Wasted river bets

Poker has been reasonably kind to me over the last couple of days.Not been playing too much after Saturday nights long session , just a couple of hours per night.Played at Partys $100 nl 6 max on Monday night for a $40 profit.The $100 nl table seemed just as crazy bonkers as the $50nl.

Last night I decided to play a full ring game as a change of pace from the intensity of 6 max.Ended up two tabling and winning the few hands that I did play.When I write stuff like that I tend to give the impression I sit waiting for AA or KK all night when that's not the case.What I look for are opportunities. I remember a US motivational sales tape trying to persuade me my morning alarm clock is actually my "Opportunity clock" as its my opportunity to get up and make the most of my day.Hmmm.

Anyway its waking up to the opportunities at the table that seem to have made me my small profits recently.This time a villan was raising preflop almost everytime and I was duly folding.I watched as he ran over the table and had to admire his style.This time he min raised and I called with 45 sooted from late postion and again when I got odds for my flush draw on the flop.My flush hit when an Ace clubs fell on the turn and with 3 others in the pot I bet right out and took it down.

I think I took it down as I'd hardly played a hand until that point and could even have been ahead having paired the Ace ( in the villans minds) judging by the quality of hands being shown down due to the continual preflop raising by the aforementioned villan.Of course low sooted connectors can vunerable to a higher flush when all the cards are out which is also partly why I was happy to take it there and then.

A couple of observations from the tables recently.If someone checks to you on the river ( your on button) why would you make a min bet only to fold to a raise? Example. Board A 7 7 blank,blank at a 6 max $50nl table. A few limpers means the pot is around $2.50.Checked round to Player A post-flop who bets 50c.Why? If you have the Ace you want to find out if the 7 is out there bet the pot and if you get a caller it's time to slow down.The 50c was called by Player B and after everyone else folded this pattern was repeated until the river when Player A again bet 50 c when it was checked to them.Player A has no idea what Player B holds so why the bet? It was raised to $9 by B and Player A folded.

I saw another almost identical scenario when a player led out for 50c post-flop ( button again) and continued to bet the same no matter what came on the turn and river.Do people not realise that betting patterns tell stories? On that occasion the min -raiser was reraised to $15 on the river and folded.I don't write much strategy stuff as I don't feel qualified to do so but even at the low levels I play at you need to ensure your bets in nl tell the story you want the villan to hear.

Ok wee sis has arrived for dinner followed by AC Milan v Barcelona in the first leg of the Champions league semi-finals.

Should be a cracker...