ABC

ABC poker can mean a lot of things but to most exponents it signifies 'bet or raise when you have a good hand and fold if not.' I should have moved up in limits by now but have had a break from poker, returned and played terribly so I have now set about fixing my game at the lowest limit before moving up. I have adopted an ABC style which means interpreting the strength of my hand in the face of fishy actions and then asking myself the question 'can I bet for value?' and if the answer is yes I bet and if it is no then I check.

I took a break from poker because my priorities in life were out of balance and poker easily swallows up a lot of time. I decided to concentrate on guitar playing for a while, practicing determinedly to get my 'chops' back together. Sadly my RSI flared up yet again so I have had to cool it on the guitar front and having just emerged from a long holiday I couldn't help but drift back into poker when I was unable to sit and stroke my axe all day (ahem!)

I have a tendency to turn into a stubborn call station if I do not play for a while. I imagine all sorts of trickiness on the part of my opponents. This is a terrible disease and the cure is ABC poker which I am now taking in regular doses in the hope of a swift cure. Last night I sat down with a note which said 'only bet for value', plus a further note regarding tightening up my cut-off range.  I proceeded to lose more and more and more and more and more until.....I actually flopped a hand. I made a flopped underfull on JJ9 board holding 99 and almost tripled through versus a calling station chasing a straight which he made (70/9 below) and another hopeless case who folded the river, presumably with Ace-high (AQ likely) or a small pair in the pocket. By this time I had watched showdowns, made some notes, amassed some stats on my opponents and I realised I was on a table with the 4 weakest players I have ever seen.  I was so tired my vision was blurring a bit and my head was thick but I kept going determined to stick to my ABC plan on a table where it would be most profitable. I simply bet when I made a hand and checked when I did not. Apart from one accidental semibluff in a bad spot and one disciplined laydown (with set on 4 to a str8 turn, multiway when led into for pot by a station) I rallied against creative thinking and kept it simple.

For stats fans I enclose a HEM screenshot of the table, the most revealing stats are the first two numbers vpip and pfr: 'voluntarily put into pot' and 'pre flop raise' stats respectively. An ABC player at 6max/shorthanded will run at something like 22/18  entering a pot with just over 1/5 of hands dealt and raising most of those before the flop. Below is a screenshot the worst set of stats I have ever seen on any one table all at the same time. By the way I know my 15/11 is incredibly tight but those stats are cumulative and I mostly play full ring/9 handed where 15/11 works profitably. I have yet to play enough 6max to effect my stats significantly. In the shot below I 4x'd QQ pre and got 4 callers so I should have raised it more preflop but I was tired and had to leave soon after this hand even though it pained me! 70/9 in the small blind was chief donator.