Did I miss out on a huge pot...

I'm a relatively new low limit player (profitable about 70% of the time on $1-5 stud tables). Was at the Taj Sunday night with 1 shark, 1 rock, a new player (who appeared strong), and 2 very loose passive players.


I'm dealt trip 5's first three cards. Player to my left (LP widow) brings it in for $1, rock calls, new player raised to $5 with Ace on the board, shark calls, LP#2 calls. Don't know the board exactly but all the A's and all the 5's were still live. I typically slowplay in this situation but all the action coupled with my table image (had a couple high exposure bluffs) compelled me to raise to $10. Every player folds and I take a paltry $17 pot.


Looking back I think this was an awful move. The new guy did fold a pair of A's. How much of an advantage do I have against the A's and several good drawing hands? If I held out and filled or pulled quad 5's, I think the pot would have been huge (by $1-5 standards) as the LP's twice that night raised on the river with flushes against obvious full houses. Is this an automatic slowplay?

I think you made the correct play since a few players had already put $5 into the pot.


No hand is a lock. Just yesterday, I was dealt (5,5)5 in a 10-20 and re-raised and Ace doorcard. The hand became heads-up and I got drawn out on.


Remember, it is correct to play a hand correctly and still lose or hurt your earn. It's also possible to play a hand incorrectly and still win or increase your earn.

try NOT to play at the same table with the "new player" anymore.


Sitting Bull

I think your play is right. There's already money in the pot and since several players have already put in $5, there is no reason to believe they won't put in another $5. I also find it hard to believe that someone threw away a pair of aces. (Of course he might have told you he did.)

You played the hand right and you may want to take advantage of this 'respect' they're giving you on future hands.

Do you know what I mean?

As a low limit stud player myself, I had a similar situation recently in a $1-3 game in CT. I had rolled kings, called the bring in and had a $3 raise from a decent player and a call from a loose player behind me. Bring in folded and I re-raised, figuring they'd put me on a pair of kings and call

(neither had an ace showing). But both folded. This was early in my sit, and I later realized the decent player would often raise with mid pairs and slow play big ones. She probably folded a pair of 8s or something. The loose player called almost everything, so I probably just caught him with absolute crap. With trip kings, I obviously made a big mistake here. With trip fives, I wouldn't be feeling too bad about your play as it's pretty easy to lose with this hand. Although I do agree that it's probably better to play trappy and hope to make something big while they make something smaller.


Also, in this same session, I folded aces with both other aces live, against a super rock who was the bring in with a deuce, paired deuces on fourth street and bet out. He almost had to have trips

there (although pocket kings and maybe queens were a possibility). The pot was tiny, I was either losing a little or losing badly. He got no customers and flipped up his third deuce in frustration.

in mucking your A's when a tight player re-raised. Even if U had live A's,your best play at this point in a low limit game is to muck.

***

However,U definitely should wait until 5th Srt. to raise any set higher than 9's(Roy West).

Sets of T's and over are not as vulnerable to over-sets.

Happy pokering,

sitting Bull

player re-raised my A's,I would not have any problem mucking them. The reason for this is based on the premise that at sturcture games 10-20 and lower,players USUALLY have what they represent(Roy West).

Hence,the assumption that the A's are beat is a valid one--especially since he was "telling" the other players that he had "A's".

Hence,he reasoned that since Mac re-raised with a "5", he must have A's beat.

********

Of course,in higher limit games like 15-30 and over,the probability of split A's is not quite as high--so if I have 2nd top pair ,I would re-raise A's on a random basis in a 15-30 and higher limit game and "pray to the poker gods" that my opponent did NOT really have the A's when choosing a random spot to re-raise.

If he did,I would just have to go home crying.

Happy pokering,

Sitting Bull

"Of course,in higher limit games like 15-30 and over,the probability of split A's is not quite as high--so if I have 2nd top pair ,I would re-raise A's on a random basis in a 15-30 and higher limit game and "pray to the poker gods" that my opponent did NOT really have the A's when choosing a random spot to re-raise.

If he did,I would just have to go home crying. "


You would raise an Ace door card with 2 limpers and 2 more that called the raise in a 15-30 game? Have you done this before? How did it work out?


-KeithO

Because you would do it, and perhaps because it actually is the right play, doesn't mean that the typical low limit player would do it. I think it would be a rare exception for someone to fold aces.

Mac,


With money in the pot in a $1-5 game I would have done the same thing with rolled up 8's or under.I can't tell you how many times I haven't and regretted it.WTG

never seen anyone folding A's in my 1/5 game before.

However,I did see many lose 4 to 5 BB's when they show down A's up and their opponent takes it down with rolled-up babies.


Happy pokering,

Sitting Bull