PL hand

Relatively tight game, one .50 blind, 6-handed, 4 bad players, one good (but loose aggressive) player and me. LAP and I have about 300 in Chips everybody else around 100.


I have been playing very solid PL poker, stealing a few small pots, but always showing down a hand (most of the time winning) in the big pots.


Everybody has been playing really tight for about 45 minutes, folding a lot to preflop raises. LAP has recently tried to bluff reraise one of the others on the flop, and then laid it down to a repop.


I pick up QQ in middle position, call as the first one in, hoping to get a raise from LAP in blind (he has been doing that quite a lot).


Everybody folds to the blind, LAP, as hoped, raises, I of course reraise and he repops me. I call.


Flop comes T 6 2 rainbow, he checks, I bet the pot, he raises. His last raise was 81 into a 27 bet, we both have about 200 left in front of us.


What is my play here?


Stephan

At this point, you can only beat JJ or a bluff with AK. Calling here depends a lot on just HOW loose aggressive he is, and on which streets. Unless he's a total maniac, you have to give him credit for having AK, AA, KK, QQ, or JJ. When a good player is willing to re-pop an early limper who check-raises, he MUST have something good. Your early limp and then check-raise SCREAMS big pair. He's apparently not that afraid of your big pair.


I would lay down here myself. You've committed about $30, but your facing the prospect of putting in $200 more. Committing your stack with unimproved pocket pairs is a risky proposition in pot limit hold'em.


In this case, if he's been very loosely raising, I'd repop him allin. If he's been fairly tight on the flop, I'd fold. Remember, he made the last raise pre-flop and you just called, so he could have AA or KK.


Considering your position, and how tight the game has been, your best move probably should have been to re-raise again preflop and fold to another raise. If he just calls your re-raise, you are going to be committed if no A or K comes on the flop.


Tough spot. Against really tough opponents, I don't like to play QQ too aggressively from up front in pot limit hold'em. In no limit, I want to get it all-in or at least get pot stuck.


Remember, QQ is only one notch above JJ, which means it's still a very problematic hand to play from out of position.


My guess is that you laid down, and if you didn't, you now wish you had.


natedogg

I see nate has already responded, so I'm sure there's lots of good analysis, but my simple thought is this:


You can beat JJ or a bluff, and he's shown a lot of strength. You've got the best middle pair, but it's still a middle pair. This is not what you should be backing with all your chips.


If he's that loose aggressive, trap him when you have AA or KK, or flop big.


- target

First of all, Nate, thanks a lot for your analysis.


You were right, I repopped him all-in, he called with AA (told you he was loose...lol) and I did not suck out.


I really misplayed the hand. He was loose-aggressive, but overall at least a decent player (haven't played a lot with him) and would not reraise out of the blind against an obvious big pair without AA or KK, possibly AK, but he would certainly release AK on the flop.


I learned a lot, though I payed the price. This situation will not happen to me again.


I think what mislead me was a recent bluff reraise on the flop by the same guy. but that pot did not have heavy preflop action. I really wanted him to have JJ or AK.


Horrible play.


Thanks for your thoughts.

the lap waits all night and blows alot of money waiting for this situation. to win in big bet you have to be able to recognize it. watch the tempo of the bets, i guarantee something gave away this wasnt his usual re-re-raise (if he ever ususally does this). Remember there are alot of agg. players who will raise light. a few who will repop light. but a re-re-raise? this should be an easy fold even without tells.


I guarantee after the re-re-raise his body lang. was a nonchalant "lets get it all in there". I bet if you replay it in your mind there might have even been a small barely perceptable shrug in their somewhere after your bet or during his. run for the hills.

although I have seen the light ;-) and completely agree with a fold on the flop, I have to say in my defense, that the tells were probably there, but a little hard to read, this being an online game and my opponent sitting a few thousand miles away in front of his PC...


But tx for the comments. In a live game, the body language might definitely have changed the outcome here.