When you bet 2k with QQ its good to have a plan for when you get shoved on. If your plan is to fold then don't bother putting in the 2k. Then you can go into hero-call mode if they are overvaluing 88-JJ. Also chances of him having AA/KK is very low as most players aren't smart/sly enough to flat call a 4-bet pre-flop with those hands. Love the content good luck crushing these high stakes whales!
Personally, I don't have a 5bet range 1v1 and will call AA and KK vs a 4bet. The games I play aren't deep enough to justify 5 betting and people will actually lock themselves into bluffing more frequently if they get to the flop of a 4bet pot.
IMHO his decision was influenced solely by the amount he's risking relative to his bankroll and that is understandable. So the better conclusion here is play the game that is way comfortable for the bankroll that you have!
My analysis of the hand was spot on by Brendan…if your saying these guys have money and are wealthy … maybe the guy has a 5K watch on his wrist? Something along that line maybe? But your 2K bet on the turn says I’m calling if he raises or just check to see what he’s gonna do… I put him on 1010 thru 55… I’m gonna must up and call… Wish you the best
Your honesty in your vlogs is being appreciated. That is why you are my favorite poker Vlogger. As far as with 2 queens, I would not bet as much to begin with and I would also fold at the end. In my case, I would lose less money with less tilt :) .
Another great video 👍. You're the most honest poker vlogger in the game. Maybe on those tough 50/50 calls like the QQ hand - you should ask yourself. "If this was a 1/2 game, what would I do".. keep your poker game simple. You said it in the video earlier that those players had money to burn 🔥. That guy tried to burn his money, but you forgot your lighter
25K looked very bluffy to me. I'm sure being there in the moment changes everything. Looking forward I would stay away from that big of a game until you can conquer the MUB syndrome. Taking a shot in the bigger games always is very enticing but you need to be prepared for anything. Thanks for the video Lex. Have an awesome day.
I think you channel is one of the best, because we get to see the good bets or ones that are not. I learn from both. When the vloggers only show the wins I don't learn as much. I much rather see both and learn from both and appreciate your honesty.
I haven't watched the conclusion yet... based on his previous play where he 2x potted the river with the bottom of a straight, I would definitely lean towards a call as he has shown to over value marginal hands. Also, I'm not sticking a raise in there unless I'm willing to stack off, but you are planning to jam river anyway... so I'd call in your shoes. Now time to watch and see!!!
Gucci Lex! Thanks for the "Scared Money" shout out...LOL! This yet another example of why you have one of my fav vlogs to watch and why I recommend your vlog to my followers. I believe that there a group of watchers that appreciated the honesty... that watch vlogs to gain insight into the game, and not watch bad play that gets lucky, or vloggers that punt off stacks in an attempt to increase their "brand". As for the Q,Q hand... I think the challenge is that you did not trust your initial read of the villain's starting range. His Raise/Call Preflop... takes out A,A...K,K... and really A,K suited. So your 4-bet was... thinking he was on 8,8 to Q,Q or maybe A,K off, was solid. When He Calls your $800 on the Flop... The range you had placed him on is still in play... (A,K off would most likely fold to your $800 bet). A,5 suited may be (have been) an option, but was NOT part of your initial read... The Turn 3 of Clubs doesnt really affect the initial range you put him on... SO, your play of a half pot bet, with a river shove was fine IF you had the intent to Call or Fold if the River came and Ace, Jack or 10... (personally, I dont see many solid players calling a 4 bet preflop against a tight image player with 8,8 or 9,9)... I think the problem was, you made a very common error that most make when moving up in stakes... You RE-RANGED him WIDER after his action... meaning, you brought in new hands he could have, which confused the situation. An opponents Range should get tighter with each street. IF you had him on A,5 suited, A, 3 suited or 3,3 preflop... then this is a check on the Turn and a Fold to his bet and you would have been ok with your decision regardless of what he showed. Since your gut did not include these hands initially... you went against your read which may account for some of the frustration when he showed the 9, 9. Just my opinion.
The worst thing you can do is kick yourself after a wrong decision. Just like folding a hand like 7 3 off suit and the flop comes 7 7 3. ( Happened to me) You cant let it drive your decision making. Brush it off and get to the next hand. Sometimes these small losses serve you greater in the long run. No one plays perfect poker. Its impossible. Play consistent , dont try and bluff too much, and dont let your emotions run your game for you. Think. Thats all. Watch and think. Usually a bit of logical deduction will help you prevail.
Hey Lex, love your vlogs! I think your QQ vs. 99 hand was ok to fold. But maybe in future games of this size you can profile this type of new player as someone who will attempt to pressure you with their large stack.
I watch your videos all the time. I really like them. I have to admit that I perceive that you play scared often. You will gain confidence. You are a solid player.
Great job choosing to step outside to reground yourself and shake off the tilt/steam! That’s a winning strategy that most players don’t implement enough! Keep doing what you’re doing, learning from your mistakes and not letting tilt control your emotions/game. Respect! 👊
Lex is always bringing the authenticity. Having never played, and prolly never will, at these stakes, i listened for your read if he would be good enough to not 4- or 5-bet (I forget which) AA/KK but I don’t recall you having a strong read either way. You don’t go on a 100k upswing by making bad calls, so in the grand scheme it was one buy-in of profit missed. It sucks and it sucks showing it for everyone but it’ll be forgotten by the next vlog. Hell I have monsters under the bed syndrome at 1/2!😂😂😂 Thanks for the content sir! Hope the run good keeps coming ur way!
Appreciate your transparency LEX. Just went on an 8k upswing and now im on a 5k downswing and sometimes i think watching a lot of vloggers it looks like theyre always winning cause they dont upload to many losses if any. GGs
That was a great play with the pocket 99's. Used the big stack to perfection, once in a while skill plays out. But that only works verses a thinking player.
Actually it's possible that what happened is the villain got lucky with four undercards on the board to his 99. There's just a 14% chance of that happening with 99. He probably thought he was good. He thought Lex had the AK, AQ (giving six outs) and thought Lex was semi-bluffing and drawing to the over-card. He shoved all in to protect his 99 from a river A, K or Q.
Pocket Queens hand is good example of why I personally don't like playing at big stack tables, where there is a person that doesn't care about money... they can put you into a blender and it's very frustrating. Hindsight 20/20... it appeared that your plan was to get the money in from the start, by raising to $2K... his jam was a good move on his part, with his weaker hand... put the brakes on you. Been there... it sucks! I don't know what I've done if I were in your spot. You evaluated it for what it was worth at the time... I feel your pain brother. You'll catch'em next time.
Only tell is the flat call pre. AA or KK would likely re-raise there most often. Guess i have to call the shove in this spot, though it sure feels like a cooler.
Yo dude been watching you since the Flagler days. Way to to go! I've folded those ladies preflop still makes me wonder. Good fold. Goooosfraba. Goooosbabha 😅
That’s a narrow way to view it imo, villain could be hoping to exploit that type of thinking with a value hand. Although in this case it turns out villains just batshit crazy 😂
At least your man enough to admit when your having a “scary mental” day!!! That earns respect in my mind.. because you didn’t have to be open like that… so respect bro.. it’s one hand .. from theory angle you made the right fold.. don’t sweat it.. just move on and keep grinding
Lex - curious about your thoughts on this take. Is it possible that if you raised his river bet on that 6/7 K2 hand, where you both had straights, that he may not have jammed on that QQ hand. I'm always thinking about how one play might induce other plays later. And BTW I'm not saying that I would have raised that first hand either. Just saying maybe he perceived you were short staked and playing very tight/passive and thought he could get a fold with the jam. It didn't look bluffy to me either given how strong you played it almost face up.
That was my exact thought. The way it played out just felt so much like an over pair that was never folding the turn so he just comit to it at that point going all in for “protection”
10:56 the flop is not in your your range, so he could think you bluff. You were on scary money. Just ask yourself what is the right desicion, regardless the amount of money. Imagine its 1cent/2cent. Even with that small amounts, you have to play well. Sorry if I sound like a smartass... it's always easy taking, when you're not the one who is under pressure. Thanks for your videos and showing your poker journey. Gosh, you have such a great dog! Forget all the smartass advice I gave. The best thing you can do is, spend as much time as possible with this wonderfull friend you have. No amount of money can buy quality time with your best furry friend.
I feel your pain Lex, these people who have so much money and make donk calls with rags. Dude should have never been in the hand with Q4. Insane. Tonight I had AQ in a 1/3 game, limped to me, I made it $36 to go from the button. BB calls, UTG1 calls. Flop is QQ7. Turn 10, River 2. I bet $16 on the flop, then BB raises to $60, UTG calls $60, I re-raise all-in for $200. Both call. BB had flat called with KK (drunk recreational player, was losing money all night). UTG1 (a regular) had Q2, spiked the boat on the river to beat my AQ. I fold most of my hands, and when I have great cards, I bet them hard, get my money in ahead, then lose. The more money in the pot, the more likely I am to get drawn out on. My QQ vs 10-8 preflop all-in for $250, lose. My AKs vs AQo preflop all-in for $600, lose. My AQ vs insane drunk: I raise $60 preflop, he calls, flop Q-10-8, he goes all-in just like he has done on every flop the last 10 hands (and lost like $5000). I call, but this time, he had J-9 and flopped a straight.
Lex, you and Mariano are my fave bloggers because of the way you recap your thought processes by hand and describe your general headspace post game. I think the QQ hand colored the way you played the 76H hand due to tilt/recency bias. You jumped up in stakes in this game and perhaps that’s why you played a bit tenuously but not badly at all. Poker like many skill games requires both the memory of an elephant in certain aspects and amnesia in others. Wild. GG and look forward to your next vlog.
Just another comment from the masses but regarding the QQ hand, I think you should reread your buddy's texts. Its obviously a close spot, but the 2 guys (middle & right text) really give you some great advice. In a vacuum & against the population this hand is a fold. But, against specific villian's, it becomes closer to a call. I think in close spots like this, that's the next level of information you need to process. In these big games, these super wealthy businessmen essentially derive their edge by exactly what this guy did, max pressure. It's what Blank Check Ben does all the time at HCL, and why he wants "people to have 100% of themselves". Against another grinder, this hand is almost a snap fold. Against a weathly businessman who doesn't care about the dollar amount, this crosses over into a call, and I believe that's how you described this villian. Tough spot, and even tougher when you're essentially shot taking. Good luck.
I think you hit the nail on the head. The pot and game FELT big to you. Big games feel scary, thus monsters under the bed. Just 2 years ago you'd have played scared at 5/10. Don't let it get you down...you have been playing great, growing your bankroll, building your confidence on streams, etc. You will get there...give yourself some grace and time.
Like others probably said- History: New player had not seen before Bought in 40k Bet big with small straight on paired Played many hands Probably wearing a 25k watch Hand: Called 4-bet pre Prob read $2k bet on turn as small But mostly, it’s a player dependent thing Great vlog !
10:55 Given that player type you described, I would call him there, I put him on a flush draw. I thought it would be unlikely for him to have a straight or trips in his range for a 4bet pot. Also if he had AAs or KKs he probably would 5bet jam pre. I might fold to a tighter player
In my opinion you have to call with Queens, you 4-bet and he doesn’t 5 bet, most of the time Kings and Aces will 5- bet. Also because all of the cards were low cards we can probably eliminate sets. He also bought in for a lot so he is more likely to have less regard for the money as he has 4x your stack. Basically, you are only being beat by Aces or Kings and since no 5-bet I believe you have to call. Can’t let the stakes affect your decision, I believe you would have made the call at lower stakes
Lex.. I think just calling with the nut straight was the right play. He bet polarizing, and he’s probably not calling if you raise either. Great video as always!
Hey Lex! I know QQ stands out but I think there is another hand that is quite interesting. That is the straight you made when your nemesis made the lower straight with K2. You mentioned as you were scooping the pot that you were wishing you had raised. I think you made the right play and you should credit yourself for it. How often is your opponent going to call a raise with just a 2? Sure could happen sometimes yet I think it is unlikely. Great video. Give yourself credit where it is due for the hands that you scoop. Cheers!
I would CALL! It’s called gambling for a reason AND Lex O folded that FLUSH in Vegas. We’re in the exact same boat here. However I would fold and give up if that’s all the money I had on the spot. Got to buy food for myself and puppers 🐶
Ha! Remember the poker song by Kenny Rogers folks - Every hand is a winner and every hand is a loser. You got to know when hold ‘em know when to fold ‘em 🎵🎶
I raised 5x UTG with 9c7c (I had losses up by this time.) Folds to button who re-raised to 15x. I call and I pair the board and check. Villain goes all in and I call but get rivered with a higher pair. Moral of the story: I called because I could afford to lose that amount. That's the level I play.
Tough hand with the queens. My thoughts, not that they are necessarily always correct either, is that when the player is rec or unknown, I lean more toward putting him on lower overpairs in this spot since generally they are trying to "protect" from overcards thinking that you are "bluffing" with big cards a good amount of the time. It's much easier calling for 1K in my 2/5 game though, so I get it. Of course whenever I call in this spot, I get shown AA every time 😂
I would’ve folded the QQ in that spot. I do agree with a comment suggesting however that if you don’t have a plan for being check raised after betting 2k on the turn. You should be checking back turn, it reduces these types of nightmare situations and it allows the opponent to bluff rivers.
Calling or folding that turn jam when you have QQ on 2c3d4h 3c is fine. Maybe having a solution of bet fold or bet call before you lead the turn would be good =). Obviously the part of playing pots OOP that sucks.
He already played with K2 against you. With 40k stack he would five bet raise you preflop with AA,KK,JJ. You have committed 45% of your chips to win 70/30 odds. You need bigger balls overall or go back to 2/5
bruh Goooozfraba amazing reference , such an underrated movie. Regarding the QQ hand I think you have to call. Especially w the way he played that K2dd hand. Also, if he slow played AA n KK pre he probably continues doing that. The pot was 4bet pre, I just don't see many hands he has that beats you. Love the vids as always. EDIT: Watched the outro. Did you tell your friends who you sent the hand to about the K2dd hand?
Hi Lex being a four bet pot we can filter out a lot of possible hands. Im not sure how often he would have a 3 here. 56 suited should also not be calling a 4 bet in this configuration. The hands that beat you are four combos of A5 suited, and pocket aces and kings that decided not to 5 bet. His bluffs come from AK-AT of clubs that floated on the flop. Mayb not ideal that you have a club in your hand but it is what it is. Somewhat concerning that, if he had 99-JJ, he may just elect to call in position, using these hands as a bluffcatcher. Mind you, if he has JJ without a club he may decide to hell with it, lets just get it in. All in all I think you need to find some calls here that are not AA or KK. I would stick the money in. You have some AK combos yourself that would play this way but can now safely give up.
Lex, rough result but love the way you play. I dont think it was a bad fold because i think A3o is in his 4 bet defend range. He later played Q4off in a single raised pot. I could be wrong but if A3 off is in your opponent's 4 bet call range then I think it is a slam dunk fold. I guess it depends on how many more turn bluffs with a flat 4 bet range that includes A-x he picks up. I would hope he is folding out A6-A9 and Kx Qx to a 4 bet. So I think this board nails that range. And I don't think he is capable of bluffing here with a balanced frequency here. So i think he has way more value here where QQ is in rough shape. Although im not sure if his jam was for value/protection or as a bluff lol. Regardless, I felt tilted with you. I think you absolutely did the right thing and didn't get paid this time. Next hand bud.
Frankly speaking, it would depend largely on my stack size. You still have one card to go and an invested $3000... You can't win if you don't call. If you couldn't afford it you would not be playing at these stakes. I would have folded earlier in the hand...NOT after I bet that much. You have already passed the threshold to fold. You are now committed. CALL!
