Getting my feet wet - 55 hand

[AlmightyJay]

Alright, I'm trying to get some NL play in. I'm playing $25 on Party Poker. I don't have the bankroll for it (what is a good roll for NL? 10 buy-ins? 20?), but it's not scared money because it was all free from PP. I don't mind losing it, my normal bankroll is in good healthy shape on Pacific. I just want to get some practice in.

I'm playing really tight to begin with, gritting my teeth and folding a lot of hands that I would play in limit. This is a hand I played earlier. I'm looking for comments, especially if I made any small fundamental NL mistakes.

The table was a bit tighter than probably is ideal (3-5 seeing flop unraised, 0-3 raised). The only hand I've played so far is AA, when I raised to $2 preflop, got two callers, bet the pot when it came ragged, and watched them both fold. No major reads, the villian hasn't done anything that's made me gasp yet, so he's at least somewhat decent.


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

saw flop|<font color="C00000">saw showdown</font>

UTG+1 ($25.3)
MP1 ($28.1)
MP2 ($45.7)
<font color="C00000">Hero ($27.2)</font>
CO ($19.5)
Button ($90.55)
SB ($29.05)
<font color="C00000">BB ($9.75)</font>
UTG ($11.25)

Preflop: Hero is MP3 with 5/images/graemlins/heart.gif, 5/images/graemlins/club.gif. SB posts a blind of $0.25.
<font color="666666">4 folds</font>, Hero calls $0.50, <font color="666666">2 folds</font>, SB (poster) completes, BB checks.

<font color="blue">(Limping with 55 alright in MP?)</font>

Flop: ($1.50) 9/images/graemlins/heart.gif, 3/images/graemlins/spade.gif, 5/images/graemlins/spade.gif <font color="blue">(3 players)</font>
SB checks, BB checks, <font color="CC3333">Hero bets $2</font>, SB calls $2, BB calls $2.

<font color="blue">(Good bet here? I overbet to drive out the flush draw.)</font>

Turn: ($7.50) 8/images/graemlins/heart.gif <font color="blue">(3 players)</font>
SB checks, BB checks, <font color="CC3333">Hero bets $7</font>, SB folds, BB is all-in, Hero calls $0.25.

<font color="blue">(I saw the turn as a blank, so I put the BB all-in. Smart or dumb?)</font>

River: ($20.90) 9/images/graemlins/club.gif <font color="blue">(2 players)</font>

Final Pot: $20.90

[poolshark]

I think you played is perfectly fine. This is the kind of hand you look for and this is how you play it! I am guessing you probably lost the hand - he had 88? I am really curious to know the result. But you played very well - not much room for error any way - if he caught the 8 - so be it - bad beat.

[AlmightyJay]

Thanks for the comments, I'm going purely off of stuff I've read here so anything I do right is due to this forum /images/graemlins/smile.gif

Actually I did win the hand. He mucked 67o for the turned straight, I dodged a bullet with the FH on the river. But I definitely took note that he called an overbet with nothing but a gutshot straight draw.

[BlackAces]

The advice "never go broke in an unraised pot" comes to mind. That said, I don't see any problems with this hand. I'm guessing BB had 7 /images/graemlins/spade.gif6 /images/graemlins/spade.gif, and I would've gone broke as well if he did (except for the riverboat, of course).

[schwza]

yeah, all fine. limping 55 in MP is a no-brainer.

[ethan]

First off, you played the hand fine (as others have said). Just wanted to point out that your opponent had better than a gutshot, as any 4 or 8 would have given him a straight. His call may not be fantastic, but it's not as bad as doing the same with 78.