New NL player, needs advice

[jzpiano14]

Party Poker No-Limit Hold'em, $0.5 BB (8 handed) converter (http://www.selachian.com/tools/bisonconverter/hhconverter.cgi)

Hero ($42.25)
BB ($69.23)
UTG ($20.75)
UTG+1 ($18.95)
MP1 ($25)
MP2 ($33.55)
CO ($10)
Button ($25.5)

Preflop: Hero is SB with A/images/graemlins/heart.gif, A/images/graemlins/club.gif. CO posts a blind of $0.5.
UTG folds, UTG+1 calls $0.50, MP1 calls $0.50, MP2 calls $0.50, CO (poster) checks, Button folds, <font color="#CC3333">Hero raises to $3</font>, BB folds, UTG+1 folds, MP1 calls $2.50, MP2 folds, CO folds.

Flop: ($8) Q/images/graemlins/club.gif, 2/images/graemlins/spade.gif, 9/images/graemlins/diamond.gif <font color="#0000FF">(2 players)</font>
<font color="#CC3333">Hero bets $3</font>, MP1 calls $3.

Turn: ($14) 6/images/graemlins/heart.gif <font color="#0000FF">(2 players)</font>
<font color="#CC3333">Hero bets $10</font>, <font color="#CC3333">MP1 raises to $19 (All-In)</font>, Hero calls $9.

River: ($52) 9/images/graemlins/spade.gif <font color="#0000FF">(2 players, 1 all-in)</font>

Final Pot: $52

Just wondering what you all would have done in this situation. Thanks.

[fimbulwinter]

you're fine. maybe raise more preflop seeing as you're out of position, but that's really player dependant. definitely bet more on the flop, you're giving implied odds to the guy holding a one pair draw to two pair and making him think you don't have a hand worth playing back at. bet pot on the flop and hope to get raised all-in by a dominated Q.

fim

[aeakos]

Raise a bit more preflop, raise near pot sized on flop if its not too scary.

[BK_]

6x the bb is plenty high preflop in most all games

[aeakos]

[ QUOTE ]
6x the bb is plenty high preflop in most all games

[/ QUOTE ]

Even with the limpers?

[jzpiano14]

Usually I raise 4x the BB if I'm first in or with one limper, but I figured 6x would be enough for the people with crap to dump there hands...but I don't think it was enough. The villian had 22 and hit his set on the flop.

[TOmCowley]

Get used to people calling with crap, preflop and postflop, at that level. These are bad players because they call with marginal hands. Don't feed them by bluffing at them (especially more than 1) with worse hands when they'll make the "mistake" of calling. Beat them by getting off big card hands if you don't improve, value-betting if you do, and benefit from getting to see a lot of cheap cards on drawing hands. You usually have to show down a winner to win a pot. Get money in when you're ahead, don't put money in when you're behind (without drawing odds, obv). Fold equity against more than 1 player is so low that bluffs are usually huge -EV at that level.

If you raise with QQ and get 4 callers, and the flop is A-7-3, check and fold unless they fold it to you in LP. People play bad aces to make pairs of Aces with bad kickers. You aren't going to run them off that pair, so trying is futile. The game changes some at higher levels, but you still see people who play any ace and call down with any pair of aces. Smash them by catching a better hand, don't feed them by paying them with a worse one.

[fimbulwinter]

you want to raise the maximum that you feel people will call. if you can push preflop in that position and get called, do it.
using standard sized preflop raises from all positions is a good way to get started, but there are (many) instances where raising the amount that will accomplish what you want it to is the better way to go.

[Garland]

Your preflop raise was fine as was your turn action. You should have bet more than $3 on the flop ($6 to $8 sounds a lot better). With $8 in the pot, you are giving a hand like JT attractive odds to hit a straight (You offer 11:3, while the odds to hit are 39:8 but comes with implied odds). Heck, anyone with a piece of it will take a card off to see if they can hit trips or 2nd pair.

Words to go by: Sets happen. Just be thankful he only had $25 to start with and didn't have you covered.

You really don't want people to fold all their crap with AA preflop, but you do want to narrow the field to 2 or 3 players. The only case 22 is folding is if you raise too much which isn't what you want.

Garland

[creedofhubris]

Bet more on flop, put opponent short stack all-in on turn.

[Vavavoom]

I've found though at most limits from 25c/50c to $2-$4 NL... People will call with small to mid pairs looking for the set to bust bigger hands.......My problem has been spotting this......i have lost count of the amount of times that my AA/KK/QQ/AK/JJ has been cracked by 22-55....... /images/graemlins/confused.gif

[SA125]

This was a NL25 Party game I guess? At some tables you'll get plenty of callers who limped for .50 and call $2.50 more, especially if a couple come along early. Most of them are looking for a set because they know you'll call all-in with your overpair.

Even at a tighter table, the ones who call are most likely looking for the same thing so, when you're playing AA and get hit back on a ragged board, you've probably lost to your pre-flop 4:1 dog. That's why there's a 1 in there.