anyones opinion of how to play against a friend?

[davey16 0]

Two friends and I play at a local bar a couple times a week. It is 1/2 nl and everyone sits w/ around $300. When we play tourneys there we have an agreement that if one person cashes we give the others 10% if they were in the tournament. We do not play together or team up on people we just do that b/c one of us is always cashing and we play in a lot of tournaments.But in the cash games we play it straight but try to avoid getting into big pots against one another. What we agreed on doing was that if we were in a big pot together and one of us got a monster hand we would just make a strong bet at the pot so that we would not bust each other. Well on 4 occasions I have made it unprofitable for the other guy to call say it is on a flush draw or str8 draw when i have flopped a set or top 2 for example but he has chased it to the river and out drawn me. Well last night he makes a raise in early position and i am in 3 off the button in a 10 handed game....1 person had called him so i made the call w/ Ace 3 of spades and two more people behind me call....We see the flop 5 handed w/ $50 in the pot.... Now he normally a pretty tight player..so i put him on a premium hand. The flop comes Ace 3 7 rainbow. He bets out 15 one player folds, I just called b/c they had two people behind me and he would have played AA or Ak like that. Both players behind me fold so we are heads up....Now remember out agreement tht if you have a strong hand you bet it and the other guy folds. Well he checks the turn to me so now I have 2 pair w/ the nut flush draw...the only premium hand that beat me or AA(not likely b/c I have an ace), or AQ or QQ which he obviously would bet on the turn per out agreement. Well he checks the turn i that tells me that i have him beat so I bet out $60 to say get out my pot and he moves allin for another $74 on top of that. Now at that point I don't know what the hell he's doin but now there is $270 in the pot and it is $70 to me w/ two pair and nut flush draw...I call and he has AQ.....My question is this : Is there anyway he was not trying to get me to double him up b.c all his past actions say that he was and what should i do from this point on?All input is appreciated. thanks in advance

[Razor 0]

I don't think you mentioned it, but I'm guessing a Q came on the turn.?Anyway, my honest advice would be to keep the tourney agreement that you have, but tell him and your other buddy that cash games are every man for himself, then I'd maybe think about calling raises from middle position with A,rag suited.

[turd ferguson 1]

You guys should just play eachother like you would anybody else. Softplaying is unfair to the other people in the game.

[grimtaash 0]

My policy for playing friends is simple. I try to win all the chips. If I take a friend out, I'll usually buy him a beer or something. Don't play poker with friends if taking their money is a problem. And never make agreements on how to play each other beforehand. It's just wrong.grim

[Smiddywap 0]

Dude, he check raised you with top two pair. Deal's off.

[davey16 0]

Yes the queen of spades was the turn and the only reason I played A/3 suited was b/c in that game they are about 4 pairs that will double you up if they have a pair regardless of the board.

[Longshanks 0]

if yall had a deal that was pretty sorry of him, id have sex with his wifea la george costanza

[Hyaku-Shiki 0]

Never softplay.I'd bust my own grandmother for a nickel.

[turd ferguson 1]

if yall had a deal that was pretty sorry of him, id have sex with his wifea la george costanza

Yeah? Well, the jerk store called....

[PAYforUSC 0]

i collusion

[Petoria 0]

You guys should just play eachother like you would anybody else. Softplaying is unfair to the other people in the game.

Not to mention that it's collusion. I've run into similar situations when my friends thought I shouldnt try to outplay them. Friends at the table are different than friends off the table. I'll try to put my friends on tilt even and play them harder than the other guys at the table so we can improve our games. There's no reason you shouldnt do some sort of profit sharing for cash games as well, as long as it will keep you from softplaying.

[Staynerjohn 0]

You guys should just play eachother like you would anybody else. Softplaying is unfair to the other people in the game.

Agreed...if you are afraid to take your buddies money, you should quit now...rules are simply play the hand as it should be played...poker is hard enough before you have to guess if your buddy will play the hand straight or not...and if was at a table with people that were slow playing eachother, I would move...simple as that...or simply, use my superhero strength and flip over the table messing all the chips...just my opinion

[Fphillips 0]

Never softplay.I'd bust my own grandmother for a nickel.

[Longshanks 0]

if yall had a deal that was pretty sorry of him, id have sex with his wifea la george costanza

Yeah? Well, the jerk store called....

their runnin outta you!

[davey16 0]

I meant to say 4 people that will double you up and also there are about 5 of us that are always in the game that play about 6 nights a week. There are very week players that play the game so all 5 of us really try to stay out of each others way as much as possible and play against the weaker opponents just like I would not want to play many pots against someone if I knew they were better than me...I would look to find a better situation. That for the most part is what we do. We just try to stay out of each others way.But I do agree A3 suited is a very loose call and not one I make often but I knew the flop would be 5 handed and it would be getting about 5:1 to make the call.

[poker_cutie 0]

I just dont play against friends for money. Its bound to cause hardfeeling if you take their $$. I know thats girly and all but I can find enough non friends to play and try to take their money. Ok go ahead and flame me

[SpeedKills 0]

In a home cash game or a bar cash game, if my buddies are there were usually there with a few buddies so we play just straight up against eachother, but in a casino where we usually play at a higher limit we usually dont get involved in too many hands together and if we do and we get it to heads up we either check it down or bet like 20 or 30 a card.

[Razor 0]

I just dont play against friends for money. Its bound to cause hardfeeling if you take their $$. I know thats girly and all but I can find enough non friends to play and try to take their money. Ok go ahead and flame me

Can we maybe get a better head shot before we flame?

[Petoria 0]

I meant to say 4 people that will double you up and also there are about 5 of us that are always in the game that play about 6 nights a week. There are very week players that play the game so all 5 of us really try to stay out of each others way as much as possible and play against the weaker opponents just like I would not want to play many pots against someone if I knew they were better than me...I would look to find a better situation. That for the most part is what we do. We just try to stay out of each others way.But I do agree A3 suited is a very loose call and not one I make often but I knew the flop would be 5 handed and it would be getting about 5:1 to make the call.

Or that you could get reraised. Poor call IMO, I dont think you're even think you're getting the correct amount of equity with 5 players and a tight player making the raise. You have to play against your friends when half the table consists of them.

[Fphillips 0]

if yall had a deal that was pretty sorry of him, id have sex with his wifea la george costanza

Yeah? Well, the jerk store called....

their runnin outta you!

UUHUMM, His wife is in a coma.

[Gallo 1]

Dude, he check raised you with top two pair.  Deal's off.

I totally agree with this comment. He freakin check raised you!! From then and on anytime I play with him at a cash table I will try to outplay him no matter what. If you guys had somewhat of an agreement beforehand, that checkraise would've certainly pissed me off. Did you guys drive together? If so who's driving? If it's me, I'm leaving his punk-azz there.

[davey16 0]

In a home cash game or a bar cash game, if my buddies are there were usually there with a few buddies so we play just straight up against eachother, but in a casino where we usually play at a higher limit we usually dont get involved in too many hands together and if we do and we get it to heads up we either check it down or bet like 20 or 30 a card.

This game has more of a casino atmosphere than a home game w/ a lot of fish in it constantly coming in and out so we try to concentrate on breaking them. We do get into hands together but if he made a decent bet on the turn I would have folded thinking he had me beat and that would hve been the end of it but i thought he was not that strong b/c he checked the turn why would you check the turn w/ a flush draw on the board if you have trips or top 2. It makes no sense.So I bet expecting for him to fold....If he would have said I'll check it down w/ you I would have said ok no problem as I would have w/ about 3 or 4 other people at the table.

[Razor 0]

I meant to say 4 people that will double you up and also there are about 5 of us that are always in the game that play about 6 nights a week. There are very week players that play the game so all 5 of us really try to stay out of each others way as much as possible and play against the weaker opponents just like I would not want to play many pots against someone if I knew they were better than me...I would look to find a better situation. That for the most part is what we do. We just try to stay out of each others way.But I do agree A3 suited is a very loose call and not one I make often but I knew the flop would be 5 handed and it would be getting about 5:1 to make the call.

How do you possibly manage to keep from playing pots against your friends, yet still pick up enough hands against the "soft" players to make any money???Just play poker ... have an agreement that the big winner buys a round, or picks up the tab for the food, or whatever. I've tried to play soft against friends, and it's just too hard.

[davey16 0]

B/c of the 4 or 5 of us there is usually no more than 3 or 4 of us at the same table at the same time. I mean we do play pots against each other but I am not gonna try to take one of those guys to the cleaners like I will to one of the idiots that play w/ us. There are just to many better spots to pick.And it usually works out to where almost everyone of us wins on a nightly basis. Obviously you do have bad nights but they are few and far between.

[LAS22 0]

Alls fair in love and war. Try to bust eachother out and then laugh about it later. Me and my buddies always go at it 100%, then laugh about it later...no hard feelings.