10c to $500 Challenge: Bare Naked and Busted
A reader of this blog has suggested STTs might be a 'solved game'. Here is why low stakes STTs are still a challenge for me - I have a mental handicap. Usually I post here when I reach a benchmark, this time, despite still having a feeble bankroll, I have reached a my nadir.
Background: about midnight, three glasses of wine in 3 hours, last three STT results: bust bust third. Both the busts were the result of bad play. Excuses - none. Issues - I KNEW HE HAD NOTHING AND REALISED I SHOULD HAVE BET OUT and was sick and went completely MAD. Hand analysis and get well cards should be sent to the Isle of Skye Rest Home for the Criminally Insane.
***** Betfair Poker Hand History for Game 608251189 *****
NL Texas Hold'em $5 Buy-in + $0.50 Entry Fee, Level:7 Blinds(100/200-25 ante) - Saturday, November 21, 00:34:19 GMT 2009
$5+$0.50 NL Hold'em #3547679
Table 1 9-max (Real Money)
Seat 9 is the button
Total number of active players : 3
Seat 4: deano t ( 8,727 )
Seat 7: Bad Faith ( 7,382.50 )
Seat 9: Capee ( 1,890.50 )
Tourney Level:7 Blinds(100/200-25 ante)
deano t posts ante [25]
Bad Faith posts ante [25]
Capee posts ante [25]
deano t posts small blind [100]
Bad Faith posts big blind [200]
** Dealing down cards **
Dealt to Bad Faith [ Ah, 7s ]
Capee folds
deano t calls [100]
Bad Faith raises to [675]
deano t raises to [1,500]
Bad Faith calls [825]
** Dealing Flop ** [ 8h, 2h, Th ]
deano t bets [1,850]
Bad Faith calls [1,850]
** Dealing Turn ** [ 2c ]
deano t goes all-in
deano t bets [5,352]
Bad Faith calls [4,007.50]
Bad Faith goes all-in
Returning uncalled bet [1,344.50] to deano t
** Showdown **
deano t shows [ Jc, As ]
Bad Faith shows [ Ah, 7s ]
** Dealing River ** [ 3c ]
** Hand Conclusion **
deano t wins 14,790 from main pot with a pair of Deuces
************ Game 608251189 ends ************
I have been responsible for a lot of shockingly bad play and thousands of incompetent hands but this one takes the biscuit: I should have just typed into the chat "I am on a draw so you might as well push, you will bust me." :'-(
On every level this was so wrong. I dont have a cyanide capsule, sorry.
Comments
My analysis of the hand...
First thing to note is that you and deano have large stacks and capee is shortstacked which means you should be averse to playing a big pot with deano (and vice versa). ICM dictates that you have to call tighter than normal and be a stronger favourite than you normally would as doubling your stack her won't double your equity (in fact it won't even assure 2nd) however losing will knock you out in 3rd. The same applies to deano of course, however he probably isn't aware of this so will play more cavalier than he should.
Secondly, when he limps, you raise and he then reraises quite small, this should set alarm bells ringing. Depending on the type of player he is, he will usually show up with a stronger hand than A7 here, which means you need to hit to improve. If you hit your Ace it may well not be good enough as he is representing a premium hand eg AK or Aces. For the record I think he has played it overly tricky with AJ (which is not a hand to be slowplaying), however you can still perhaps find a fold.
Having called and seen a flop in position, you then flop a nut flush draw. Clearly this is hard (and probably incorrect) to fold on the flop. Whcih leaves us with flatcall or reraise all in. His bet is not anywhere near pot sized which may or may not indicate slight weakness, however a lot of the time if you push, you do get snapped by an overpair (which he is repping preflop) and are an underdog in the hand for all your chips and the shorty cashes in (however when you take fold equity and pot odds into account, shoving is still a good play). Going down the flatcalling on the flop route (which cautious sorts like me probably would do if I had seen a flop as a semi bluff is only a good play if there is a decent chance of a fold and donks don't fold) you then have to fold to the second barrel on the turn as he is representing a made hand and you only beat a bluff and have only the flush as clean outs. You were correct he had "nothing" (a great read) however in this case and many similar cases (eg AK or 33) his nothing beats your nothing. As an aside I think it was terrible play by him to bluff off his entire stack out of position with Ace high versus the only remaining player who could damage his stack.
So, what we all want to know is how would you have played this if you were sober? 
For the record I would probably check or raise to 600 preflop and fold to any reraise pre or any cbet on a missed flop for aforementioned ICM/smallball reasons. As played, you did hit the flop pretty hard and I would probably have flatted and folded to second barrel if I didn't hit an Ace or Heart as I think he often has a pair in his hand.
I dont put the above stupidity down to being drunk really - I agree with Sooted above and am trying to resist the vino when playing.......but as you know 3 glasses of wine over about 3 hours is VERY light drinking for me.....it probably was a factor but not the main cause. I think it was EGO - something in me was SURE he was at it...and when I connected to the flop I was angry with him for bullying/bluffing. Anyway, I should have folded to the 1500 reraise as you suggest - but I think my A game (sober) would have had me pushing all in on the flop, I dont think he could have called with nothing and I had a 30% chance of hitting if he did and a fold from him there would have dramatically improved my chances of a win.
Another sad story: last night Charlie and Sheena came round.....you know what that implies for my sobriety, went to bed late, opened up BF for a look, saw a table of donks (ie players like me) and couldnt resist registering. I got dealt bullets FIRST hand and more than tripled....played well for a bit or got lucky and amassed nearly 8000 chips...then FELL ASLEEP ....just checked my result - I cashed 
TEA TOTAL AT THE TABLES is my new motto.
That's soo bad. Something I learned in my 700sng is NEVER play when you're tired. Unless you feel quite good(like a winning streak which brought you to a night fishy table)you'd better go to bed. Hard knocks school told me so :P In fact, I don't even play when I just woke up, need three or more hours before start playing
sorry but I'll be brutally honest and hopefully you are not going to get offended. You are looking for an excuse on all the wrong places. You are trying to find a mistake on different angles but it was in front of you all along.
It was the WINE. If you are playing for fun and did not expect anything for it then it's fine BUT if you are trying to be totally serious about it and wanted to play your "A" game then why are you drinking alcohol. Unless you the "prince of poker" Scotty and does not have any leaks.