15-30: Defending the BB

Loose aggressive local limps in UTG. This means he is very weak. Folded to the button who raises. SB defends and I defend with Ah9s. UTG calls. Four to the flop.


Flop: 8h 4d 4s. Checked to UTG who bets. He will bet here with absolutely anything as he likes to attack the preflop raisers. He will also raise and reraise very light on the flop. Button folds, SB folds, I call.


Turn: [8h 4d 4s] 6d. I bet. UTG calls.


River: [8h 4d 4s 6d] Js. I check, UTG checks. My hand is good.


Thoughts?

Perhaps one of the most important characteristics of a very good player is his ability to use player knowledge. In all your posts, you seem to have a firm handle on the type of game, whether it be loose aggressive or tight passive and a strong working knowledge of your opponents tendencies.


Obviously, that knowledge won you a hand that most players would not win.


Nicely done.

I see no reason to defend your big blind with a hand as weak as A9o against an early limper, a non-steal(?) raiser, and a small blind caller. What are you hoping to flop?


On the flop, it's likely that you're ahead or drawing to six outs against an 8 or small pair so you can probably call.


I don't like your turn play. If you want to represent a slow-played trip 4's hand, then you should check-raise the turn. Checkraising is the best way to win the hand without a showdown- which I think is what you should be shooting for now.

I don't mind you play at all. the pre-flop call is perhaps a bit sketchy, especially if the button or SB is a rock. however, the button may have been trying to isolate the LAG, in which case I would call. I would consider folding depending on what the SB's standards were to call a raise. either way, your call closed the action, so it could not have been that bad.


on the flop, when you check-call, it looks like you might have a piece of the flop. I like your play.


betting the turn tests to see if UTG really has something or not. I don't think he did, but if you got raised, i hope you were going to fold.


River is good. I would have called if he bet.

"the button may have been trying to isolate the LAG"


This was exactly my thinking. The button was also capable of folding on the flop after raising preflop. This is why I called with A9o in this spot. It was a situation specific play. I actually folded AJo in the BB twice last night for a single raise.


"on the flop, when you check-call, it looks like you might have a piece of the flop. I like your play"


Again, this is a "play the player" move. If I checkraise the flop, he would 3-bet regardless of his holding and I have gained nothing.


"betting the turn tests to see if UTG really has something or not. I don't think he did, but if you got raised, i hope you were going to fold. "


I bet the turn to protect what I felt was the best hand. If UTG raised, there would have been no doubt that I was beat. When he just called, I was certain my hand was best.


On the river, the J was an ugly card because it could easily hit some of his limping hands. But I would have called a bet.

The turn bet looks extremely fishy. What strong hand could you have with which you would choose to bet out rather than going for the checkraise against a lone opponent who is sure to bet if you check?


None


What mediocre hand would you bet to avoid giving a free card, finding out at an early stage if he really has a hand etc?


Again, none as you would not likely checkcall flop and bet the turn with an 8 and would not likely have called the flop in order to hit a 6 on the turn for a pair of 6's.


Your turn bet looks and smells like a bet with absolutely nothing.


If the turn card was a big one like a King or Queen, then it makes some sense to bet out as he might think "Clarkmeister could have called the flop with two overcards and he is now betting his pair of Queens because he thinks that I might check behind him".


If the action on the flop were to have the button bet and you calling (I am not saying that your call here would be good - it wouldn't be - but I am just illustarting a point here that's all) and the LAG behind you folding...then you could conceivably make a convincing turn bet on any card including a blank like a 6 as now the button might think "I can't rule out trip 4's for Clarmeister as he may have just called the flop to try and suck in the LAG but given that the LAG folded, he is now betting his hand in case I check the turn".


On the other hand, like JV says, if you knew your opponent well enough to know that he ain't thinking like I have outlined above, well then you made a good play.

I thought the button was on an isolation play. UTG was even more aggressive than normal today and was the target of most of the players at the table. With a good read on UTG, and a potential isolation raise, A9o was enough ammo to take the flop with.


I folded AJo for a single raise in my BB twice last night in what I thought were poor situations. I actually might have raised AJo in this spot had the SB not called.

Dynasty also asked what I was representing.


"What mediocre hand would you bet to avoid giving a free card, finding out at an early stage if he really has a hand etc?"


Umm, Ace high?


I think that this is a case where I don't need to think that deeply. I have what I consider to be the best hand and I bet to protect it. Its a variation of a stop and go against a blind stealer. If my ace high is good, then there isn't alot that UTG can do. While he will raise on the flop with nothing, he will never raise on the turn with nothing. And he doesn't semibluff on the turn either. I can safely fold to a raise here.


Honestly, I would suspect that he put me on a 6 or a diamond draw since I bet when the 6 hit. I would have played trip 4's very fast against him to take advantage of his aggressive tendencies on the flop but I don't know if he knows that.