First NLHE Experince

I would appreciate comments on this hand from the Foxwoods Tuesday night NLHE event. This is the first time I play no limit in my life.


Blinds are 10-15, I have about 300 in chips, people at the table have between 100 and 1000 in chips (they are doing some serious gambling). I am in middle position with AA. Two limpers for 15, I raise to 60. Is that an appropriate raise? Two more people call behind as does the big blind. Five people take the flop of


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All check to me, I check, player behind me with huge stack (at least 800) moves all in, player behind him thinks and calls all in (about 500), everyone else folds and it is up to me. I have no read whatsoever on these players, in fact I have never seen them before (I was just moved to this table). I finally decide to call as this seems a good oppportunity to almost quadriple my stack. The first all-in raiser shows 45o and takes the pot with two pair (I get no help), second player mucks.


Comments welcomed

Azad,


I would have folded that hand on the flop with the action you described.


I think the real question here is how much should you bet? Basically, I have two answers. Since, you have early position players that limped in, I would make a pot size raise (if I thought the players were rational), or put in the whole stack of 300, since it appears that you were outchiped by some of the competition, and if anyone had a big pair or AK they probably would call you, instead of 45.

Azad,


Exciting experience of your first NLHE tournament, isn't it? I certainly hope you enjoyed it and will continue to play in them. The only way to get better is to experience firsthand.


Let me address your preflop raise, it's not big enough for this NL situation. You don't take into account what's already up for grabs in the pot. Given the blinds of 10-15 and 2 limpers, there's T55 in the pot when the action comes to you. Your raise of 60 to go gives everyone else who plays implied odds that are just too decent.


In this situation, you need to raise to about T175-T200 to weed out the junk and see who really wants to play. There's certainly a case to just moving your stack in at this point since my suggested raise risks 2/3 of your stack. You might even get a sheriff who thinks your bet smells a little fishy, giving you a chance to double up. Even if everyone folds when you move your stack in, you still increase your stack by almost 20%.


The key to no limit is to bet enough chips so that it is mathematically wrong for your opponent to call. In other words, you want them to call with the worst of it... odds that won't pay off profitably.


On this particular hand, you must give this hand up on the flop after the player moves his T800 into a T300 pot. He's obviously got something made here already and is trying his darndest to charge the flush draw and the dry 7 hands to draw out. Your only hope is to spike an A and hope the draws don't get there and/or you fill. Your odds to spike an A on the turn are 22.5:1 against and the pot is only giving you 8:1 at the best (1600 in pot vs your 240 to call). You see what I mean about making someone commit when the odds are against you?


You got money in preflop with the best hand, but not enough. On the flop, you just gotta use your AA as toilet paper, there's no shame to folding AA in NL when you are most likely beaten.


Just remember, NL is fun and exciting. I hope you've caught the bug and will continue on. FWIW, I hope my reply will help given a similar situation in the future.


Best of luck and play well,

Mike

With only T300 in front of me at that stage, I think I would have gone all-in. The raises I usually see from the good NL tournament players are smaller than that but not much smaller with that size pot. As a normal raise (by that definition) would commit you to the pot, you might as well shove it all in.


If I had made the raise you made, I would fold post-flop. Your hand has gone from best hand possible preflop to, let's see. You are behind 87, 73, 32, 66, 55, 44, 65, 64, 63. That is nine hands, damn unlikely hands to call a big raise, and the flush draws aren't far behind you. Since you didn't get your money in when you HAD the best of it, it might be wise to get out now.


Of course, the damn 54 might HAVE called your big raise and then you'd have a bad-beat story. Quien Sabe.


--

Will in New Haven

Your preflop raise is OK, though I might normally have made it 75 or so instead, not too much more. I wouldn't go all-in unless I was pretty sure, based upon past action, that I would get at least one caller.


On the flop, you should've folded pretty easily. With that many taking the flop, and the preflop bet being only about 5-15% of their stack, this flop is too dangerous to continue with in the face of action.


Later, Greg Raymer (FossilMan)

Allin. The other stacks seem to have you so outgunned that you will probably get a call. If they don't move allin with 77 next time.


I am inclined to go with always overbetting the pot when opening for a raise. It is more threatening to the other players, If the pot is 55 now it would be 70 by the time you call. So make it 100 to go if you don't move allin. This complies with the "five and ten" rule for the biggest stack on the table, and really you don't leave a lot to bet, so it would be a very bad call. If you get a single caller, you must move in reardless of what falls on the flop.