[guinness]

I made the biggest laydown of my life yesterday at Foxwoods. Playing the $5/$10 NL table, seat 8 raises to $85 preflop. Seat 9 flat calls and I look down at pocket fours and flat call. Flop comes J-7-4 rainbow. The 4 was the door card. I'm pumped since I'm putting seat 8 on Aces. Seat 9 was a passive player who was looking at the sports book all day and wasn't really playing pots much.

Seat 8, the original preflop raiser, puts out $165. Seat 9 takes a minute and calls (I put him on AJ at this point). I raise to $400. Seat 8 goes all in for another $250 or so and Seat 9 raises it to $2000 (he has $5100 in front of him and so did I)! I go into the tank, realizing I'm really going to be pot committed after the ensuing turn bet comes in, then I put the guy on a better set and fold and he jumps up when I show my 4's and he shows his J's. Seat 8 had Kings and Seat 9 wins the pot. The turn and river didn't bring a fourth 4 so I get off easy.

I've NEVER been so happy to lose over $500 in my life! I was jumping for joy. With no straight or flush out there, its hard to lay down a flopped set. Would never do it at my home game hehee.

[yeltzen]

Very nice laydown, sir! Just remember to not make this play TOO often... well, unless you're always right!

[guinness]

Originally Posted by yeltzen

Very nice laydown, sir! Just remember to not make this play TOO often... well, unless you're always right!

Well heres the funny thing...my wife had just got off the phone with me stating that she is now pulling into Foxwoods after a 2.5 hr drive...I mention to her I'm up $4100 and she's jacked....THEN this is hand I sit down to while she's parking her car....if she came into the poker room and saw no chips in front of me I would have NOT gotten any Pah-nay-nay that night hehee...

[JM]

nice read! Did you tell her about the great laydown or that you miscounted when you told her you were +4100?

[guinness]

Originally Posted by JM

nice read! Did you tell her about the great laydown or that you miscounted when you told her you were +4100?

The neighboring 5/10NL table had 5 of its players on their feet watching this hand so by the time the wife came in and sat next to me, people were still talking about the hand. The set of Jacks guy was really personable and he actually walked over to her and said "your husband made a great laydown..blah blah". My wife doesn't know poker so she's like "okay super whatever". I couldn't lie about the stacks since they were still on the table when she arrived. I ended up +3500 at the end of the night...lost $700 before quittin time.

[JM]

Just curious, how much do you sit with at that game and how are the players? Maybe a mini review of the game is what I'm looking for. I've only played the 2/4 limit there and keep thinking about playing NL.

[guinness]

Originally Posted by JM

Just curious, how much do you sit with at that game and how are the players? Maybe a mini review of the game is what I'm looking for. I've only played the 2/4 limit there and keep thinking about playing NL.

The buyin for 5/10NL is min 500 and max 2000. I bought in for $1000 and didn't have to reload. It used to be a 5/5 NL game with min 200 and No max so now the money-dynamic is less. Depending on when you go, the 5/10 can be composed of 8/10 people playing professionally but Saturday night had 3 players with 7 amateurs. Since you play 2/4 limit, I'm assuming you'd be tempted to play the 1/2 NL table which is min 100 and max 300 (used to be 40 min and 100 max).

I've heard nightmares about some of the 1/2 tables where players go 10-20x the BB for a preflop bet. No consistency in play and much more gambling. You are much better off playing the 2/5 NL table as its a min 200 and max 500 and the players are better in terms of textbook play. Usually you will find the higher the table, the less the donktaculars (but at the higher tables you only need one or two donkeys to supply the table hehe).

The 10/25 NL table used to be rare but now I heard its pretty regular and that game I'd stay away from.....heard theres a lot of pissing contests between the local pros so I'd like to stay out of that firing line.

[JM]

Thanks! That's exactly what I was wondering. I've heard the same about the 1/2 NL and have been tempted, but didn't want to be in a donkfest. Maybe I will try 2/5NL next time. I assume that is $200 min and what $1000 max?

Originally Posted by guinness

The buyin for 5/10NL is min 500 and max 2000. I bought in for $1000 and didn't have to reload. It used to be a 5/5 NL game with min 200 and No max so now the money-dynamic is less. Depending on when you go, the 5/10 can be composed of 8/10 people playing professionally but Saturday night had 3 players with 7 amateurs. Since you play 2/4 limit, I'm assuming you'd be tempted to play the 1/2 NL table which is min 100 and max 300 (used to be 40 min and 100 max).

I've heard nightmares about some of the 1/2 tables where players go 10-20x the BB for a preflop bet. No consistency in play and much more gambling. You are much better off playing the 2/5 NL table as its a min 200 and max 500 and the players are better in terms of textbook play. Usually you will find the higher the table, the less the donktaculars (but at the higher tables you only need one or two donkeys to supply the table hehe).

The 10/25 NL table used to be rare but now I heard its pretty regular and that game I'd stay away from.....heard theres a lot of pissing contests between the local pros so I'd like to stay out of that firing line.

[dad604]

Great read and great lay down. I think I would have gotten stacked on that hand.

[guinness]

Originally Posted by JM

Thanks! That's exactly what I was wondering. I've heard the same about the 1/2 NL and have been tempted, but didn't want to be in a donkfest. Maybe I will try 2/5NL next time. I assume that is $200 min and what $1000 max?

The 2/5 NL is a 200 min and 500 max. I keep trying to convince my friends who play the 1/2 that you are apt to make more at the 2/5 with solid play than the 1/2 with solid play because most of those 1/2 guys have no concept of pot odds and so you will have less of a chance to protect your hand as long as someone has a gutshot straight draw. At least most of the 2/5 guys know what they're paying for. The 5/10 moves up a bump in the sense that everyone knows text book poker, but change gears enough to make it an interesting game. The 10/25 NL table to me has mostly players that know each other VERY well, so for someone who only goes about 5 times a year I'm at a HUGE disadvantage to sit there.

Edit: For the local NH CTrs, I flopped quad 2's this time and won! (the biggest single-hand loss I ever had was a couple years ago where I lost quad 2's to quad 5's...I was depressed about poker for a week after that visit )

Edit Edit: The guy with a set of jacks looks exactly like Zolotow...so for you Fox hounds out there the zolotow guy who's heavy into the sports book..ask him about the set of jacks.