Please help me with this. (LONG)

[sng-sam]

This is not a SNG post but frankly I trust the advice in this forum above others. Not intended to be a bad beat story.

I am in need of some help. I play in a weekly live 1/2 NL game. Most players are fairly well off but they are terrible players. By way of example....

UTG raises $25 PF...MP2 calls.....Button reraises to $125...UTG calls.....MP2 calls....2 players are all in. Cards flip over....UTG has K/images/graemlins/spade.gifK/images/graemlins/diamond.gif .....MP2 has Q/images/graemlins/heart.gifT/images/graemlins/diamond.gif button has Q/images/graemlins/diamond.gifT/images/graemlins/heart.gif ...nuff said. Now on to MY problems.

$10 is the minimum raise in this game. Unconventional but the norm here.

Hand #1:
MP2 limps.....MP3 limps CO limps Hero (button) had A/images/graemlins/diamond.gifA/images/graemlins/club.gif Hero raises to $10 SB calls.....MP 3 calls.

Pot has ~$50...
Flop 4/images/graemlins/spade.gif4/images/graemlins/heart.gif8/images/graemlins/spade.gif
SB checks MP3 Checks...Hero bets $50 SB reraises $80 Hero MP3 folds Hero calls (all in)

Showdown: SB shows Q/images/graemlins/club.gif4/images/graemlins/club.gif
Turn and River are no help

Do I not bet $50 on the flop here? I think I have to make a potsized bet here to protect against the flush? These are the typical ways that big hands get cracked in this game. Do I just accept this as the reality and realise that proper play will win more often than lose (ala Fundemental Theorem of Poker) or do I just stop playing in this game?

[1C5]

One question. If in the previos hand button is willing to reraise $125 with QT and people are calling that, why only raise to $10 with AA with 3 limpers?

[sng-sam]

Sorry should have specified...these 2 hands happened on 2 different days. Just wanted to give you an idea of what the action can be like. But that said...I think the key problem was a raise of $10 doesn't get much respect. 15 or 17 would have been more proper.

[Paul2432]

If players in this game will call a 12.5x the BB UTG raise with QTo, they will surely call a much larger raise than 5x the BB from the button. I would raise to $35 or so preflop here given your game conditions.

After the flop, you need to know your players. If they would be willing to get all-in here with a wide range of hands you beat, then you played it fine. On the other hand if a check-raise all-in would only be made with a 4x or 88 then you have to fold. Note that if these players are the straightforward type who won't check-raise the flop all-in with a hand worse than AA then bet around 2/3 of the pot on the flop. That is enough to protect against a draw, and if someone does raise all-in you can fold, saving yourself money.

Paul

[LaggyLou]

It looks like you had ~$100 behind at the start of the hand. In those circumstances and that board it is all going in -- and it all SHOULD go in -- on the flop.

Although I agree with those that said to raise more preflop.

[BradleyT]

[ QUOTE ]
I think the key problem was a raise of $10 doesn't get much respect.

[/ QUOTE ]

That's not a problem.