Running with Donkeys

Started off today at 50nl 9 seat where the avg % players/flop was 70% and the avg pot size was 15x bb. As long as you play the nuts on these tables, you'll make some money; but if you try to get fancy you're gonna lose your shirt. That means rarely (if ever), bluffing, always betting the nuts, etc. Any strong hand will get paid, even if well less than nuts. I started out with $75 buy in, quickly lost $10 paying for info and raising big preflop with small pairs. But this is part of my process - I like to come in hot, seem a little loose aggressive (and see how that style plays on the table), then switch gears and tighten up. I always dig a little hole to get out of, but with patience it usually pays.

One thing I wonder a lot at these sorts of tables, with such a high plyr/flop%, that means that people are playing a lot of weak hands to see a flop - so is it +EV if I do the same? Obviously playing strong hands here is going to pay off - but I also think that by slightly lowering my hand selection, I'm also likely to get paid if I hit the flop in a big way. The problem with this strategy is that I get into hands like this one, where I flop a small pair and put the guy on some weak ace or KQ/KJ, so I checkraise the flop. It's a nothing pot - $7 - but playing too many of these will get me into trouble. At this point I'm almost $20 down, somewhat due to being card dead at a table of ATMs, but more from trying to make something out of nothing. The avg pot size is now $10, with about 40% players/flop. Still good action.

After the action died off, and being card dead the whole time, I moved on to 100nl where the action was a bit loose. This hand is a perfect example, I make a standard 3x raise pf w/ AQs, and this donkey Hilariorj calls with 37off. I bet $5 on A72 flop, he calls. I put him all in for $18 on turned 3, not thinking that he was playing 37off, and he of course instacalls, then leaves shortly after. Sucks, but this is exactly the kind of action that I want. If he's willing to put in $8 with junk, I'll just have to accept that he'll hit sometimes. A different donkey paid off that debt in this hand. I looked down at A9o, saw only two to my left left to act, and raised 4x. I generally don't like this play, but thought I could generate some action and still have position. TheHelk calls with KJs, and the flop comes AJ9, I bet $8 into him and he calls, and then calls another $10 on a blank turn. I'm a little scared of the river Kc making possible str8s and flushes, but not scared enough to put in another $10 value bet. Luckily he made a lesser two pair and paid me off. So he basically put in $30 being dominated the whole way. I took the rest of his $15 stack in this hand, where I limp in from sb w/ 83o (awful hand, but when you get 9x on the call, go for it). The flop comes 884 2 clubs, I check, and TheHelk bets all in for $14 with ATo. Not sure what he was hoping for here (there wasn't that much in the pot), but I see dying short stacks donk off their chips like this all the time. I'll take it. With 83offsuit!

Had a bad session later in afternoon. Went a bit card dead at 100nl, lost about $35 calling down small bets with 2nd best. I also played a little 25plo, and lost a chuck in this hand, when I flopped the nut str8 and a guy called me down to the river with 2nd set. I bet out when the river paired the board and told myself, "fold if he raises, fold if he raises" - min raise - d'oh! Why pay off the chase? I could've check-called $4 to see if he was bluffing, rather than bet into him and call to see. Dumb bet. I then treaded water until this hand, where I flopped bottom two pair on J57 rainbow. I figured the short stack for an overpair and IamJah for a draw, making my 2 pair a very strong hand. When I checkraised the pot I thought IamJah would fold out, but he made my small profit for the session of PLO.