my first post - a few hands for review

[Rob]

hi everyone. i've been a lurker for a few months but just worked up the courage to post. i started playing in january, and have played almost exclusively online. at first i got killed at paradise, but after i decided to really study and try to improve (and try other sites), i did much better.

now, however, i think i'm playing like a total maniac. my play has gotten so out-of-control that i'm really losing confidence. i'm going to post a few hands that i hope reflect some good stuff and some idiocy. any comments would be appreciated.

hand one: (3/6 online)
UTG limps, i raise MP w/AsAh. all fold to BB who calls, limper calls.

flop: 4d 3c 9d. BB checks, limper checks, i check.
this probably was a mistake. str8 and flush draws are possible and i need them to pay. my thinking was, if no draw gets there on the turn, one of them will probably take a shot at the pot, either by betting or c/r'ing me with a very likely worse hand.

turn: 4d 3c 9d (8c)
great, two flush draws now. checked to me, i bet, BB c'rs, limped folds, i call. good so far. i don't think he has anything. should i 3-bet? if he really has nothing i don't want him to fold, so i don't think so.

river: 4d 3c 9d 8c (Jc)
BB bets out, i still don't think he has it, i call.

he has Qs Kh, a stone-cold bluff. i win, obviously.

here's one more hand, which i think i played horribly.

all fold to me in SB. i open-raise Ks Tc. BB calls, heads-up.

flop: 9h 5s 3c. i bet, BB raises, i 3-bet!?, he calls. i think this was god-awful. i did it because i thought he was bluff-raising. but if he is, what can i beat? not much. this just seems like mindless aggression out of me. a huge leak i have is not giving up on bluffs when people play back. i feel foolish for making a bad play and i decide to play to the end to make it look like i had something, but not enough to win. this is just stupid.

turn: 9h 5s 3c (6c) i bet, he calls. i should have check/folded, but i just hate looking like i bluffed (ego, stupid).

river: 9h 5s 3c 6c (Kd) i check, he bets, i call and win w/kings. he had Th9s. at least i made it look like i was giving up, but i could have bet and he'd have called. i should have c'rd.

there are lots more examples of my bad play. i'll keep posting them. any comments on the idiocy i've shown so far?

rob

[eMarkM]

You already figured this out: Don't slowplay an overpair, especially when a 2 flush is on the board. I've seen players not raise AA preflop and check call until the turn with AA before unleashing a raise. Sometimes they get someone to flop top pair and get into a raising war, but more often they just cost themselves bets or let players hang around to draw out on them. AA is a great hand, but it's still just a pair, play it fast. Then you get the guy to do exactly what you wanted, he falls into your "trap" with the c/r, but you just call instead of 3 betting it and taking control.

2nd hand: bluff 3 betting in HU blind steal situations isn't so bad, unfortunately your opponent caught top pair so he wasn't going anywhere. However, I don't think in this case it's justified with just your overcards. If you had a flush draw or str8 draw to go with the overcard outs than taking an aggressive stance is more warranted. As it turned out you were aggressively playing a 4 outer that you were lucky to hit.

[Kurn, son of Mogh]

If anything, your play on the first hand was too passive. Once you check behind on the flop, the turn check-raise may just mean a top pair or a semi-bluff with overcards betting into what must have looked like a pre-flop raise w/AKo, AQo etc. I would have re-raised the turn. he would have put you on a flush draw and a raise on the river might get him to fold 2-pair.

As for the 2nd hand, as long as you don't do this too much, it's not a bad play at all, except for the river. he didn't raise your turn bet, so he doesn't have a made 2-pair or a set, so raise him on the river.

Nothing wrong with advertising that you will push this kind of bluff, just make sure you have the goods next time.