Villain runs 20/8/1.11 over thousands of hands.

Poker Stars, $1/$2 NL Hold’em Cash Game, 8 Players
LeggoPoker.com - Hand History Converter

SB: $297.45
BB: $110.50
UTG: $233.90
UTG+1: $203
MP1: $200
MP2: $228.90
Hero (CO): $304.95
BTN: $30

Pre-Flop: A A dealt to Hero (CO)
2 folds, MP1 calls $2, MP2 folds, Hero raises to $10, 3 folds, MP1 calls $8

He limp/calls pre-flop, which given his stats he does with a wide range. At this point I’m putting him on small/medium pocket pairs and suited connectors.

Flop: ($23) 9 2 6 (2 Players)
MP1 checks, Hero bets $16, MP1 calls $16

Excellent flop for aces really, dry board with 78 being the only real draw out there. I bet and he smooth calls, he is doing that with a fairly wide range here I think. Given my read on him pre-flop I’d say over 50% of his range.

Turn: ($55) 5 (2 Players)
MP1 checks, Hero bets $34, MP1 raises to $68, Hero calls $34

The 78 straight draw just hit, which was the only draw he could have been calling with. The min check/raise on the turn is a huge giveaway of strength, if I had any other hand I would have insta-folded. 90%+ of the time this is either a straight or a set. This is a classic case of getting donkishly blinded by your hand and playing like a beginner when everything is obviously telling you what to do. His aggression factor alone is enough to tell you he isn’t c/r the turn on a bluff (which is about all you beat at this point). THEN to only call is just horrible, folding > shoving > calling, simple as that. If you call the turn, you just about have to call the river, so might as well stick it in now if you think you have the best hand. If you can stop yourself having lapses of concentration and moments of stupidity like this you really will improve your winrate!

It has been a while since I last posted some meaningful hand histories, I need to make more of an effort to do so. Hopefully, this will lad to less leaks, less complacency and more overall improvement.

Villain in this hand is 27/11/1.05 over 400 hands, he is tricky and hard to put on a hand.

Poker Stars, $1/$2 NL Hold’em Cash Game, 9 Players
LeggoPoker.com - Hand History Converter

UTG+1: $196
UTG+2: $62.50
MP1: $97.35
MP2: $264
CO: $191.65
BTN: $200.80
Hero (SB): $277.95
BB: $200
UTG: $195.80

Pre-Flop: A Q dealt to Hero (SB)
3 folds, MP1 calls $2, 3 folds, Hero raises to $10, BB calls $8, MP1 folds

Pretty standard, isolating a limper with a strong hand that is likely best. Big blind cold calls, I’m apt to put him on a pocket pair, a big ace or big Broadway cards.

Flop: ($22) 2 7 5 (2 Players)
Hero bets $15, BB calls $15

I flop the nut flush draw on a baby board, betting gives me two ways to win the hand and obviously is the play here with the highest expectation. He calls… seems strange he would call and not raise a set here, I think he folds out everything, but pocket pairs/draws here.

Turn: ($52) Q (2 Players)
Hero checks, BB bets $30, Hero calls $30

I pair my queen, now I have a hand that I can win at showdown with, but I’m still a little worried about what he could be holding. I check/call, I think my reasoning at the time was for pot control and on reflection I’m pretty happy with that reasoning. There aren’t too many cards that can come on the river that will scare me.

River: ($112) T (2 Players)
Hero checks, BB bets $110, Hero calls $110

Okay here is where I feel I misplayed this hand. Number one, my line choice was wrong, I should have opted to bet/fold about half the pot. It gets me value from worse hands, it might lead him to just call with better hands that he would have bet more with if checked to and if he shoves I can still safely get away from the hand. Secondly, I don’t think he is bluffing when he bets pot, its more like a bet where he thinks I have something strong enough to call and he is betting big to make it look bluffy when in reality it is pure valuetown. My hand has to be good 1/3 and I don’t think it is in this spot, I really have to work on being less of a river calling station

Results: $332 Pot ($3 Rake)

Villain in this hand is  Rick Charger, who I have 24/5.8/0.89 over 200 hands

Poker Stars, $1/$2 NL Hold’em Cash Game, 9 Players
LeggoPoker Hand History Converter

MP1: $210.90
Hero (MP2): $214
CO: $208.15
BTN: $328.55
SB: $134.85
BB: $230.30
UTG: $79.75
UTG+1: $214.35
UTG+2: $209

Pre-Flop: K K dealt to Hero (MP2)
4 folds, Hero raises to $8, CO folds, BTN calls $8, 2 folds

Flop: ($19) J 5 9 (2 Players)
Hero bets $13, BTN calls $13

Error #1: I should have bet more here, $16 or so.

Turn: ($45) 4 (2 Players)
Hero bets $32, BTN calls $32

At this point in the hand I really have no reason to think that I don’t have the best hand do I? He seems like the sort of player that would raise with a set on such a flop. If he has just peeled one with the ace of spades, the four of diamonds is a nice card. What is your line here? I decided to bet, once again I should have bet more here…

River: ($109) 7 (2 Players)
Hero ???

I’m getting a bad feeling about this hand now, the only hand I really feel I’m good against is AJ with the A of spades, maybe QT with a spade. I’m pretty sure he has a flush though, probably the nut flush because it seems like a slowplay. I’m lost here, I feel like check/folding, but that seems so wrong. 

Results: $289 Pot ($3 Rake)

Hero mucked K K and LOST (-$143 NET)
BTN showed A T (a flush, Ace high) and WON $286 (+$143 NET)

UTG+1 is 26/6/0.74
Button is 18/14/3.00 and a regular play who I have played a lot with (but not in many pots)

Poker Stars, $1/$2 NL Hold’em Cash Game, 9 Players
LeggoPoker Hand History Converter

BTN: $219.05
SB: $185.55
BB: $194
UTG: $144.65
UTG+1: $143.80
UTG+2: $67.90
MP1: $214
Hero (MP2): $384.10
CO: $117

Pre-Flop: Q Q dealt to Hero (MP2)
UTG calls $2, UTG+1 raises to $6, 2 folds, Hero raises to $26, CO folds, BTN raises to $46, 4 folds, Hero calls $20

I three-bet the EP raiser with QQ, all I am really worried about is AA/KK and this players raising range is wider than this. So I’m happy to three-bet here. When the button mini-raises me I don’t quite know what to think. This player is meant to be a decent regular, it is such a bad play to minimum raise, my first instinct is that he is weak, but I should have looked deeper. The 4th bet is usually AA/KK, he has no reason to be 4 betting me here with anything less.  I’m getting over 3 to 1 on a call, I’ll be out of position, but I can pretty much assume if I hit that we are stacking off if his range is AA/KK here.

Flop: ($103) 9 4 J (2 Players)
Hero checks, BTN bets $66, Hero raises to $298, BTN calls $107.05 and is All-In

Sometimes pre-flop with QQ when I get three-bet by a loose player I would flat call and then felt QQ on a non-A/K board in this manner, but this wasn’t a three-bet pot, it was a four bet pot. I called pre-flop for set value, but abandoned that plan post-flop and donkishly stacked off.

I had no stats on the villain at this point (it later turns out that he is 8/5/1.3).

Poker Stars, $1/$2 NL Hold’em Cash Game, 9 Players
LeggoPoker Hand History Converter

MP2: $435.75
CO: $46
BTN: $210.55
SB: $206
BB: $200
UTG: $203
UTG+1: $179
UTG+2: $225
Hero (MP1): $278

Pre-Flop: Q A dealt to Hero (MP1)

3 folds, Hero raises to $8, MP2 calls $8, 4 folds

Flop: ($19) 2 A J (2 Players)
Hero bets $14, MP2 raises to $28, Hero calls $14

I’m still a little taken hazy on these situations sometimes, his raise feels weak, three-betting seems like overkill. At this point though I’m putting him on a weak ace, jack or flush draw. I decided to call and re-evaluate on the turn.

Turn: ($75) J (2 Players)
Hero checks, MP2 checks

River: ($75) K (2 Players)
Hero bets $44, MP2 raises to $88, Hero calls $44

Turn went check/check. The river car means I am splitting with any ace (besides AJ and AK), so what am I getting value out of by betting? He only really calls if he ties or has me beat. Whereas if I take the check/call line I can get him to bluff some worse hands. At the time I didn’t really think about this, just fired out a value bet. My PLAN was to bet/fold, and this is probably the more annoying part about this hand to me, I didn’t stick to my plan. His mini-raise on the river is ultra-strong, nearly always a full house or trip jacks. Yet I abandon my plan and call.

Results: $251 Pot ($3 Rake)
MP2 showed K K (a full house, Kings full of Jacks) and WON $248 (+$124 NET)
Hero mucked Q A and LOST (-$124 NET)

Lesson to be learned from this hand is decide on a line and then stick to it, if you can’t execute your plans then what is the point. Also, assess the board and what you will actually be looked up by that you beat in some situations.