Online Poker Forum - Harrington - Volume 3

cd123 · Pair Joined: 13 Nov 2005 Posts: 37

Is anyone reading this new book? I'm about halfway through and threads on the problems in the book I think would be great discussion. For example, I totally disagreed with the analysis of problem #6 affirming Harmon's play. If she put the hammer down and not been cute she would have taken this pot. Then there are other porblem where I'm not quite sure I fully understand why this play was bad and that play was good.

Are folks reading the book? Is discussion on the problems of interest?

drcossack · Posted: Tue Jun 20, 2006 1:14 am Post subject:

Ehh, I'm not so sure about that. Sure, it's a possibility that she could've on the turn, but I don't know if what's-his-name would've folded a straight. I doubt I could've done that.

WatZot · Full House Joined: 23 Jun 2005 Posts: 216

I Have read only about half way myself... So far I am finding I like it.

I am also reading Sklansky and Miller 's new book "No Limit Hold'em Theroy and Practice",
I am finding them both informative...

Good Luck!

GoldenDomer9 · Posted: Tue Jun 20, 2006 9:30 am Post subject: Harrington

I've read it twice. I liked it, but disagreed w/some of the problems as well. I disagreed with some of the problems where he advises to check-raise or check-call his flopped monsters. I'm @ work right now, so I'll edit when I have more time. All in all, a great book, but got me thinking on a few of the problems, which is probably a good thing.

cd123 · Pair Joined: 13 Nov 2005 Posts: 37

Just finished the book and I paid particular attention to his bubble strategy section as I find myself in that situation quite a bit. The below is a hand that just happened in an 18 person, $20 SNG, four pay, six left. So according to volume 3, tight is right. Looking for points of views from folks who read volume 3 and the startegy Harrington emphasises.

One of the players (threePitt) had been sitting out for some time and was getting close to being blinded away. The blinds were set to increase in the next few hands, so, based on Harrington, my priority is to cash first, so at the moment I'm playing against the one other low stack who is active (bowlbuzz).

One other aside, I had gotten short stacked on a bad beat (four flush, hate em) but had worked back a little and my stack was currently at it's highest point it had been in a while. In other words, while not feeling comfortable, I no longer felt immediately desperate and felt I could outlast the two short stacks.

Seat 1: CD987 (2875 in chips)
Seat 2: theePITTboss (935 in chips) is sitting out
Seat 3: billec (4905 in chips)
Seat 4: Sandrina Roc (5635 in chips)
Seat 6: Ryedog420 (10675 in chips)
Seat 7: bowlbuzz (1975 in chips)

Starting pot is $700 (blinds 200/400, 300/600 in a few hands)

Dealt to CD987 [Qs Ks]

theePITTboss: folds
billec: folds
Sandrina Roc: folds
Button - Ryedog420: calls 400
SB - bowlbuzz: folds

So the big stack limps into the pot and it is just he and I. KQ is a good hand heads up and I consider raising, but decide to play it small and move forward only if I hit the flop, so I check. In hindsight even if I pushed all in, I think I would have been called.

BB - CD987: checks

*** FLOP *** [3d 4h Kd]

So I hit my King and decide to bet out with nearly a 3/4 pot bet (pot was $1100) thinking this will take it down right there.

CD987: bets 800
Ryedog420: raises 800 to 1600

Big stack raises and here is decision time and the crux of my question based on Harrington. The big stack just told me he has something, or is he just bullying? My thought was that with his limp, the most likely scenario was that he possibly had Kx with a kicker lower than mine, or more likely he had Ax and had hit a small pair. Can't say I considered a set based on his limp as he had raised and showed down 2s and 5s recently. He had not been trappy and had been fairly aggressive pre-flop with many hands, so his limp indicated to me that he had a weak hand but caught a piece, so I was confident that KQ was currently best (wrong!!).

Even with my thought process, which I think was sound regardless of the outcome, based on the bubble strategy Harrington lays out I considered (briefly) folding and playing to cash, make the money, and then playing to win. This seems like a tough lay down to me but I am up against a player that can bust me out with zero.

I think ultimately I was destined to bust out here, but any thoughts relative to Harrington's theories and this situation would be appreciated.

CD987: raises 850 to 2450 and is all-in
Ryedog420: calls 850

[3d 4h Kd Th] [Qc]

*** SHOW DOWN ***
CD987: shows [Qs Ks] (two pair, Kings and Queens)
Ryedog420: shows [3s 3h] (three of a kind, Threes)
Ryedog420 collected 6050 from pot

drcossack · Posted: Sat Jun 24, 2006 10:49 pm Post subject:

Ouch. Rough hand. Possible to get away from that - you have to know the player though. Top pair generally isn't so attractive after a re-raise - two pair, set, potential draw. If I think it's a draw he's raising with, I wait to see what the turn brings.

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