Time to step up?

Ok, as most of my readers know, I’ve been trying to scratch and claw my way to $1k from $0.

 It’s been a challenge and I’ve learned a lot from doing it but frankly it’s been a long grind and I feel that I’m ready to move up a level. I’m ready to face another challenge of playing against better players and see if I can hang with them. That being said, I took a chance….

So tonight, I tried a little $100NL cash games. The blinds are .50/1.00 and this is a step up from .10/.25 that I’ve been grinding the past year plus. I’m not sure what will happen but I’m confident that I can win at this level. I’m going to take it slowly and see where it goes.

I played about 100 hands just to test the waters. I played two tables. One a short game (6 max) and the other a full ring to see which fits better for my style of play. I bought in for 1/2 the big buy-in which is $50 on both tables. After and hour or so, I was up $66. Not a bad start.

I don’t really have the bankroll to make such a move but I’m going to go for it anyway. But the other day, I broke $400 on Fulltilt so that’s what I’m going to use for the time being.

This was the hand that put me over $400 on Fulltilt:

Full Tilt Poker, $0.10/$0.25 NL Hold’em Cash Game, 6 Players
LeggoPoker.com – Hand History Converter

Hero (SB): $27
BB: $26.35
UTG: $59.55
MP: $25.25
CO: $5.90
BTN: $30.60

Pre-Flop: Q K dealt to Hero (SB)
UTG folds, MP calls $0.25, 2 folds, Hero calls $0.15, BB checks

Flop: ($0.75) 7 J T (3 Players)
Hero checks, BB checks, MP checks

Turn: ($0.75) 9 (3 Players)
Hero checks, BB bets $0.50, MP folds, Hero raises to $1.75, BB raises to $5, Hero raises to $15.75, BB raises to $26.10 and is All-In, Hero calls $10.35

River: ($52.95) 9 (2 Players – 1 is All-In)

Results: $52.95 Pot ($2.60 Rake)
Hero showed Q K (a straight, King high) and WON $50.35 (+$24 NET)
BB showed and LOST (-$26.35 NET)

I’m in the SB and I get a decent hand short handed. I just call, hoping to hit the flop right. The other two players have limped in also so I don’t think they have a great hand. I usually will raise with K/Q suited in a short game but I want to win more than .50 cents so that’s the reason for the limp. (it may be a weak play but then again I feel that you have to mix up your play).

I flop a open ended straight draw. I check since I’m out of position and I want to see if the other two guys will bet out (in which case I was planning on check raising) but they check down as well. That’s fine by me, I get to see a free card.

I’m in business as the turn fills my straight. I check again to see if anybody will bet out (begging and hoping is more like it) . I get my wish as the bandit bets out a mere .50 cents. This is the kind of bet that I’m actually looking for.

A small bet like this usually means he’s got something decent. Sometimes it’s a weak bluff depending on the player but this guy isn’t the type to do that. I’ve seen him do the exact same thing when he has hit a set and a flush earlier. I decide not to flat call because that would seem suspicious so I check raise him to see where this goes. If he’s got something he’s raising. If he’s bluffing then he’s folding. He raises me to $5. Now I know I’ve got him. I’m definitely putting him on a straight or a set now as I don’t see him raising with anything but those hands. I re-pop him for $15. He takes him time and goes all in. I call, he’s got a straight to the Q a pretty strong hand but I’ve got the nuts and he’s shipping chips my way.

This hand might seem pretty standard and he probably hit a cooler but I liked the way I was thinking this hand. I really felt I had a good handle on what he had. Some might think it’s natural to shove with a Q high straight and he was destined to lose this hand to me but I think I disguised my hand well by just completing the blinds when I was the SB. The bottom line is that I doubled up against him and that’s all that counts.

I wish I could show some key hands while I was playing 100NL game, but unfortunately I didn’t have many saved to share. I was playing super tight in the beginning trying to get a feel for the higher limit players but after an 1/2 hour or so I started to get comfortable and started to play my game.

Here is the only hand I managed to save and it’s a pretty interesting one:

Full Tilt Poker Game #6727025972: Table Cobble Cove – $0.50/$1 – No Limit Hold’em – 3:45:17 ET – 2008/06/07
Seat 1: nesser45 ($49)
Seat 2: stavings84 ($30.25)
Seat 3: UrMoneyIs4me ($88.90)
Seat 4: jsto9440 ($108)
Seat 5: MoTownAA ($85.15)
Seat 7: PkrOzzy ($21.50)
Seat 8: themoj777 ($35)
Seat 9: YelloMenace ($44.60)
YelloMenace posts the small blind of $0.50
nesser45 posts the big blind of $1
The button is in seat #8
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to YelloMenace [Kh Qs]
Iceman7 sits down
stavings84 calls $1
UrMoneyIs4me folds
Iceman7 adds $40
jsto9440 folds
MoTownAA folds
PkrOzzy folds
themoj777 folds
YelloMenace raises to $3
nesser45 calls $2
stavings84 raises to $5
YelloMenace calls $2
nesser45 calls $2
*** FLOP *** [Th 4d Qc]
YelloMenace bets $15
nesser45 folds
stavings84 calls $15
*** TURN *** [Th 4d Qc] [2h]
YelloMenace bets $24.60, and is all in
stavings84 calls $10.25, and is all in
YelloMenace shows [Kh Qs]
stavings84 shows [Ad Kd]
Uncalled bet of $14.35 returned to YelloMenace
*** RIVER *** [Th 4d Qc 2h] [Qd]
YelloMenace shows three of a kind, Queens
stavings84 shows a pair of Queens
YelloMenace wins the pot ($62.50) with three of a kind, Queens
stavings84 is sitting out
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot $65.50 | Rake $3
Board: [Th 4d Qc 2h Qd]
Seat 1: nesser45 (big blind) folded on the Flop
Seat 2: stavings84 showed [Ad Kd] and lost with a pair of Queens
Seat 3: UrMoneyIs4me didn’t bet (folded)
Seat 4: jsto9440 didn’t bet (folded)
Seat 5: MoTownAA didn’t bet (folded)
Seat 7: PkrOzzy didn’t bet (folded)
Seat 8: themoj777 (button) didn’t bet (folded)
Seat 9: YelloMenace (small blind) showed [Kh Qs] and won ($62.50) with three of a kind, Queens

The bandit limped with his A/K suited (a real powerful hand) UTG probably hoping that somebody would raise him so he could re-pop (I don’t blame him for this move, it’s a decent move actually). Everybody folds and I get K/Q off in the SB so I oblige the UTG limper with a raise.

He re-raises the minimum. Pretty sneaky. I’m not sure what he has. He could be slowplaying a monster like AA or KK and limped in hoping for a sucker like me to raise the pot for him or he could be playing a small to mid sized pair. The flop hits my Q but I’m still not sure what to make of the UTG limp then minimum re-raise play. This usually screams big hand.

I have top pair but I could be outkicked, or worse he’s slowplaying AA or KK or he’s hit a set and I’m way way behind. I’m first to act also so I’m in a pickle with what could be a half sour hand.

I throw caution to the wind and bet out the pot. I have to know where I stand. (I can’t check in this spot can I?) He just flat calls. This is weird also. Why didn’t he go all in? Now I’m confused. Is he setting me up for his last $10? A flat call could mean a lot of things. He’s holding a monster hand or he’s drawing. There are no danger suits out there so a flush is out of the question.

The turn is harmless. There’s no point in checking b/c I’m going to call him anyway so I put him all-in and he calls.

Whew dodged a major bullet there. This was a very tricky play by the bandit and one that I should be aware of at these levels.

The one thing I do know is that at these levels, I’m going to get hurt playing this had this hand way I did. I was lucky that the bandit didn’t have a monster hand and I should’ve put him on one based on his play. I’m not sure if this was a very passive play on his part but I do know that a tricky, good player would’ve stacked me.

So I have to be a little more careful from here on out. I need to recognize tricky plays like the monster PP EP limp in and minimum re-raise play if I am to be successful at these levels.

Based on this hand, maybe I’m not ready to move up to these levels. Who knows, only time will tell.