One thing I've been working on is following my read, even when I can't say what my read is based on. I've played a lot of cash game poker over the past 3 months - at least once / week, and most every session was at least 10 hours (most closer to 12-15 hours). I've gotten a lot better in general, and more specifically I've gotten much better at following my reads.
Game: private home-game, 6-handed $0.50/$0.50 NLHE, $100-$200 buy-in. We've got over $1,000 on the table. Deep stack poker is awesome. Play has been very aggressive.
SB: $400, possibly the most aggressive player at the table. This is the first time I've played with him (the rest of the table I've played with twice before).
Me OTB: $280. I've been picking my spots carefully, made some good plays that worked, made some good plays that were picked-off... having a great time, too.
CO limps in, I limp with Q2o. I did this because: a) I'm on the button, and I play almost anything 6-handed on the button with no raise, and b) there's a running joke on this email discussion list we're all on that claims Q2o to be the nuts. SB raises to $2.50, CO folds, I call.
FLOP: 929 rainbow.
SB bets $6. I call. Why? Something in his mannerism, or the way he tossed his chips, or something else, tells me he doesn't have anything. I consider raising, but this player loves to 3-bet, so I just call and hope to get to a showdown.
TURN: [929] 7x
SB bets $15. I call.
RIVER: [9297] Jx
SB bets $35. I take some time, count my chips, take a look at the SB, count the $35 out, take a look at the small blind. I just don't think he's got anything. My motto lately has been to pick my spots, and if I was following that I'd have folded preflop, or at least on the flop. But I also need to follow my reads, and if I think I've got the best hand I'm at least calling.
So I do call. SB says "Nice call. Ace high." I turn over Q2 and collect a $148 pot with a pair of ducks.
Am I writing this to brag? Only partly ;)
My point is if you have a read, follow it. Or, more specifically, if I have a read, I'm following it. I often cannot put my finger on what it is that gives me the read I have, so I guess that's the next step. But there are times when I'm playing where I get an almost overwhelmingly strong sense of exactly what's going on in the hand. That's what happened here.
It's a feeling I can't describe, but it just kind of 'makes sense,' in a similar way that great music just 'sounds good.'
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2 comments:
I don't think you are talking about a read here.
What you are talking about is your "gut" or your instinct.
Reads are completely different.
Whereas something in his mannerisms, or the way he bet each section of the board could have given you insight to what he was holding specifically.
The way you wrote this out reads as if you just "felt" he had nothing, in combination of the partcular hand you were holding being part of a running joke that you guys share.
Not that is a bad thing either. You have to go with your reads, no doubt.
Just as long as you understand the difference between reads and your gut. Go with your gut more often and you will be gutted... so to speak
Makes sense...guess I am referring to gut-level instinct here.
I don't know what 'gutted' means though...
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