$4-$8 Limit Cash Game

I come into the Bally's Invitational with a game plan of making it deep and with an aura of confidence. Before the tournament starts, It is noon and I find my way to a $4-$8 Limit Holdem table that is getting large amounts of action with a loose and aggressive player. I buy in for $300 and the average stack at the table is around $450. Through observing this table for over an hour, I notice that the chip stack is playing & raising nearly every hand pre-flop with a stack of over $1,000. A seat is finally open and I take it. The first 30 minutes or so and then the next 30 minutes and then the next thirty, I fold every hand: J,3; 7,2; J,4, etc. Finally at the three hour mark, from mid-position, I raise it to $6 with pocket 10s. Yes, I know- this is really a nemesis hand for me but remember this is Limit Poker and not a No-Limit Tournament. The chip stack in seat 10, three bets it to $8. I raise it to $10 and Seat 10 caps off the betting by raising it to $12 and I call. Through our raising of the pot, we force four players that limped in to fold. The flop is A, 9, 4 all different suits. I check and he bets $2. I raise it to $4 and he re-raises it to $6 and I call. If you're keeping count we are now at a $48 pot headed to the turn. The blinds are $1-$2 and you can raise in increments of $2 through the flop. After the flop, all bets/raises are in $4 increments and unlimited betting rounds after the flop. The turn is a 2-hearts (now there is two hearts on the board) and I bet out $4 and he re-raises to $8. I re-raise it to $12 and he re-raises to $16. I call. The pot is now at $80.

My initial read pre-flop is that he has King, rag and completely looking to bully me in my first pot of the day. Thus far, he has steamrolled the table and I want to send the message that two can play that game. The river is another 2. Thus far the board is A,9,4,2,2. I check and am looking to trap. I do not put him on a 2 at all;otherwise, I would have to fold. he bets $4 and I make it $8 to go. He re-raises to $12 and we exchange a volley of $4 raises until we get to $24 and I say do you want to just make it simple and go all-in. I am demonstrating strength and he is taking it as a sign of weakness. This hand has now taken over 10 minutes to play and a crowd is gathering. He has a chip stack of over $900 and my stack is at $200. Remember that this is Limit Poker and you cannot go all-in per say but if you are entangled in a pot with multiple raises, then you can keep betting until you have no more chips after the flop. We ask the floor manager if we can go all-in since we seem to be headed towards the inevitable: unlimited re-raising. The pot is now at $128 and counting. Neither one of us is going anywhere and we are playing "chicken in the bull ring". The floor manager saids "yes" if we both agree. I say not yet and raise it to $28, he looks at the floor man and saids 'all-in". The floor man looks in interest and so does the table. The floor man saids "Mr. Lam, if you agree-then you can go all-in, other wise you can just call. I look at the floor man and say what if "I don't agree'. The other player saids to me 'you scared"! I say " I call!' and want to see your hand, did you miss your flush draw and he looks at the floor man and saids do I have to show, the floor man saids "yes, you've been called and reveals K,5 of hearts. I take down a monster pot of $528 and take a quick break for myself and wink at the other player. The table remarks in unison, "nice call!" I am thinking, Whew! 10s held up and I trusted my initial read. However, if my initial read was wrong, I would have been severely behind and basically calling off my stack.

Everyone wants in at our $4-$8 Limit table and no one at the table is leaving anytime soon. Tournament poker and cash game poker are two different beasts and require different skill sets but the core remains the same: your reads & instincts. In tournament poker, once you are out of chips, you're out but in cash game poker, you're never out until you have no money. Staying aler and sharp with focus is absolutely crucial in Limit Poker as you will fold lots of hands and need to grab that advantage when you have it. I would like to Welcome our two newest sponsors of Chewey's Corner: All In One Health and Bazi #118386. For more information on these two sponsors, please visit the retailers section of the site or click on their banner ads on the right side of this page.

Come back for my next entry on how I win with Jack high against the same player and action from the 08 Bally's Invitational and more cash game action.
Chewey