Tired of looking, need help with overcards early

I've tried looking though the archives because I'm sure this question is common. I couldn't find a answer so I'll ask.


First, in lower limit games where many people call early position raises, and the flop is multi-way, hands like AKo are easy to get rid of.


Now that I'm moving into games where early preflop raises are respected I feel my AK, AQ, KQs play is lacking. Sometimes only a late position player will call and maybe the Big Blind.


If the Flop comes rags then I bet 100% of the time and if the turn brings an other rag and I haven't been raised I'll bet again. If the flop and turn are rags and I've been raised on the flop I usually go to the end. A good place to semi-bluff me here is on the Turn with a raise or check-raise. I respect those Turn raises alot more.


A big problem area of mine is when the flop is coordinated, and I only have overcards. 98x, 9T7, ect...

If I bet out and get raised I really feel like throwing the overcards away right then and there. If I go on with the hand hoping to catch an overcard I feel like I'm playing very weak. I have lost control of the hand, the player probably knows exactly where I am and can get away from his hand if I improve and can hammer on me if I don't. I have tried to be tricky here too, like when I suspect the player might be trying to semi-bluff me and I reraise and bet out on the turn (without improving), but usually this gets me in trouble.


What to do, what to do.


Leroy Jones

[Ed Miller]

</font><blockquote><font class="small">In reply to:</font><hr />
If the Flop comes rags then I bet 100% of the time and if the turn brings an other rag and I haven't been raised I'll bet again.

[/ QUOTE ]

I think this is the crux of your problems. You should only bet out if you think you have a reasonable chance of picking up the pot right there. If you bet your overcards every time, then people are going to catch on, even bad players. That means be more likely to bet out if the flop comes Q72r than if it comes 874 with a flush draw. If the board is coordinated and there is significant flop action, then just fold... some of your overcard outs are probably tainted and someone may already have you drawing dead (and remember to be more willing to call with overcards if they are KQ than if they are AK). It also helps to check occasionally even when you would normally bet so that your opponents will see you check in a stealing situation and be more likely to lay down later when you bet in a similar situation. But make sure when you do this that you are only forgoing a small amount of EV, and, as with all variation plays, don't overdo it.

[Chris Villalobos]

Well, I wouldn't bet overcards if I expected to get called or raised. I try to play as if I have aces here. I know checking doesn't allways advertise that I just have overcards, but if a person raised early then checked when the rags floped what would you put that person on?

The way I could start to play my big pairs is to check-raise them alot on the turn.

Leroy