When will I ever learn? I've been doing great on PokerStars ever since I started focusing mainly on 1/2 and 2/4 cash games as well as $50 single table SnGs and 10$ HU SnGs. The reason for my good run has a lot to do with the fact that, compared to 0.25/0.50 which is what I used to play, the players at the higher stakes actually kinda know what they are doing and it's easier to put them on a hand and outplay them. So, what do I decide to do? Well, obviously it's time to dump 75$ at FullTilt and play 0.25/0.50!

I'm on the table for about twenty minutes and half my stack is already gone to some of the most baffling plays I've ever seen. Then comes this lovely little oddity. Maybe the CO in this hand is a genious and I'm too short-sighted to see the brilliance of his play, but I just don't understand how playing his hand this way will be profitable over the long term. This line of play just screams for a bad beat.

Full Tilt Poker
No Limit Holdem Ring game
Blinds: $0.25/$0.50
6 players
Converter

Stack sizes:
UTG: $19.50
UTG+1: $49.60
CO: $31.35
LearsFool: $27.30
SB: $75.75
BB: $67.70

Pre-flop: (6 players) LearsFool is Button with 9♣ T♠
UTG folds, UTG+1 raises to $1, CO calls $1 (pot was $1.75), LearsFool calls $1 (pot was $2.75), SB calls $0.75 (pot was $3.75), BB calls $0.5 (pot was $4.5).

Flop: 3♣ 7♠ T♦ ($5, 5 players)
SB checks, BB checks, UTG+1 checks, CO bets $2, LearsFool raises to $6, 3 folds, CO calls $4 (pot was $13).

Turn: 7♥ ($17, 2 players)
CO bets $4.5, LearsFool calls $4.5 (pot was $21.5).

River: 8♣ ($26, 2 players)
CO bets $4, LearsFool calls $4 (pot was $30).

Results:
Final pot: $34
CO showed Qd Qh
LearsFool mucks 9c Ts

If I were him, I would have re-raised pre-flop, then re-raised huge on the flop. The advantage of course of playing it the way he did is that I would never put him on QQ. But he also gave me ample opportunity to outdraw him, and take a lot of his money. To my credit though, I think I lost minimum on the hand. In any case, it's all good practice for the "friendly" (read: fishy) home game I'll be attending tonight.