Party $100, couple hands from first few sessions

[pfkaok]

Hand 1:

Party Poker No-Limit Hold'em, $2 BB (9 handed)

CO ($98)
Button ($279.95)
SB ($169.85)
BB ($45.55)
UTG ($110.05)
UTG+1 ($62.80)
MP1 ($96)
MP2 ($97)
Hero ($91)

Preflop: Hero is MP3 with 9/images/graemlins/spade.gif, 9/images/graemlins/heart.gif.
UTG folds, UTG+1 folds, MP1 folds, MP2 calls $2, <font color="CC3333">Hero raises to $7</font>, <font color="CC3333">CO raises to $12</font>, Button folds, SB calls $11, BB folds, MP2 folds, Hero calls $5.

Flop: ($40) 5/images/graemlins/club.gif, 7/images/graemlins/spade.gif, J/images/graemlins/club.gif <font color="blue">(3 players)</font>
SB checks, <font color="CC3333">Hero bets $22</font>, <font color="CC3333">CO raises to $85</font>, SB folds, Hero folds.

Final Pot: $147

Hand 2:

Party Poker No-Limit Hold'em, $2 BB (10 handed)

UTG+2 ($96)
MP1 ($818.87)
MP2 ($50)
MP3 ($168.35)
CO ($97)
Button ($88.30)
SB ($123.55)
BB ($149.30)
UTG ($180.15)
Hero ($93)

Preflop: Hero is UTG+1 with A/images/graemlins/heart.gif, A/images/graemlins/spade.gif.
UTG folds, Hero calls $2, UTG+2 folds, <font color="CC3333">MP1 raises to $6</font>, MP2 folds, MP3 folds, CO calls $6, Button folds, SB calls $5, BB folds, <font color="CC3333">Hero raises to $20</font>, MP1 calls $14, CO folds, SB calls $14.

Flop: ($68) 8/images/graemlins/diamond.gif, A/images/graemlins/diamond.gif, 7/images/graemlins/club.gif <font color="blue">(3 players)</font>
SB checks, <font color="CC3333">Hero bets $35</font>, MP1 calls $35, SB folds.

Turn: ($138) 2/images/graemlins/heart.gif <font color="blue">(2 players)</font>
<font color="CC3333">Hero bets $38 (All-In)</font>, MP1 calls $38.

River: ($214) 8/images/graemlins/heart.gif <font color="blue">(2 players, 1 all-in)</font>

Final Pot: $214

hand 3:

Party Poker No-Limit Hold'em, $2 BB (9 handed)

CO ($97)
Button ($152.90)
SB ($100.27)
BB ($195.05)
Hero ($98)
UTG+1 ($110.05)
MP1 ($93)
MP2 ($124.13)
MP3 ($336.25)

Preflop: Hero is UTG with Q/images/graemlins/diamond.gif, A/images/graemlins/spade.gif.
Hero calls $2, UTG+1 folds, MP1 folds, MP2 folds, MP3 calls $2, CO folds, Button folds, SB completes, BB checks.

Flop: ($8) T/images/graemlins/spade.gif, A/images/graemlins/club.gif, 4/images/graemlins/diamond.gif <font color="blue">(4 players)</font>
SB checks, BB checks, <font color="CC3333">Hero bets $5</font>, MP3 calls $5, SB calls $5, BB folds.

Turn: ($23) 8/images/graemlins/spade.gif <font color="blue">(3 players)</font>
SB checks, <font color="CC3333">Hero bets $13</font>, MP3 calls $13, SB calls $13.

River: ($62) 3/images/graemlins/club.gif <font color="blue">(3 players)</font>
SB checks, Hero checks, MP3 checks.

Final Pot: $62


On hand 1, I was hoping that AK might fold, and 10's thru 8's would maybe call. I was making a bet about the size that I'd make if I had hit my set, but should this just be a check/fold with the increased aggression of players on the $100 game? In the $50 game I felt like people would only move in with AA, KK, JJ, or AK clubs. With the minReraise PF he probalby had AA, but at the $100 level I'm surprised by how often AK is almost always a reraising hand.

Hand 2 almost every hand was being PF raised at that table so I tried the limp-reraise... it worked out, but is it usually a bad idea to do it in the Party $100? I figure that it'll only work really well vs. KK or QQ, maybe AKs, as most other hands will probably get scared away with the small stack sizes. In retrosect though I probaly could do better to raise normally with it, since the aggressive players will reraise with KK, QQ, AKs almost certainly, and probably also with AKo, JJ, 10's, and maybe even AQ or 9's from what I've seen there so far... Once I raise and they reraise I could get allin PF and have a good chance to get a caller (obviously ideal for AA). I know you gotta mix it up from time to time, but which should be the better course of action as a default in overly aggressive games??
BTW, the guy showed QQ after the hand...guess he was hopin I had JJ or KQ /images/graemlins/tongue.gif

On hand 3 I was pretty confident I was ahead, unless there was an A3 or somethin out there? Should I value bet $25-35 on the river here to try to get a weak A to call, or does that just open me up for a bluff?

[tdomeski]

Hand 1: don't raise PF, no set no bet. .you call PF b/c you know if you hit a set he won't be able to get away from his high PP, then you try to bluff at the pot?

Hand 2: standard, good re raise PF

Hand 3: standard, check/call river 100% of the time against three opponents.

[jslag]

Quick comment... on hand #3, I'd bet more on the turn (pot it), there's a good chance you're taking it down right there, which you should be happy to do. Given how you played it, a river check is fine there. I'd also consider raising preflop, even UTG. You will knock out hands that beat you here like AT/A8/A3/etc.

[pfkaok]

Well, with so many people folding in hand 1 before me I thought that with a raise I could get it heads up or 3 way, and most likely take it down on the flop... I usually raise with 9's - J's when I'm in position figuring that I'd rather play those hands vs fewer people. Up front then its always limp, no set no bet... Do you think this is a major hole?? Looking back I know that betting the flop was probably a mistake, but I wasn't trying to bluff him of a big PP. I was thinking that if he had overs he'd bet if I checked, and I wouldn't know if he had an overpair or just AK. I just figured that if he did indeed have AK or AQ (which I've seen often reraised PF, esp when somebody thinks the initial raiser is stealing after several folds) it'd be tough for him to call a bet on that flop.

Jslag- do you really think that raising UTG, or EP in general is +EV with AQ? I used to almost always raise with it when there were no raisers in front of me, but I felt like I was getting into trouble a lot. AQ is just never easy to play out of position, esp in a big, raised pot in NL, for me at least. I feel like since I've been limping with it I've won some bigger pots, and not lost too many huge ones. My logic is that if there's an AK behind me he might just call my raise, then I could get into trouble when an A comes. If I were to limp that same AK would probably Raise, and I could just fold, and avoid the hassle. Also I feel like when I limp I'm much more likely to get called all the way down by A10 or AJ when an A flops... plus KQ will almost always pay off when a Q hits and there was no PFR. Maybe if I was better NL player I'd be profiting much more by raising AQ, but I just feel like it gets me into a lot of margainal, borderline situations which can really be troublesome when multitabling.

[pfkaok]

also, I know that in that hand I'd want A10, A3, A8 out of there, but in general wouldn't I want hands like that to be in there when an A flops?? I think that if a weak A was in there and hit their kicker they'd usually make some noise, raising either flop or turn. And an AJ - A9 will often call thinking his kicker is good so long as nobody bumped it up PF.

[ethan]

There's been a lot of discussion in this forum regarding AQo UTG (and in the rest of early-mid position.) A limp early is fine, although you might consider a raise with AQs. A raise with either from later position is something you should consider. I'd advise searching and seeing what you can find on the topic.

[pfkaok]

Thanks, I think I'll do a search on it... or does anybody have a link to a particularly good thread on it? Its always just kind of an enigma to me. In some ways I feel like its better to do it in a tighter game since you have a good chance to get heads up and take it down on the flop. Although if the game is tight then you're probably behind, or not much ahead if you get called. Then in a really loose game where you get called with AXo, you're getting good money by those people calling your raise. However in those games the people are so much more passive usually, and they'll be in there with such a wide range of hands that you can never be sure when you're in there vs. 2 pair.

[DOMIT]

[ QUOTE ]
Hand 1: don't raise PF, no set no bet. .you call PF b/c you know if you hit a set he won't be able to get away from his high PP, then you try to bluff at the pot?

Hand 2: standard, good re raise PF

Hand 3: standard, check/call river 100% of the time against three opponents.

[/ QUOTE ]

It's standard to limp w/ AA in $100 NL?
(Serious question, I haven't played it. I will play 1/2 and 2/5 live, but haven't played that high online as of yet.)

[Daann]

Hand 1: I like how you played it, as long as you sometimes play a set like that as well and CO is likely to reraise with AK.

Hand 3: I'd value bet the river, but its close. The most likely hands that they are calling with are Ax type hands as there were only gutshots on the flop, and 4 of those have paired their kicker. If you held AJ instead of AQ, then I would recommend checking on the end. If you get raised on the river, there isn't really much you can beat as the 3 isn't a decent card to bluff on, so you can fold quite happily.