My Virgin Post

[Poker Princess]

Hi Guys,

Go easy on me this is my first post. Ive been lurking for awhile. My cousin's been coaching me and he keeps pushing me to post here. Any comments on how I played this hand.

Party Poker No-Limit Hold'em Tourney, Big Blind is t15 (9 handed) converter (http://www.selachian.com/tools/bisonconverter/hhconverter.cgi)

CO (t775)
Button (t775)
SB (t1580)
BB (t725)
Katie (t800)
UTG+1 (t425)
MP1 (t800)
MP2 (t810)
MP3 (t1310)

Preflop: Hero is UTG with A/images/graemlins/spade.gif, K/images/graemlins/club.gif.
<font color="#CC3333">Katie raises to t55</font>, UTG+1 calls t55, <font color="#666666">2 folds</font>, MP3 calls t55, <font color="#666666">3 folds</font>, BB calls t40.

Flop: (t230) K/images/graemlins/spade.gif, 4/images/graemlins/heart.gif, Q/images/graemlins/club.gif <font color="#0000FF">(4 players)</font>
BB checks, <font color="#CC3333">Katie bets t125</font>, UTG+1 calls t125, MP3 calls t125, BB folds.

Turn: (t605) K/images/graemlins/heart.gif <font color="#0000FF">(3 players)</font>
Katie checks, UTG+1 checks, <font color="#CC3333">MP3 bets t200</font>, <font color="#CC3333">Katie raises to t620 (All-In)</font>, UTG+1 folds, MP3 calls t420.

River: (t1845) 2/images/graemlins/spade.gif <font color="#0000FF">(2 players, 1 all-in)</font>

Final Pot: t1845

[breezeyo]

I like the check raise on the turn. With that kind of play, dont come around my table. I might lose. Please tell me you won the hand.

But.....welcome to the forum. I have learned a ton here and I expect you will also.

What part of the world are you in?

[ZebraAss]

Yes, welcome.

The Check-raise was the right play, Bummer that UTG wasn't the one who bet.

But If anything, Raise more pre flop(I like 90 solid) and bet more on the flop(I like 200).
Very solid play. Good Job.


Zebra

(...dang, too bad I didn't end up going to Santa Barbara)

[The Yugoslavian]

Welcome to the forum! /images/graemlins/smile.gif

I think you more or less played this fine. I would have most likely bet more on the flop (hands that will call your bet will call more with a beaten hand). I'm assuming it was a $6 or $11 SNG? I think you played this well for etiher of those.

You should feel pretty confident in the way you played this.

Yugoslav

[Jman28]

Do you always (or often) check raise here?

I usually bet out again on the turn.

-Jman28

[La Brujita]

FWIW I bet 180 on the flop and just lead out at the turn. I think leading out is preferable since you don't want gutshots and flush draws taking one off for free.

Just my two cents.

Off topic and not to brag I have played sixteen sit and gos this year including today and just lost eight in a row.

[ZebraAss]

Actually, I think Jman is 100% right. That K turn is a scare card unless they have KQ. Straight draws most likely wont bet themselves much less call a bet.

Betting out on the flop is ideal. But the check-raise worked out in that particular situation.

[ZebraAss]

You give good advice...so we forgive you.

[Poker Princess]

I made just a 1/2 pot size bet on the flop because I had top pair top kicker and there were no draws out there. So I wanted to make a bet that both players might call or play back at me. When the turn brought the 3rd King I thought I could get a check raise in because my flop bet appeared weak. I dont normally check raise the turn.

[ZebraAss]

...the straight draw is a killer though

[The Yugoslavian]

[ QUOTE ]
I made just a 1/2 pot size bet on the flop because I had top pair top kicker and there were no draws out there. So I wanted to make a bet that both players might call or play back at me. When the turn brought the 3rd King I thought I could get a check raise in because my flop bet appeared weak. I dont normally check raise the turn.

[/ QUOTE ]

Well, I'm not sure this outweighs the free card that you very likely would give to any flush and/or straight draw. You're most likely only going to get someone with a K or a very big bluffer to lead out on the turn for you to checkraise. If they have a K you'll get their $$ in there anyway. And, it's too early know whether your opponent is too aggressive in these situations. At the very least try another 'weak' bet that still gives you good value if your opponent is drawing.

Yugoslav

[wAzZu24]

I bet more on the flop, probably like 175. I probably just bet the turn in a low stakes PP SnG but the check raise is not a bad play i dont think. Hope he didnt have KQ.

[ZebraAss]

Exactly.

If the turn was checked would you call an all in if a Jack, 10 or heart came on the river?

Protecting your hand is optimal.

[breezeyo]

Just Look. Your 1st post and all of this free advice. You still havent told us if you won the hand or not.

[Poker Princess]

Thanks for the feedback. The reason I posted this was because of the turn check-raise. Wasn't really sure if I this was the correct play. Villian showed pocket 4s. I think my I was going to lose alot of chips anyway I played this. But I made me think about how I played the turn. It was a $10 by the way. My name is annylee on party. Say Hi if you run into me.

[AtticusFinch]

Welcome to the board.

As for the hand -- well played. Some folks will argue for betting more preflop and on the flop, but I like the way you played it. With no straight or flush possibilities, half the pot is a good amount on the flop. You should mix your amounts up a bit anyway, so try not to pay too much attention to small adjustments to bet amounts. The fundamental strategy is the important thing, and you have it down here. The check-raise was especially good.

I'm going to take a wild stab and guess that villain beat you with a full house. If that's true, don't worry about it. If you get all your chips into the middle every time you catch trip kings, you'll make a huge profit in the long run.

Cheers,
AF

[breezeyo]

In a $10 SNG, Villain is likely to call any bet up to 150-200..maybe even more depending on the player. I am under the same name in Party as on here. Last 10 SNGs played at the $22s. 3 1sts, 1 2nd, and 2 3rds. And...1 10th. Had AA on Small Blind and UTG went all-in with 99. Guess what happened.

[wAzZu24]

[ QUOTE ]
With no straight or flush possibilities, half the pot is a good amount on the flop.

[/ QUOTE ]

How is there no straight possibility? JT is very possible, although thats only a 7 outer, you dont want him drawing to cheap, and in a $11 SnG he WILL draw for any reasonable amount. Thus, you want to bet more to make him pay.

[AtticusFinch]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
With no straight or flush possibilities, half the pot is a good amount on the flop.

[/ QUOTE ]

How is there no straight possibility? JT is very possible, although thats only a 7 outer, you dont want him drawing to cheap

[/ QUOTE ]

Sorry, misread the flop. You're right that a straight draw is possible, but half the pot is still enough to make it very wrong to draw at it, especially when you hold one of his outs. In such cases, you actually want villain to call with the worst of it, so a half-pot bet is a good play. In any case, arguing over small bet variations is not that useful, as you should be varying your amounts randomly up or down to a certain degree, anyway.

[ QUOTE ]

and in a $11 SnG he WILL draw for any reasonable amount. Thus, you want to bet more to make him pay.


[/ QUOTE ]

Trust me, that's not just confined to the $11s /images/graemlins/wink.gif. The thing that a lot of people forget (and that I often forget myself) is that you actually want him to call with the worst of it, so you want to pick an amount that 1) makes it a bad deal to call and 2) he might call anyway.

[wAzZu24]

Agreed.

[AtticusFinch]

[ QUOTE ]
I'm not sure this outweighs the free card that you very likely would give to any flush and/or straight draw. You're most likely only going to get someone with a K or a very big bluffer to lead out on the turn for you to checkraise.

[/ QUOTE ]

In this situation many draws will come out betting as a semi-bluff when you check the turn, because your check after the king falls makes it look like you might have been on a draw yourself. I think a check-raise is a fine play here. Don't get me wrong, I wouldn't do it every time, but it's a perfectly reasonable strategy.

[stripsqueez]

i laughed a bit when i read this thread

i would of raised more pre-flop - my rule of thumb is to bet the amount that makes me happy that small pairs will call because those are the hands i fear the most

its a boring hand - check raising the turn is definately a good plan when you get all your chips in - i suggest you post the ones you think you played crappy

stripsqueez - chickenhawk

[hovemag]

I think I played that hand. Are you El Maximo in disguise?. If so you ignored my friendly greeting of sup bro.

[Karak567]

She only got this many replies because of her picture!!!

:-P JK

[microbet]

That's what I wanted to post. ROFL when I saw her picture and the long list of replies.

[microbet]

her homepage (http://profiles.myspace.com/users/19401251)

She is reading Harrington on hold'em and puts a link to the pokerbookclub on her website. She is too cute to have put up a picture and have that screen name and ask people to say hi to her on party and be for real.

5% chance she is El Maximo's cousin, 95% chance she is El Maximo. - Good catch.

[1C5]

Hahah sneaky.