This one's for Mike......

[CDs_Nts]

80/160 Borgata...... Ok, here's one I think I played badly. You be the judge...... I raise UTG+1 with AK, normally tight but sometimes tricky button calls. Heads up. Flop is A /images/graemlins/heart.gif Q /images/graemlins/heart.gif T /images/graemlins/spade.gif. I bet, he raises. I just call. Should I call my dad right now and tell him I'm gay (not that there's anything wrong with that)? Turn is a brick, I check and call. River is a J /images/graemlins/heart.gif and I bet with broadway........ Keep in mind that I have a relatively loose table image at this table, and I've shown a few quirky bluffs. Results to follow.

[mike l.]

obviously reraising the flop is the normal play but just calling is okay too. checkraising the turn might be nice. it's much more likely he has some ragged A or QJ or something or a heart draw rather than AQ or AT or KJ. so go ahead and show aggression somewhere, preferably the flop in this case because he may not bet the turn and a turn checkraise will show so much strength it may blow him off hands you want him to stay the whole way with. so i guess the question is whether you wouldve awaken and bet or checkraised the river had it come 2s. anyway what im trying to say is your play of this hand was not as bad as it seems at first if he'll keep firing a semibluff or worse made hand, and if youll get the most out of him on the river when he's beat.

[JimmyV]

I think this is played exactly right. Opponent is likely to have flopped either two pair or just an underpair, meaning that you're way ahead or way behind: your line is a perfect win-the-most lose-the-least. There are no worrisome free cards except for three-outers, unless this is the type of 'tight' opponent to cold-call with a suited king of hearts or low heart-connectors (a pretty rare bird).

Good extraction here from the inferior hand that would have folded on flop or turn to a raise; or, alternatively, nice suckout.

JimmyV

[CDs_Nts]

Probably a little anti-climactic, but he folded when I bet into him on the river. I don't see any other option than betting into him. I don't think he's betting with anything I can beat, and I think he's giving up if he was bluffing the whole way. My only concern was that he may have hearts, in which case I have to call his raise, and hope we're chopping with broadway. My only regret was not check-raising the turn, or maybe betting into him to find out where he is.

The odd thing about this table (for 3 days straight) was that there was a lot of betting into the pre-flop raiser by both LAGs and TAGs alike on the flop, and very rarely on a bluff (at least from what I saw showed down which was a good deal of the time). It's like everybody was afraid to give a free card on a K83 rainbow board with top pair, like the raiser wouldn't bet heads up or 3-way anyway. I don't play these limits live often, but is this the norm? Personally, I'd prefer to usually check-raise the flop to a guy I know is going to bet, or maybe even wait til the turn and checkraise if I have a good kicker, and obviously if I flop a monster. How do you guys usually handle this type of play?

[Ipodkid]

CD are you RR? If so this is HK brother. Btw Im amazed to see you playing limit now days, is plo and plo8 just about done out there or what?

[CDs_Nts]

Yes it is me, and yes they are, especially plo8. Limit holdem is the best action right now I think. I have the feeling PLO will take off because of the huge pots, but it usually comes down to a set vs. a monster draw which gives the advantage to those with the deepest pockets. Not my cup o' tea. I liked it better when somebody would call me down all the way with bottom two, or in PLO8 2nd nut low. Could it be that people are getting better?

[bicyclekick]

Perfectly played.

3 betting the flop is retarded. Stop and going is retarded. Folding is retarded. Not betting the river is retarded. Of course just call a raise because he's not going to pay you off with any hands you beat and may have hearts.