Playing with someone new....giving too much credit?

[nmadd]

I've been playing and studying poker for only 3 months. I guess I consider myself an advanced novice, but certainly not a good player. Here's my question.

I played in a local, multi-table, free tournament yesterday. 3 levels in I'm dealt JJ. I raise 600 (4xBB). Left of me calls, and the next player raises 2x. I call. Flop is 4,3,3 rainbow. Guy left of me bets big and the preflop raiser just calls. I give the raiser credit for having something decent. He's won a couple of pots and shown down some not awful cards (though I probably would not have played these certain cards in his position).

Anyway, I give him enough credit to have some big pocket pair. I think for awhile and fold (terrible). To make a long story short, the other guy calls all the way with AK and the raiser shows down A-4o and wins the pot!

I folded by far the best hand. I gave him way too much credit.

I guess my question is what do you do when you play with people for only a few hands or for the first time? How do you "read" them? How was I supposed to read this guy for A-4? I thought he was better than that.

P.S. I went all in next hand short stacked and his K-10s hit a flush over my 10-10 (that's poker!)

[EverettKings]

Couple things.

It's a freeroll. Give players A LOT less credit in freerolls and all low buy-in games.

Second, it's hard to analyze the hand without stack sizes. So post those up next hand.

Tough break tho. Hurts a lot to fold the best hand.

Kings

[nmadd]

[ QUOTE ]
Couple things.

It's a freeroll. Give players A LOT less credit in freerolls and all low buy-in games.

Second, it's hard to analyze the hand without stack sizes. So post those up next hand.

Tough break tho. Hurts a lot to fold the best hand.

Kings

[/ QUOTE ]

Thanks for the quick reply. /images/graemlins/smile.gif

The raiser and I had about the same size stack. He was the one I was worried about. The guy that was just calling probably had about 2x the stack that I had (I would have no problem playing with that guy since he had already shown down 10-6, Q-7 and the like).

Overall, I'm wondering how much credit to give people I've never played with before. It makes a lot of sense to give someone in a freeroll less credit, but if he happens to be decent, I guess that's just the way it goes?

[adanthar]

Frankly, against the competition you're talking about, after the reraise I'd just go all in PF and watch the A7o call.

Anyway, say you call; now the guy on the left bets the 433 flop, which probably missed him (so he has a pocket pair, 65, maybe A4, maybe A3, who knows or cares the important thing is you probably have him beat because if he has AA-QQ PF his eyes get big and he goes all in) and the second guy just calls (is he tricky enough to call with aces? would a guy like that play a freeroll? no? okay, you have him beat) so go all in.

If not, it's a freeroll anyway so get a beer.