UB Hold Em
I've been playing the 50 and 80 hold em games on UB this week. It's fun. And man, these games are fast. Money comes and goes SO fast. I've got some incredible hands to share as usual but first a question.
If you sit down to play someone heads up, what's the smallest number of big bets your opponent could sit with that you would still play him? That was a terribly phrased sentence, let's just go to the example. A guy was sitting at the 50-100 heads up hold em table on UB last night with $1000. I sat down with a couple thousand, he went on a run, and I was stuck two buy-ins before I knew it. I ended up getting it all back, but it brought this risk/reward math into my head. If I'm willing to put six or eight times the money at risk relative to my opponent, should I even be playing the match? He could have left the game up $6000 or so and I would have to bust the next six guys who sat down with $1000 to get even. I know getting even isn't the name of the game, but what's the cutoff here? If someone sits down with $50, all-in for the big blind and you have $2500 in front of you, the reward is too small to justify the risk. At what point does the reward justify risking more money than your opponent is willing to risk?
Man, I guy just sat down, won $700 from me playing heads up 50-100 and left. I know there's no rule against it and people can come and go as they please, but I really hate that hit and run nonsense. Just a personal thing.
Hands:
- 80/160 five-handed. Button open-limps, I call in SB with A7, BB raises, we call. Flop 664, I check, BB bets, we both call. Turn K, I check, BB bets, button calls, I fold. River 5, BB checks, button checks, BB shows AT, button shows 65. Explain it to me, please.
- 80/160 five-handed. UTG raises, button three-bets, I call in SB with AhJh, UTG calls. Flop 8h2h2s, I check, UTG checks, button bets, I call, UTG calls. Turn 7c, I check, UTG bets, button calls, I call. River checked around. They both have A9o and I win. God Bless America.
- 50/100 seven-handed. I raise UTG+1 with AQo, cutoff cold-calls, button cold-calls, SB folds, BB calls. Flop JcTc8s, BB checks, I bet, cutoff raises, button calls, BB calls, I call. Turn T checked around. River J, BB bets, I fold, cutoff folds, button calls. BB has 7c2c, button has KTo and wins. So on the turn, the board is JTT8 with a flush draw and when we all check to the guy with KT, he thinks that's a good spot to check. I also like how the guy who was playing the board on the river bluffed into three opponents who had all shown strength preflop and on the flop. Take that Benjamin and light it on fire, sir.
- 50/100 heads up. I raise on the button with T6o, BB calls. Flop Qd3d2x, he checks, I bet, he calls. Turn J, check check. River 7d, he bets, I bluff raise, he calls, I win. That's right he bet the river with 94 and called a raise. It's during these matches that I have to chant out loud, "Stop bluffing."
- 50/100 heads up. My opponent loves to limp on the button. He rarely raises, folds about 30% of the time, and limps the rest. He limps, I check with 76o. Flop A76, I check, he bets, I raise, he three-bets, I four-bet, he calls. Turn K, I bet, he calls. River 3, I bet, he calls and shows QQ. Aaand nominations for worst way to play QQ heads up are officially closed. Yeah! Why don't I limp on the button and then go crazy on the ace high flop!
If you sit down to play someone heads up, what's the smallest number of big bets your opponent could sit with that you would still play him? That was a terribly phrased sentence, let's just go to the example. A guy was sitting at the 50-100 heads up hold em table on UB last night with $1000. I sat down with a couple thousand, he went on a run, and I was stuck two buy-ins before I knew it. I ended up getting it all back, but it brought this risk/reward math into my head. If I'm willing to put six or eight times the money at risk relative to my opponent, should I even be playing the match? He could have left the game up $6000 or so and I would have to bust the next six guys who sat down with $1000 to get even. I know getting even isn't the name of the game, but what's the cutoff here? If someone sits down with $50, all-in for the big blind and you have $2500 in front of you, the reward is too small to justify the risk. At what point does the reward justify risking more money than your opponent is willing to risk?
Man, I guy just sat down, won $700 from me playing heads up 50-100 and left. I know there's no rule against it and people can come and go as they please, but I really hate that hit and run nonsense. Just a personal thing.
Hands:
- 80/160 five-handed. Button open-limps, I call in SB with A7, BB raises, we call. Flop 664, I check, BB bets, we both call. Turn K, I check, BB bets, button calls, I fold. River 5, BB checks, button checks, BB shows AT, button shows 65. Explain it to me, please.
- 80/160 five-handed. UTG raises, button three-bets, I call in SB with AhJh, UTG calls. Flop 8h2h2s, I check, UTG checks, button bets, I call, UTG calls. Turn 7c, I check, UTG bets, button calls, I call. River checked around. They both have A9o and I win. God Bless America.
- 50/100 seven-handed. I raise UTG+1 with AQo, cutoff cold-calls, button cold-calls, SB folds, BB calls. Flop JcTc8s, BB checks, I bet, cutoff raises, button calls, BB calls, I call. Turn T checked around. River J, BB bets, I fold, cutoff folds, button calls. BB has 7c2c, button has KTo and wins. So on the turn, the board is JTT8 with a flush draw and when we all check to the guy with KT, he thinks that's a good spot to check. I also like how the guy who was playing the board on the river bluffed into three opponents who had all shown strength preflop and on the flop. Take that Benjamin and light it on fire, sir.
- 50/100 heads up. I raise on the button with T6o, BB calls. Flop Qd3d2x, he checks, I bet, he calls. Turn J, check check. River 7d, he bets, I bluff raise, he calls, I win. That's right he bet the river with 94 and called a raise. It's during these matches that I have to chant out loud, "Stop bluffing."
- 50/100 heads up. My opponent loves to limp on the button. He rarely raises, folds about 30% of the time, and limps the rest. He limps, I check with 76o. Flop A76, I check, he bets, I raise, he three-bets, I four-bet, he calls. Turn K, I bet, he calls. River 3, I bet, he calls and shows QQ. Aaand nominations for worst way to play QQ heads up are officially closed. Yeah! Why don't I limp on the button and then go crazy on the ace high flop!
posted by Chris Fargis at 3:17 PM
9 Comments:
Those are some truly amazing hands.
As for people sitting heads-up, a lot of times I see players with a short buy-in rebuy for a whole lot more when they finally get someone to play with them. They just don't want to have a bunch of their roll tied up at a table that's not going. So I guess what I'm saying is, don't put too much weight into how much money a person is sitting with initially.
Yes, that's a good point. People also like to buy-in for a small amount multiple times for some reason. My hypothetical assumed that your opponent would quit if he lost his buy-in, which isn't always the case in practice.
your risk reward question doesnt really work the way you put it.
when you sit down at a table with 2k to you opponents 1k, you are not risking twice as much as him, and so on with other values.
however when they sit down with just enough for the BB, then it is essentially just a coin flip.
Anon,
Could you clarify your first point? I don't understand. I think if I risk 2k and you risk 1k, I'm risking twice as much as you are. Regarding your second point, the first hand is a coin flip, but your opponent has the potential to win a lot more from you than you do from him if he wins the first hand.
I think the possibility of a hit and run is more likely when one sits down with a short stack.
Chris,
if i sit with $1k and you sit with $2k, you are under no obligation to play untill you have $0 left.
you could play down to $1 and quit if you so choosed. you could also play one hand, win it and leave if you so choose.
all that matters, and im sure you know this, is what kind of edge you have over your opponent.
if you play someone who does a so called 'hit and run' on you i really dont see the big deal at all, other than that someone you think you have a big edge over no longer wants to play. move on to the next game...
Ollie.
Ollie,
I should have said that when I sit down with $2k, I am risking the whole $2k. I don't hit and run myself and I don't sit down with $2k and then leave if I get down to $1k. When I sit with $2k vs. my opponent's $1k, I'm risking AT LEAST twice what he is.
Chris,
Sorry, that really makes no sense actually. your $2k is never all at risk at any one time.
if you have an edge over your opponent, you have an edge, and that is the bottom line. if they play 10 hands, win them all and leave, then fine. you had an edge in each of those 10 hands. find another game.
i find this 'hit and run' thing annoying to be honest. what you are essentially doing is critisising an opponent for applying good game selection skills.
yes its annoying when someone who you are a large favourite over chooses to stop playing you, but thats life! should you be concerned if you were 'hit and run' by the best HU player in the world? no, you would be pleased that someone with so large an edge over you choose to stop playing you.
Ollie.
Ollie,
I see what you're saying. I disagree. I don't think we're going to convince each other. As I said in my post, I don't think there's a rule that hit-and-run artists are breaking, it just annoys me.
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