I finally got the balls to make a bold play

[maddo]

Ultimate Bet No-Limit Hold'em Tourney, Big Blind is t60 (3 handed)

Button (t1780)
Hero (t1520)
BB (t2700)

Preflop: Hero is SB with 6/images/graemlins/heart.gif, 9/images/graemlins/heart.gif.
Button folds, Hero completes, BB checks.

Flop: (t120) A/images/graemlins/diamond.gif, A/images/graemlins/spade.gif, 6/images/graemlins/spade.gif <font color="blue">(2 players)</font>
Hero checks, BB bets t120, Hero calls t120.

Turn: (t360) 4/images/graemlins/heart.gif <font color="blue">(2 players)</font>
Hero checks, BB bets t360, Hero calls t360.

River: (t1080) 2/images/graemlins/heart.gif <font color="blue">(2 players)</font>
Hero bets t980 (All-In), BB folds.

Final Pot: t2060

My thinking was: If he had an ace then he would likely try and trap me later on. Why would he bet the pot, and possibly drive me out? Of course, the free card could bring a flush, so maybe a bet is justified here? But I had a feeling. I'd seen him make pot sized semi-bluff bets before, and thought he might be doing that. Once the river came, and no flush was possible, I thought I'd better be the first to get my chips in, and save myself from the pressure if he did that. I really felt good about it after but know that if I'd got it wrong then that was it. I was able to go on and win it too!

[Hood]

Ok I'm not a fan of how you played this at all. Your river was a 'bold' play, but that's only because your play on all 3 preceeding rounds was passive.

On the preflop, completing here I think is a bad move. I suppose the blinds are so small [what a weird tounry to be down to 3 handed with blinds are T60 - this regular on UB?] that there's no point trying to steal, so just fold this. You've got a rubbish hand.

Ok, flop play:

[ QUOTE ]
If he had an ace then he would likely try and trap me later on. Why would he bet the pot, and possibly drive me out?

[/ QUOTE ]

Perhaps because he thought you were going to call. Perhaps because if you had an ace with a weaker kicker, you were going for a check-raise, and he was going to get all your stack. Regardless, I try not to second-guess players at this limit and just place straight poker.

[ QUOTE ]

Of course, the free card could bring a flush, so maybe a bet is justified here? But I had a feeling. I'd seen him make pot sized semi-bluff bets before, and thought he might be doing that.


[/ QUOTE ]

If your feeling is that he's semi-bluffing - what could he be semi-bluffing? flush-draw? Pair of sixes? king high? If you think you've got a better hand - you've got to bet or check/raise here. You're out of position with two betting rounds to go, and if he's in bluffing mode you're going to call off the whole of your stack.

I'd personally check/fold here on the flop, but if you had a read an he was semi-bluffing, don't let him draw to a better hand and raise him.

[mackthefork]

In my opinion if you think he is drawing to the flush you can push the turn, I see no purpose in pushing on the river as he is probably going to call you with anything better, such as K6 99 or obviously any ace, I think I check check the river, I doubt he would be stupid enough to bet again on the river.

I have an example of a hand i played passively (slow, maybe)

Stars 18 seater, 4 handed

Mackthefork is SB, Villian is BB, villian is loose and calls large preflop raises with rags and bets out everytime when checked to. Blinds are 300/600

Mack has 4500
Villian has 8600

Folded to me in SB
I have K6 /images/graemlins/club.gif and just complete
BB checks

Flop K92 rainbow
I check, BB bets minimum 600, I call

Turn 6 no flush possible
I check again, BB bets 1200, I call

Now I think he wasn't bluffing he has a K, but i feel my 2 pair is ahead

River 7

I check, BB bets enough to put me all in, now I don't know where I am at all, I decide to pay him off anyways.

BB shows K9o

BB Takes down the pot with a better 2 pair which he flopped.

I laughed said I deserved it, gg gl ect. I think I do that again though, maybe I'll never learn.

Regards ML

[mackthefork]

In my opinion if you think he is drawing to the flush you can push the turn, I see no purpose in pushing on the river as he is probably going to call you with anything better, such as K6 99 or obviously any ace, I think I check check the river, I doubt he would be stupid enough to bet again on the river.

I have an example of a hand i played passively (slow, maybe)

Stars 18 seater, 4 handed

Mackthefork is SB, Villian is BB, villian is loose and calls large preflop raises with rags and bets out everytime when checked to. Blinds are 300/600

Mack has 4500
Villian has 8600

Folded to me in SB
I have K /images/graemlins/club.gif 6 /images/graemlins/club.gif and just complete
BB checks

Flop K92 rainbow
I check, BB bets minimum 600, I call

Turn 6 no flush possible
I check again, BB bets 1200, I call

Now I think he wasn't bluffing he has a K, but i feel my 2 pair is ahead

River 7

I check, BB bets enough to put me all in, now I don't know where I am at all, I decide to pay him off anyways.

BB shows K9o

BB Takes down the pot with a better 2 pair which he flopped.

I laughed said I deserved it, gg gl ect. I think I do that again though, maybe I'll never learn.

Regards ML

[maddo]

Ok, thanks for the reply. As you can tell I'm a novice and as such will make novice mistakes. But I am trying - honest! It was a 6-seater SNG, and the first 3 had gone quite early.

Ok, a couple of questions.

So why is completing for 30 more with suited semi-connecting cards bad? The chance of hitting a good flop is slim? Doesn't it appear weak to fold my SB to this big-stack every time I don't have a great hand? If I think about completing, should I just raise instead? How much? 3xBB? Or maybe less?

Ok, from what you said, I guess I got away with it this time. But it felt nice to get all those chips off him. Maybe it slowed him down a bit too?

[Hood]

[ QUOTE ]
Ok, thanks for the reply. As you can tell I'm a novice and as such will make novice mistakes. But I am trying - honest!

[/ QUOTE ]

I, too, am a novice to this game in respect to some of the other posters here. I don't know whether what I say is right or not, so I try not to give 'advice', more 'this is how I play it, these are the reasons'. As you'll see from some other posts, there are bigger novice mistakes being posted - not just from the start of threads, but from their replies.

[ QUOTE ]
It was a 6-seater SNG, and the first 3 had gone quite early.

[/ QUOTE ]

Ok this makes quite a big difference - what's the payout structure on these 6 seat tables?

[ QUOTE ]

Ok, a couple of questions.

So why is completing for 30 more with suited semi-connecting cards bad? The chance of hitting a good flop is slim? Doesn't it appear weak to fold my SB to this big-stack every time I don't have a great hand? If I think about completing, should I just raise instead? How much? 3xBB? Or maybe less?

[/ QUOTE ]

Ok, the reason why I wouldn't play this is to protect myself from playing badly - or atleast incorrectly, on the flop. I'm out of position with a very speculative drawing hand - the type that's great to play against a large field in late position, but horrible UTG heads up. If you trust yourself to lay this down without a great flop (two pair, flush draw with other outs) to lay this down without a fight, then go for it. As with your hand, you hit a pair and then found yourself in a nasty situation. If you'd folded, you are protecting yourself from having to make these kind of decisions.

Another reason is that it makes you look weak when the blinds are small - this is a good thing. It means when the blinds get big they might think you're getting a hot run of cards with all that blind-stealing your doing, when infact you're raising all-in with 96o because the blinds are now 100-200.

Another reason is simply because down to 3 with blinds so low, I don't see much point getting involved with pots without a good reason. If these guys are bad players they'll be defending their T60 blinds too much - some 2-4% of their stack - and getting in trouble. (note - this point specifically is probably due to my lack of experience short-handed with small-blinds).

[ QUOTE ]
Ok, from what you said, I guess I got away with it this time. But it felt nice to get all those chips off him. Maybe it slowed him down a bit too?

[/ QUOTE ]

I don't think you got lucky - you just didn't get unlucky. It looks like your read was right - he was bluffing or semi-bluffing. However bluffers and semi-bluffers can still hit pairs bigger than six on the turn/river. Trust your read, make him pay to bluff you. That would slow him down more.

[ZeeJustin]

Raise the flop.