I wanted to scream

[Molinero]

I lost $30 bucks last night. Actually, I had built my stack up to slightly over $100 (at a $.25/$.50 table) at one point -- but then I lost about $50 on one hand. It went something like this:

Me: late position, with KTs -- pre-flop raise (due to a number of showdowns in which I got to show off really good hands, I had developed a strong reputation as a very tight player...even though I bluffed out a number of people without their realizing it).

Loose aggressive dude -- calls with Ax off.

Tight aggressive dude -- calls with ??

everyone else folded.

FLOP: rag, K, A rainbow.

They check around to me; I bet $5. They call.

TURN: A

Loose-agg. checks (even though he has trip aces); Tight-agg bets $10. I raise to $20. Loose-agg. calls; Tight-agg. folds.

RIVER: 10

Shit -- now I've got three pair. Loose-agg. checks; I put him on a ragged A, which obviously beats my hand, so I bet $20. He is going to be shortstacked (for the third time) if he calls and loses, and I'm trying to represent that I've got the Boat. He doesn't even think about that possibility; he says (after calling and winning, obviously) that he only considered the possibility that I had an A too, and we'd split the pot.

GRRRRRRRR!

I know this was a BIIIIG gamble, but was it stupid of me to try it? I felt I was doing a convincing job -- but it apparently didn't even occur to loose-agg. dude that I might have the nut hand. He was absolutely MARRIED to those trip aces (as is often the case).

So, anyway, I'd love to hear thoughts on this. After that, I'll tell you about the real bitch hand that knocked me out of the game.

[johnnyawe]

Don't try to bluff the Ax crowd. They will call.

{This post has been removed}

[Manomanman]

I did the same thing in a casino game, 2/4 holdem. There was one limper from middle position, it gets folded to me in the BB and so I'm heads up against the limper. I raise preflop in hopes of suggesting a strong holding. He calls. Flop comes Axx. I raise he calls, he calls on turn and river too. I show down 8 4, and he shows me A 3o. I wanted to run to the ATM and get 10 billion dollars cause I figured this could go on all night and I'd make a killing (keep in mind this was like the 8th hand I played at the table, and at this point I knew exactly how the table would run).

Case in point: Some poker players have no concept of being behind in a hand. Therefore, don't bluff them, just wait until you've got them outkicked/outdrawn/outpaired and then hammer on them.

And watch out for slowplayers...just outdraw their asses.

[Fnord]

Creative turn play, horrible river play. After cold calling $20 on the turn very few players will lay down a better hand than yours for another $20.

For low limit NL ring play it's hard to go wrong making strong hands (on the cheap), then beating them over the head with it.

I did the same thing in a casino game, 2/4 holdem. There was one limper from middle position, it gets folded to me in the BB and so I'm heads up against the limper. I raise preflop in hopes of suggesting a strong holding. He calls. Flop comes Axx. I raise he calls, he calls on turn and river too. I show down 8 4, and he shows me A 3o.

I rarely open limp from MP and wouldn't open from there with A3, but if I did I wouldn't fold either. I'm told 2/4 B&M more often than not plays as bad or worse than the Party .5/1 game, so the only surprise here is that there were only 2 players to the flop.