Turns on a Dime, Don't It?
The whole VIP program at Absolute Poker intrigues me so I thought I'd play a while there last night. I wanted tables that were over 30% view flop, so I ended up at 1X $3/6, 1X $2/4 (a rarity at Absolute anymore) and 2X $1/2. All full ring. I just have no success at short hand.
About 30 minutes into it I was down about $10 at one $1/2. Just about even at the other $1/2 and the $2/4, and up about $45 at the $3/6. Going pretty well. It was about 10 minutes until I had to take my dog to the vet, so I clicked off the auto-post, preparing to punch out before my next blinds.
At my $2/4 table I am the second limper from MP2 with QhJh. Both blinds complete. Flop comes
Js Jc 8d.
EP bets and I raise, both blinds fold, and EP calls. I put him on a draw with T9. I think pocket 88, or AJ, KJ would have been slow-played by this guy. turn comes 4c
EP bets. Hmmmmmmmm.... did he really bet out with trips or a flopped boat? I can't believe it. I raise again. EP calls. River is 7h. EP bets. Now every hand I had him on has me beat, but it's worth the crying call, so I make it. He shows Tc 9c.
Meanwhile on my $3/6 table, I get Kh Td in the C/O. There is only 1 limper. I limp, as does the button, the SB completes, and the BB checks. Flop is Kc 9c 6d
EP bets and I raise, BTN folds, SB folds and BB calls. EP calls. Turn is Ks. EP bets and I raise. I am at least hoping to get the flush-drawing BB to fold. He calls anyways. So does EP. River is 7c
BB bets. EP folds. I make the crying call with top trips (again). He shows me Jc 8c. And I take my dog to the vet having lost another $40 at poker.
I think the guy with the Tc 9c hand played it well. He bet into his draw with a semi-bluff, and called the flop raise. Then bet into it again when he drew to a 15 outter on the turn (although a few get discounted as he must assume I have trips).
I think the flop and turn cold calls by the Jc 8c were not very good play, given he has a non-nut draw to a non-nut flush. Poor play gets rewarded sometimes, though, and quite often against me lately. Sigh.
I noted that my VIP Status Points (VSPs) at Absolute Poker are accumulating half as fast as my ARPs. The T&Cs state it should be at the same rate (or faster once you are promoted to "Platinum" or "Elite" level). I have written to Absolute to ask about this. It takes a lot of luster off the program if the VSPs are only growing at half the rate as the ARPs.