Message Board : Adjustment Tilt

Ed,

First off, I want to thank you for your excellent articles in Card Player. Every issue seems to hit a topic that has either just come up for me or has been on my mind. And the fact that you use lower limit NLH games in your examples helps bring the point home.

Anyway, I just finished reading your article on Adjustment Tilt. I had never really thought of it until you gave it a name for me and sure enough, I came across a major case of it last night.

I was playing in a $1/2 NLH game at a card room I play at all the time here in Florida. I was in the SB with K9o and had limped in for $2 following four other limpers when the BB raised to $6. Here that raise is a pot builder and sure enough all the other limpers called, as did I. The pot was $36.

The flop came 9J9 with two diamonds. As first to act, I bet $25 figuring I would limit the field to anyone with a J and possibly a weaker 9. I hoped the bet would be enough to get flush draws off their hand as a bet that size in this game usually does the trick. One player called, a young guy that had been at the table longer than I was and at one point had about $300 in front of him but now had slightly less than $200, still more than my stack of slightly more than $100. The pot is now $86.

A 6c came on the turn. Again I bet $25 figuring if he had a J he was drawing to two outs and I wanted him in the hand. If he had a weaker 9, I definitely wanted him in the hand. If he was on a flush draw, while he was getting the right price, he was down to one card to hit it. He called. The pot is now $136.

The river brought a scary third diamond. I bet out another $25 hoping he would think that my smallish bets were representing a flush draw and I had hit and fold. If not, I expected my three 9s to be the best hand. Instead of folding, he angrily asked the dealer how much the bet was and called. I really believed I was going to the win the pot after his reaction.

He turned over J4d for a flush. When someone at the table commented about his chasing all the way down with those cards, he said, ”He deserved it. He called a $20 raise last week with A5, flopped a full house, checked it and then when I tried to steal it on the river by going all in with KQ, he called. Now if I lose to him again, I won't mind; I feel like we're even.”

In defense of my A5 call, I was on the button, they were suited hearts and the initial raiser was a very agressive player. I knew if I hit I would win a big pot. If I missed, I go away. I hit hard, check called all the way down and won a huge pot.

But the point of my bringing this up is that in the example you give in your article, the woman tilted for a few hours because of your play. Here is an example of how someone stayed tilted for a week.  

Interesting.  In regard to the way you played the hand.

I agree that the turn bet was a little small.  Think of it this way and that will account for your implied odds.  If he has a flush draw then he has 9 outs and is about 4-to-1 to hit.  You had about $70 behind at the begining of the turn when the pot was $86.  If he hits and you always stack off and lose then he can win $156.  If you want to make that draw correct in this scenario, which is a fair one, then you needs to bet an amount that offers him less than 4-to-1 implied odds.  To solve that just dived $156 by 4 and you get $39.  That means if he has 9 outs and you bet at least $39 then it is breakeven to call.  Fortunately, he often is behind and he often has less than 9 outs.  So, a bet larger than $39 should do the trick.  I think $40 is a good bet.  It shuts out the draws and allows you to stick your last $30 in on the river easily regardless of the card.  You aren't going to fold getting over 6-to-1 on the river even if a flush card comes so protect yourself by making a bet that will be incorrect for him to call but that he is still likely to call.

Also, I honestly wouldn't have called a raise with that hand even getting those odds.  If you were suited I'd be ok with it but K9o isn't the type of hand you are going to do well in a multiway pot with.  If you have 76s or even K9s I would be ok with it.