Played a cash game at the Hard Rock yesterday. The table was pretty standard: 3 very good players, 2 ATMs, everyone else. I bought in for $400 at a 2/5 game and in an hour and a half was up to $1,200. Then I was dealt 22, the pot was raised in early position by an excellent player to $20, I called along with two other players, with me last to act. The flop of K29 looked good. The initial raiser bets $60, two fold, I min raise to $120....he 4-bets to $420. The conversation begins. My first thought is he has AK, but this player is too good to fall in love with just one pair. He snap folded pocket AA to a straight board earlier. All I could beat was AK or AA, neither of which he was likely to play back with, BUT I min raised, so he might put me on the AK. MISTAKE ONE: I should have raised more...like $250. We would have had a more informative conversation. Every poker instinct I possess was saying pocket nines...a bigger set. I move all in for $1,000.....I have him covered by $100. He tanks. Now I know he has 99 and he's worried that i have kings since I played AA like this earlier and he would remember. He calls and I'm down to $100. That doesn't bother me as much as the fact that I should have folded only because of this player, his skill, and the fact that he respects my game. When you play a lot you develop good instincts. I guess I have to play more to learn to listen to mine! I built my stack back to $300, $100 under my buyin and left thinkng about my bad shove.
poker, hard rock, cash games, poker instincts, poker strategy