99 showed [As Ah] and won (2554) with two pair, Aces and Kings
Seat 9: Frobbieduck folded before Flop (didn't bet)

Here clifty99 just limps with AA, a stupid move...it worked out for him...but here is a guy that will be complaining that his Aces always get cracked.


And then a few hands later clifty99 does get his Aces cracked by just calling my pre-flop raise then he thought that he was being cute by soft calling my flop raise and turn raise, instead of seeing if I have a ten, then on the river he said...I've got a surprise for you and am going to put you all-in.

PokerStars Game #17488847383: Tournament #88664349, $5.00+$0.50 Hold'em No Limit - Level IV (50/100) - 2008/05/17 - 07:39:02 (ET)
Table '88664349 1' 9-max Seat #9 is the button
Seat 2: CashinChecks (3525 in chips)
Seat 3: Cassini_747 (1685 in chips)
Seat 4: xCRAPSHOOTx (1873 in chips)
Seat 6: 12345Cookie (1448 in chips)
Seat 7: clifty99 (3679 in chips)
Seat 9: Frobbieduck (1290 in chips)
CashinChecks: posts small blind 50
Cassini_747: posts big blind 100
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to xCRAPSHOOTx [Ts Js]
xCRAPSHOOTx: raises 200 to 300
12345Cookie: folds
clifty99: calls 300
Frobbieduck: folds
CashinChecks: folds
Cassini_747: folds
*** FLOP *** [Th Td 7s]
xCRAPSHOOTx: checks
clifty99: checks
*** TURN *** [Th Td 7s] [4c]
xCRAPSHOOTx: bets 300
clifty99: calls 300
*** RIVER *** [Th Td 7s 4c] [6c]
xCRAPSHOOTx: bets 500
clifty99: raises 1000 to 1500
xCRAPSHOOTx: calls 773 and is all-in
Uncalled bet (227) returned to clifty99
*** SHOW DOWN ***
clifty99: shows [Ac As] (two pair, Aces and Tens)
xCRAPSHOOTx: shows [Ts Js] (three of a kind, Tens)
xCRAPSHOOTx collected 3896 from pot
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot 3896 | Rake 0
Board [Th Td 7s 4c 6c]
Seat 2: CashinChecks (small blind) folded before Flop
Seat 3: Cassini_747 (big blind) folded before Flop
Seat 4: xCRAPSHOOTx showed [Ts Js] and won (3896) with three of a kind, Tens
Seat 6: 12345Cookie folded before Flop (didn't bet)
Seat 7: clifty99 showed [Ac As] and lost with two pair, Aces and Tens
Seat 9: Frobbieduck (button) folded before Flop (didn't bet)

Take the pot when you can...teasing the opponent will cost you chips. Punch the opponent for knowledge...it's a lot cheaper than handing out surprise boxes that turn out to be embarrassments.

Knowing the type of player you are, CS, I would say slowplaying rockets (against you) is just about ALWAYS a solid play preflop. I believe the first hand with AA was played wonderfully by villain, and poorly by you - let's use your own commentary from the previous hand to go through it all:

Villain raises your flop bet - okay, he could be overplaying a hand or simply on a bluff-steal, and you reraise. Villain doesn't just call your raise, he goes all in - he is telling you, I DON'T CARE WHAT YOU HAVE, I HAVE YOU BEAT. But with (maybe) 5 outs, you simply have to call, don't you.

The second hand was played poorly by villain. If you are going to slowplay aces, you need to be able to lay them down on unfavorable flops, turns, and rivers.

Villain's problem in this hand is he never got any real information from you. He checks the flop with position - very poor play, he should instead make a bet of 300 or 400 to see where he is in the hand. The turn comes, and you bet 300. This really could mean anything - it could mean, "Hey, I have the 10! Call me! Call me!" - or it could mean something like, "I know you've missed the flop, and that turn didn't help you either, so I'm gonna bet." Villain has an effective stack of about 1500 right now, 300 of which go into a call. I wouldn't consider this so poorly of a play, but I think I would have min-raised to see where I was at (as you can't call any raise unless you have the T). River comes, and you bet again. There is absolutely no point to villain raising here, as you can only call with Tx, which has him beat. At this point, it's a call/fold decision, not call/raise.

__________________
1st place, March/April 2008 Sunday League

Fault always lies in the same place, my fine babies: with him weak enough to lay blame.

1st off it was clifty99 in both AA hands not villian...clifty99 did not know me...I have never played him before and although I was the chip leader I only played a few hands and the big wins were won with traps. So my aggression does not even enter the picture.

Secondly, clifty99 was early position, I was late position...clifty99 is playing against 8 other players he is not just playing against Crapshoot...you never limp with AA...even if you are under the gun or even if it goes to SB/BB..a raise is still necessary over a SB half bet or a BB check.

clifty99 could have gotten a surprise, I could have hit a second pair, without the board pair or who knows, even tripps.

Now as far as my aggression, yes it cost me dearly at times...but what I have to look at is...is the win chip stack heavier with my aggressive wins as to the weight of the chip stack that I pass on...well I know one thing, if I don't play aggressive, I don't have a chance....if I could find a way of winning without quite as much aggression or if my luck would change...then I would tone down my aggression...but until my luck changes, I feel that toning it down is near impossible and I just have to turn the other cheek!

Well, for future reference...villain is how I refer to any opponent in a hand history - much easier to remember the name "villain" as it is to remember a different name for each hand history, in this case "clifty99". As for your aggression not entering the picture, I'll just have to take your word for it. With that said, I do stand by with my analysis of the hands. First hand, you played poorly, while villain played the second hand poorly.

And as long as you know the dangers to your play, you're perfectly fine. Nearly every type of play has it's strengths and weaknesses, the key is knowing when and how those weaknesses can be exploited, and taking care of your leaks before your opponents can use them.

__________________
1st place, March/April 2008 Sunday League

Fault always lies in the same place, my fine babies: with him weak enough to lay blame.

If you feel this way why didn't you speak up in the recent HH that cat5cane posted where he won a pot after limping with AA?

Maybe you have not got that far in the books yet Fink, read a little further on...HU's and tourney's are played differently, they are not the same game.

Fink is a beginner mouse crapshoot, mice think differently than sharks.

Sorry, you had said "never". Guess I missed fine print exceptions

Right and was I not talking about tournaments at the time.