OK, so I did redeposit online and played over the span of twelve or so days, and I did actually win money... a whole $30 or so. The only things I really enjoy about playing online is the opportunity to play tournaments (which usually is more frustrating than anything else unfortunately), or to play in mixed games, which I really can't do live.

But anyway, live play is still my first love. Since I didn't get to play last weekend (family business), I decided to go yesterday. I bought in for a small stack, about $120, and got ground down to about $70 when I considered rebuying. However, I picked up AK and an UTG player raised to $20. When it came around to me, I obviously pushed, she called, and my AK won against her AQ. Now I have $140ish.

I won a second decent pot when I raised with [Ah Jh] on the button and got a flop of [Ks Qh Td]. Checked to me, I bet $20, and got one caller. On the turn, a [9d] came, and he led into me for $20. Pretty sure he had a Jack, I pushed for his last $75 or so, and he called with [Js 8s]. Another nice pot for me.

My biggest pot of the night came when I checked [6h 6c] from the big blind and got a flop of [8s 6s 5d]. I led for $15 into a multiway pot, and one guy raised to $40, leaving himself about $80 behind. I decided to push all-in. If he has a draw, I want him to pay for it, and if he has a hand he might want to go with, I don't want a scare card to prevent me from getting his stack. He called me with [8h 4h] (lol), and when the [5h] came on the turn, I had him drawing to two outs, which I somehow dodged on the river to pull down a nice pot.

The only other pot of interest came when the pot had been raised time after time. I posted the hand on the forum, and here's a copy:

$1/$3 game. Hero has about $380 to start the hand, and covers all but the BB (a bad loose player). Either the CO, the button, or the BB (the players in those positions, not the positions themselves) have raised the last seven pots in a row.

Hero limps for $3 with [As Ah]. All other players limp. Pre-flop pot: $21.

Flop: [7c 3d 3s].
Blinds check. Hero bets $10. Next player (typical loose passive live donk) raises to $20 (about $140 behind). All fold to hero. Hero folds.

I could not see a hand that did not have a 3 he would raise here, especially a mini-raise. Passive players do not raise top pair here. Nor do they raise with TT-88 with so many players to act behind. In my mind, that left only trip 3's and a full house. Everyone had folded back to me, and I'm out of position. It was just a matter of reverse implied odds in my mind, because I don't see how I can face another bet on the turn--any turn bet puts me near the commitment threshold, and I am obviously not committed with my hand. So I just decided to cut my losses and bail out. I usually do not go for a limp-reraise with AA, but I was in such early position, and the pot had been raised almost every time--plus, the big blind was liable to go off for his whole stack at any time. It was a calculated risk that didn't work out. C'est la vie. I'm not sorry I folded.

I decided to leave about 30 minutes later when my cards cooled off and I was just getting bored. I was happy to put in some good hours and win about $200. No reason to push it when you aren't feeling it.

"Passive players do not raise top pair here. Nor do they raise with TT-88 with so many players to act behind."



I have to disagree with this statement, based on the read you gave in your thread that this was a "typical live donk". I see live donks min-r with EXACTLY these types of hands (top pair and overpair). Not only that, they're not doing it to protect their hand, they think they're doing it for value! Stronger hands that they SHOULD be protecting, they slow play.



Like I said in your thread, you're playing very smart by having a plan for the rest of the hand (and every hand). But for every two or three hands I make a correct read on a donk (whether the hand was against me or I see them show down against someone else), there's at least one hand a donk shows down that makes me slap my forehead in amazement with how weak of a holding the donk went to showdown with, including min-raising at some point in the hand.



I wish I could play live so much more than I do, because even 25NL online is getting full of grinders, while live players continue to be so clueless.