Saturday, February 13, 2010

How NOT to Bluff Checkraise the River

Just played this atrocity of a hand. River seems like a pretty obvious check/fold and even the flop is arguably a fold against this TAGgish villain with nit tendencies. But since I am a poker genius, I decide to turn top pair/top kicker into a bluff on the river. Villain valuebets enough to allow me to shove for more than the pot and I somehow convince myself that I can make him fold his AT, sets, and weak flushes if I do so. Obviously, I get snapped off by TT - seeya later, $322!

My thought process is absurd. Nobody is ever folding a set or a weak flush here. The only hands villains folds are the ones I'm already beating, and possibly AT, and there are very very few of those in his range (he maybe, MAYBE takes this line with an ace and the queen or jack of diamonds) compared to sets and flushes. I need to be making this play for value only, and only when I actually have the nuts. But obviously, the next time that happens, villain will fold and show the second nut flush.

I can't believe that after all this time, I still have this much trouble folding TPTK in the face of sustained aggression. You would think that after this much time, I'd have made some progress on this front, but it seems like I'm just discovered new and even more insane ways to avoid folding. I don't understand why it's so hard for me to just get away from these hands. I absolutely have to find some way to start doing so.

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