I'm new here(and to poker), I could use some advice on this hand

[AlphaN3rd]

Hi everyone, I'm new here and pretty new to poker.

I've played some online holdem before, but I was playing too high for my bankroll and went bust after about 800 hands. I've decided to give it another try, and this time to be smarter about it. So yesterday I started reading SSH, and deposited $90 into Interpoker. I'm playing at .25/.50 for now, and I've had some good luck so far. I do realize however, that my success is mostly attrivuted to luck, and that I really need to improve if I expect to play profitably. Here's a hand involving a very large pot that I think I could have played better, I'd greatly appreciate it if you'd analyze it for me. I also appologize for the poor formating which I had to do it by hand.




Inter Poker .25/.50, 10-handed

I don't have much of a read on anyone, but the table is loose and pretty passive. I did notice that PokHerBum is pretty lose and not very aggressive, but I had only observed a few hands.

Preflop: Hero is BB with A/images/graemlins/diamond.gif Q/images/graemlins/diamond.gif

Midnight posts small blind, Hero posts big blind, killerkc, calls, Gutten calls, PokHerBum calls, Branny raises, Midnight folds, hero calls, killerkc calls, Gutten calls, PokHerBum calls

Flop(5 players, 10.6 SB): T/images/graemlins/heart.gif Q/images/graemlins/spade.gif A/images/graemlins/heart.gif
hero checks, killerkc bets, Gutten calls, PokHerBum raises, Branny calls, hero calls, killerkc raises, Gutten calls, PokHerBum raises, Branny calls, hero calls, killerkc calls, Gutten calls

Turn:(5 players, 15.3BB) T/images/graemlins/heart.gif Q/images/graemlins/spade.gif A/images/graemlins/heart.gif 4/images/graemlins/diamond.gif
hero bets, killerkc raises, Gutten calls, PokHerBum raises, Branny calls, hero calls, killerkc raises, Gutten calls, PokHerBum calls, Branny calls, hero calls

River(5 players, 41.3BB): T/images/graemlins/heart.gif Q/images/graemlins/spade.gif A/images/graemlins/heart.gif 4/images/graemlins/diamond.gif 6/images/graemlins/diamond.gif
hero bets, killerkc folds, Gutten calls, PokHerBum raises, Branny folds, hero calls, Gutten calls



On the flop I have top two pair, only a set or KJ is ahead of me, so I decide that I probably have the best hand. I check, knowing that someone will bet, but since it got raised, I decided to only call.

On the turn, it's unlikely the 4d helped anyone. I think I have the best hand, but I do fear that set or straight so I bet/call.

It's the river. If any of them were on a flush draw, they missed it, but after all of this raising I strongly suspect PokHerBum may have that straight or a set. The pot is large and my hand isn't too bad so I call.



Should I have been more aggresive? Should I have folded at some point? I'd like to hear everyone's opinion, and I'll post the results later. Thanks /images/graemlins/smile.gif

[TheRapist99]

Raise pf, 3-bet the flop. The pot is huge, I think it's probably worth calling down even after the psycho turn 3-bet. You are probably behind, but as they say "Small Stakes opponents will constantly surprise you with a bizarre range of holdings." If the pot is huge you gotta call even if you strongly suggest you are beaten.

[joeski19]

Raise PF. I don't check this flop, bet out and raise every chance you get. If your getting 3-bet or capped on the flop you can then call down if you feel (need a read here) they flopped a straight. Also it's not good practice to post screen names. If in fact those are legit names.

[AmarilloJim1]

I would re-raise pre-flop.

3-bet on the flop.

Then call down through the river. If anything, the full-house draw here is good.

- Jim

[Fantam]

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

There was certainly a lot of action in that hand!

One thing that stood out that I noticed, was that you seemed to have a tendency to check and call bets, which is usually not a good poker tactic.

Occassionally it may be useful to check/call hands down, when you have a reasonable hand that might be best, but dont want to lose a lot of bets to find out. But usually it is better to either bet/raise or fold.

I think your pre-flop (PF) play was fine. AQ(s) is strong enough to call a PF raise, espescially against loose players and it plays well in a multi-way pot.

You could have led out and bet the flop. If you felt that there was a good chance of the player on your immediate left betting, then attempting a check-raise would be fine to build the pot up.

When the flop was first raised, I think you should have 3-bet. Thats because I would have considered the raiser unlikely to have a set (they didnt raise PF) or to be raising a straight or flush draw. I would have considered them to most likely have a weaker 2 pair than your AQ.

As it happened, UTG (under the gun) 3-bet and the flop raiser capped. That suggested to me that either of those players already had the straight made with KJ. Anyway, assuming that I had 3-bet the flop, I would have called the cap for 1 more small bet to see the turn.

At the turn you still had 4 outs to improve to a full house and the pot was big. So this is one of those situations that I would have checked and called. Even when the pot had been raised and it was 2 bets back to you, you would have been getting sufficient odds (about 10 to 1) to call. (The odds of hitting your full house were about 10.5 to 1)

On the river, when you missed your full house, I would have checked and called one bet back to MP, even though you were most probably beaten, because the pot was so big and you cant afford to fold to a bluff.

As the hand developed, I suspect that UTG was overplaying a flush draw, which busted on the river and that MP did in fact have KJ for the nut straight.

[BatsShadow]

Not that it matters, but you should not have slowed down on the flop. In fact, I would probably bet out instead of check-raising. The flop is very coordinated and the pot is huge. I doubt you can fold anyone by check-raising. Just make the pot huge unless a scare card falls.

I don't really know how I feel about the bet/call line on the turn. You thought your hand was best on the flop, so there is nothing to change that on the turn. If you really do think your hand is best, I would keep on betting, but otherwise call down. This pot is so huge.

Edit: Oh yeah, I forgot. Raise p/f.

[nomadtla]

I haven't read any of the other replies but I think against a loose passive table you should have raised preflop and jammed that flop only if you get serious aggression back do you reconsider. Don't worry about the check raise on that flop if you have loose passive's then you'll still get your money no matter how you play it. So in short yes you should have been more aggressive.

[aces_dad]

Raising PF with a strong multiway hand like AQ suited would be fine, though checking from the BB for 2 bets is an acceptable, tight play since you'll be out of position in this hand.

The flop play I really don't like, I'm not sure what you're plan was. Was your intention to check/raise? If so, why not raise when the action came back to you? I think leading out and 3 betting a raise would be the better play.

If your read is that you have best hand on the flop, then the turn is a very good card for you. You need to bet, or check raise when you think you have the best of it.

Given the action by the time of the river it is time to check/call it down. Most likely you ran into a flopped straight, which happens, but I would suggest playing more aggressive on the flop and turn in this hand.