Little help here...

[ChickenFud]

Hand #1:
Did I do the right thing in turning this hand loose on the river? BB is a complete maniac who will play any two way too far, but the river raise spooked me since he's normally extremely passive...

Party Poker 0.5/1 Hold'em (9 handed) converter (http://www.selachian.com/tools/bisonconverter/hhconverter.cgi)

Preflop: Hero is UTG with K/images/graemlins/diamond.gif, K/images/graemlins/heart.gif.
<font color="CC3333">Hero raises</font>, <font color="666666">1 fold</font>, MP1 calls, <font color="666666">5 folds</font>, BB calls.

Flop: (6.50 SB) T/images/graemlins/club.gif, 3/images/graemlins/spade.gif, 8/images/graemlins/heart.gif <font color="blue">(3 players)</font>
BB checks, <font color="CC3333">Hero bets</font>, MP1 calls, BB calls.

Turn: (4.75 BB) A/images/graemlins/spade.gif <font color="blue">(3 players)</font>
BB checks, <font color="CC3333">Hero bets</font>, MP1 calls, BB calls.

River: (7.75 BB) Q/images/graemlins/spade.gif <font color="blue">(3 players)</font>
BB checks, <font color="CC3333">Hero bets</font>, MP1 folds, <font color="CC3333">BB raises</font>, Hero folds.

Final Pot: 10.75 BB

Hand #2:
Did I get too cute with the CR on the turn? Should I just have gone for an overcall, or simply bet out at the pot?

Party Poker 0.5/1 Hold'em (10 handed) converter (http://www.selachian.com/tools/bisonconverter/hhconverter.cgi)

Preflop: Hero is SB with J/images/graemlins/spade.gif, A/images/graemlins/spade.gif.
<font color="666666">1 fold</font>, UTG+1 calls, <font color="666666">1 fold</font>, MP1 calls, <font color="666666">1 fold</font>, MP3 calls, <font color="666666">1 fold</font>, Button calls, Hero completes, BB checks.

Flop: (6 SB) Q/images/graemlins/spade.gif, T/images/graemlins/heart.gif, K/images/graemlins/spade.gif <font color="blue">(6 players)</font>
<font color="CC3333">Hero bets</font>, BB calls, UTG+1 calls, MP1 calls, MP3 folds, <font color="CC3333">Button raises</font>, Hero calls, BB calls, UTG+1 calls, MP1 calls.

Turn: (8 BB) 5/images/graemlins/spade.gif <font color="blue">(5 players)</font>
Hero checks, BB checks, UTG+1 checks, MP1 checks, <font color="CC3333">Button bets</font>, <font color="CC3333">Hero raises</font>, BB folds, UTG+1 calls, MP1 folds, Button calls.

River: (14 BB) 9/images/graemlins/heart.gif <font color="blue">(3 players)</font>
<font color="CC3333">Hero bets</font>, UTG+1 calls, Button folds.

Final Pot: 16 BB

[Peter Harris]

hand 1: checkcall (edit: or checkfold, depending on BB's passivity) the river. you bet the turn and the river isn't pretty. check call is 100% better than betting and folding to a raise, as then at least you get to showdown.

hand 2: raise PF. read SSHE, AJs in the SB is an autoraise. AJo is more marginal, but sooooted? raise it up! Let's build a pot for somebody!

The turn checkraise is atrocious. You saw on the flop (well played) that Button is the bettor, so the c/r just forces the field to call 2 cold. You should have led out, seen who called, let the button raise it and smoothcall and see who follows. You've a monster, only a board pairing (unlikely) is a risk and you don't have to believe button has a set on a KQT flop if they are aggressive and didn't raise preflop.

The turn was fancy play syndrome, lead out next time UNLESS the bet was in EP, then a c/r is g00t.

Regards,
Pete Harris

[ChickenFud]

Thanks for the critique, missed the PF raise on hand #2. The CR was one of those things that as soon as I did it, I was screaming at the computer "NOOOOO!!!!" as I knew it wasn't the right play...

[Peter Harris]

[ QUOTE ]
I was screaming at the computer "NOOOOO!!!!"

[/ QUOTE ]

One of those times when you wish you could segue into slo-mo like in the movies and leap towards the "call" button in a last-gasp attempt to extract maximum value.

Seriously, with the missed PFR and the botched smoothcall, i reckon it's not unrasonable to have made at least another 7BB on this hand. that's a spicy meatball!

Regards,
Pete Harris