That’s the expression right? Or is it stupid people? Either way, I can certainly relate. During the past 2 weeks I have been getting my money in good a lot and getting called by donkeys and losing a fair bit. If you’re like me when you hear people say stuff like that you wonder how accurate and honest they are being so I’ll give you 2 examples that happened in the same night online.

During the first example I was playing a 10 cent 20 cent cash game at a table that was mostly playing tight with one loose player who limped into most pots and had shown a couple of big bluffs. I was playing a variation of a short stack strategy and had built up to $12.50 from the $5 I sat down with and was debating leaving the table when I was dealt KK one off the button. By the time the action got to me there were 3 players in the pot for .60 or a total of $1.80 with both blinds to play so there were some good implied odds as well but I decided to raise to $1.80 to weed things out a little .. This was going to be my last hand anyway; I think it’s because I had been playing a tight SSS that only one player called my raise, the loose bluffer. The flop turned over 5H 10H QS The bluffer checked it to me and I decided there was enough money in the pot and I didn’t want to let him hit a big card for free to I put the rest of my $12.50 into the pot and he called with …. 2H 4H he hit a heart on the turn for his flush, one of my Ks was a heart so a heart on the river would have given me the better flush but the river drew a blank. So, buddy was willing to put $12.50 into a pot that was raised before the flop by a tight player with 2 4 suited before he hit his flush. How do you play against that?

Right after this tournament I moved to another site and played in a $5 6 player tournament and made it to the bubble. When I get to three handed poker later in a tournament I have a rule that generally works well for me regardless of chip count, table image etc. My rule three handed is that if I like my hand enough to play it I raise it and if I don’t like my hand enough to raise I don’t play it. Both of the other players were playing pretty tight and there weren’t too many outlandish bets or anything. During the hand in question I picked up KK (oh shit, I just had this hand busted at the last table) so I decide to pop them all in and take down the blinds right now, fold fold would have made me the chip leader so I didn’t mind not building a pot here and I also didn’t mind if I got called weak, which I did. My one caller turned over K 9 BECAUSE EVERYBODY KNOWS YOU CAN’T FOLD K9 TO AN ALL IN WHEN YOU ARE ONE SPOT WAY FROM MAKING THE MONEY, RIGHT? Flop, 9 7 9 turn and river drew blanks and I’m done.

I am not kidding you when I say that I have been getting called weak (A LOT) lately and my hands have not been holding up but that’s poker sometimes. Here’s something I figured out during this run. As you get better you will be getting your money in with the best hand more and more often, some of those hands will get called and sometimes the donkey will hit what he needs to beat you. But, if that’s what they mean when they say “don’t play smart against stupid players” then I have to disagree, keep playing smart, keep getting your money in ahead and you’ll make money even if the poker gods smack you upside the head every now and again.

Hope you’re all playing the PBR freeroll on Saturday at Titan. I should be there.

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