QQ from the SB with pre-flop action (Stars 100NL 6max)

[jhall23]

Reads in this hand. Button is maniac who is in every hand and raises PF over 1/2 the time. UTG is a bad lag. MP kinda weak tight. CO is really loose PF but his pre-flop raises are within a normal range, about 8 percent.

2 main ?'s.

1. My re-raise amount: does this seem like a good amount? I wouldn't at all be suprised to get a least one or two callers and wanted to charge them since I'll be OOP.

2. CO's hand range. That original wimpy raise had me a little confused after he re-popped me here. I haven't seen too much re-raising at this table since button is being so aggressive. Button doesn't really re-raise much pre-flop. If it's raised to him he will usually just call, but if everyone limps he will almost always raise. I would think a sane person would have raised a little more initially with AA or KK since he will most certainly get a call, but of course I have no reason to think CO is sane. So what do you think his range of hands is? Obviously he'll call a push here after committing so many chips so I just have to figure out if his range is bigger than AA-KK + AK. I'll be getting 1.43:1 on the push so that means I'll need to win about 41% of the time. AA-KK + AK puts me just under the threshold to push at 39% equity, so I think I need AA-JJ + AK to justify putting my chips in. What do you think?



PokerStars No-Limit Hold'em, $1.00 BB (6 handed) converter (http://www.selachian.com/tools/bisonconverter/hhconverter.cgi)

MP ($34.40)
CO ($104.95)
Button ($393.45)
Hero ($134.50)
BB ($46.40)
UTG ($41.25)

Preflop: Hero is SB with Q/images/graemlins/club.gif, Q/images/graemlins/spade.gif.
UTG calls $1, MP calls $1, <font color="#CC3333">CO raises to $3</font>, Button calls $3, <font color="#CC3333">Hero raises to $18</font>, <font color="#666666">1 fold</font>, UTG folds, MP folds, <font color="#CC3333">CO raises to $50</font>, Button folds,

[TheWorstPlayer]

Those small raises are often pot builders with a monster. I like your re-raise. I fold to the 3bet.

[VarlosZ]

I also like your reraise, and would fold to the 3-bet. I think CO has to be much more maniacal than you describe to justify playing here (small raises with AA-KK are not uncommon at low limits).

[jhall23]

That is what my hunch was telling me after the huge 3 bet, but I was confused when trying to think about it logically.

After the re-raise I think I just need to assume the player is a donk because I can't see a sane player doing this at this table. If they were decent they probably wouldn't have AA-KK here and they would have re-raised less if they thought I was on a pure steal. So since it's more likely they are a donk it feels more like a monster.

Anyone playing this game on Stars? It seemed REALLLLY good last night. Unfortunately the cards didn't fall right for me and I couldn't get in the green, but I think I am going to transfer over some of my roll from party of to stars if the games are as good as they were last night.

[TheWorstPlayer]

[ QUOTE ]
they would have re-raised less if they thought I was on a pure steal

[/ QUOTE ]
If they thought you were on a pure steal, they would flat call to snap off your flop continuation bet. And no, I've never played on Stars. I hear it is a rock garden, though. No?

[Soul Daddy]

[ QUOTE ]
After the re-raise I think I just need to assume the player is a donk because I can't see a sane player doing this at this table. If they were decent they probably wouldn't have AA-KK here and they would have re-raised less if they thought I was on a pure steal. So since it's more likely they are a donk it feels more like a monster.

[/ QUOTE ]
I think it's much more likely that his minimal pfr is to build the pot and make sure that the maniac button stays around. His 3-bet is not of a donkish amount. Given his fairly tight raising standards, I'd be very surprised to see you ahead at this point.

[jhall23]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
they would have re-raised less if they thought I was on a pure steal

[/ QUOTE ]
If they thought you were on a pure steal, they would flat call to snap off your flop continuation bet.

[/ QUOTE ]

Good point, that would probably make more sense.

[ QUOTE ]

And no, I've never played on Stars. I hear it is a rock garden, though. No?

[/ QUOTE ]

They have 6max games now and at least last night they were FAR FAR away from rock gardens. Maniac from this hand was 95/53. I had another guy at 80/33. A few 60-75 range and most others hovered at around 40 or more.

[jhall23]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
After the re-raise I think I just need to assume the player is a donk because I can't see a sane player doing this at this table. If they were decent they probably wouldn't have AA-KK here and they would have re-raised less if they thought I was on a pure steal. So since it's more likely they are a donk it feels more like a monster.

[/ QUOTE ]
I think it's much more likely that his minimal pfr is to build the pot and make sure that the maniac button stays around. His 3-bet is not of a donkish amount. Given his fairly tight raising standards, I'd be very surprised to see you ahead at this point.

[/ QUOTE ]

Yeah, I'm not really saying the re-re-raise is a donk amount. The whole tiny-raise/re-raise combo is what I think is donkish. I'm mainly considering it donkish because he should know that the maniac will call more than 3 bucks. Guy was literally in EVERY hand. The re-re-raise amount definetly indicates a big hand. Got him and extra 18 bucks hastle free out of me this time because I happened to have a hand to re-pop with, but I don't think it's the best move at all. He could have easily made it 6 and got at a minimum 1 call by the maniac but probably 2 in most cases.

I agree I'm behind. The more I think about it and get feedback the more I feel like I was right in my analysis of the hand as it happened.

[Soul Daddy]

Gotcha. I thought you were saying, "I should assume he's a donk" as an excuse to call/push. Your analysis of the hand is correct. Clearly his original raise is silly.

[barongreenback]

In one of the few NL games I played on Stars I had this hand.

Guy minraises button. I reraise QQ from sb. He pushes. I call and lose to AA.

Not much use for you but I just got deja vu when I saw this post. My analysis afterwards of my hand was that it was a fold.