Hi, my name is Steven, and I played passive in a cash game.

Hi, Steven!

Monday night we played $0.25/$0.50 NL and I was playing my usual style, but I was playing too passive. Instead of playing 5 or 6 handed we were 8 handed, and my loose preflop style and passive post flop play was not much help. I saw a flop with 92 suited at one point and the flop came 9 10 9 and I thought it was my time to scoop and pot, until I ran into J9, ouch. Later I called a small raise with K9 and the flop came out K 9 8, two diamonds. The original raiser bet out again, and I flat called. The turn brought an offsuit queen and I check-called again, happy to have my aggressive opponent betting at me. That was my first mistake - I should have at least check raised here before the river. The river brought the 4 of diamonds and I bet out $8, thinking he might have put me on diamonds the whole way. He instantly called and showed 78 of diamonds! DOh!

It took me far too long to realize that the three players we had invited we all very aggressive players, pre and post flop, and I was run over for almost $100 in the three hours I played, giving back my profit for the week before. One player in particular had a great run of cards and seemed to have everyone out kicked in the big hands, he ended up winning $144 from his $40.

I realized that if I’m going to continue playing with these players I will need to be much more aggressive, at least not terrified to call continuation bets. They were raising with most anything, and they were really good at reading opponents. One of the pots, between the two super-aggressive guys, involved a $30 bet on the river being called by a pair of 2s and the 2s won. It was great poker to watch, and scary to play against for sure. I didn’t feel like I could bluff them and I felt like I couldn’t make many moves either.

The greatest thing about their strategy was when they did pick up hands they got paid off. Everytime they put in a lot of money they seemingly had the nuts, it was a great table image, I wish I could employ that. In my last hand I raised $2 only to be instantly reraised $5 more by one of the aggressive players. I pushed for $20 more with AK suited, assuming to be well ahead of his guy when he called and showed JJ! Remind me not to play against these guys for more than $0.25/$0.50 NL!

Good luck!

Tonight I went out to an American Legion game with Ben (www.college-startup.com), and after being ripped off by a taxi driver who went quite the roundabout way to get to the legion, we played some poker. The game was a $40 freezeout (no rebuys), and after the taxi ride ($30) I was looking to climb out of my $70 hole. I played the tournament for a good two and half hours until busting with A8 to 22, his third duece the door card on the flop. I didn’t mind so much though, it was time for the side games! And that is where the real money is anyway.

Anyway, I sit down at a new table $1/$2 NL, a game I have avoided my entire live-ring game career, but I’ve been playing really well lately and was looking to get in a juicy game, and this game was juicyyyyy! I ended the ring game in two hours up $80 for a total night’s profit of $10, wahoo, but it was a lot of fun, especially finding out I could rock some $1/$2 NL players, haha. A few of the bigger hands in the game were:

I was flucuating a bit up and down and was playing with my chips, rolling them from one hand to the next. Anyway, I was under-the-gun next and accidentally rolled two chips into the middle of the table. I apologized and said I would just call blind since I had rolled them into the middle. I said “I have a feeling about this hand” and looked down at 97 offsuit…modest at best, but we’ll see a flop. A total of 5 people went to the flop: 8 5 6, oh a thing of beauty. Two spades were also on the flop and the one person that took me for $40 early with a rivered straight bet out at me $2! I raised it to $8 right away, not wanting spades to stay in the pot, and we went heads up when he called.

The turn was an offsuit 3 making the board 3 5 6 8 and my opponent bet into me again, this time $5. I knew now he didn’t have spades, and he might think I had the spades. I raised him up to $20, $15 more and he thought about it. I said “You really have 47? Because that would just be sick.” I was 70% certain he must have 47, 25% that he had flopped two pair, and left 5% in case this guy was nuts. The river brought the 4 of spades, completing the spade draw and making the board 3 4 5 6 8. He checked and I decided to bet for max value and bet $15. He said call, I made sure I heard him correctly, and told him I had flopped the high straight and he showed … 47! That one hand’s pot was over $100 and put me over the edge that I never looked back on.

It is always very important in a cash game to make sure you’re on the winning side of a hand like that, which usually means you have the nuts, but it isn’t always so cut and dry. Oftentimes when someone goes on big rushes and makes a lot of money they have to be put it great situations. If I hadn’t accidentally rolled two chips into the pot I might have never played 97o in the first place, and of course it helps to flop the nuts versus the second nuts, usually guarentees you a good payday.

Good luck in your cash games - if you have any stories of rushes you’ve been on feel free to comment below and tell us about it!

Sometimes a table is just too juicy to leave - even if you’re starving! PartyPoker recently gave me $30 to play with online and I’ve been playing the $0.10/$0.25 NL ring games and doing well. I sat down at the table with $20 and my own ’strategy.’ The idea I play ring games with is really loose preflop and tight aggressive post flop. What that means in simpler terms is I love to see flops and will call raises with hads like 75 suited, but if I don’t hit it big I’m out…but when the flop comes down 4 5 5 then you had better watch out. The beauty of this style is that when you flop a big hand you’re often against a higher pocket pair, not to mention players who can’t get rid of them…

Side note: I just played a hand with Q10 and the flop came down Q 10 10 and bet out $2. The player to my left raise to $6 and I reraised to $12… he called! The turn brought the Jack and I thought (hope he has AK) and bet $16… he raised all in for $4 more and I called, he lost and mucked AK! Seeing lots of flops loses you respect, and that’s a good thing in cash games, and then when you hit a huge hand you can get paid off handsomely. With that hand I’m up to $130, so it is definately working.

One player in particular leading up to this has given me $70, at least. I beat him with my 75 suited against his KK and he doubled me up. A few hands later I knocked him out again when I had AQ, two pair and he had QJ two pair. Later I had 97 and called his raise and the flop was 9 7 4, I raised his bet to $3 and he called, the turn was an ace. He checked raised me all in and I called. He ended up mucking KQ high, drawing dead. The beauty of my table image (even though I’m winning alot they think I’m just lucky) is putting that guy on tilt. I’ve been wise not to say anything in the chat box about him blowing up, but he’s obviously mad enough at me not to respsect any of my bets, even though they are huge overbets, guess I won’t complain.

Next time you’re in a cash game try the loose style preflop, catch a few lucky flops and get paid off. When most of your big pots come from seemingly ‘lucky’ hands (while in reality you’re playing so many it is only a matter of time until you catch something) the table will lose respect for you and start calling a lot of your bets, good luck!