Um...strange hand...do anything differently?

[imported_smoove]

Party Poker 0.5/1 Hold'em (10 handed) converter (http://www.selachian.com/tools/bisonconverter/hhconverter.cgi)

Preflop: Hero is SB with 6/images/graemlins/spade.gif, A/images/graemlins/spade.gif.
<font color="#666666">1 fold</font>, <font color="#CC3333">UTG+1 raises</font>, UTG+2 calls, <font color="#666666">3 folds</font>, CO calls, <font color="#666666">1 fold</font>, Hero calls, BB calls.

<font color="blue">Pot big enough for me to call here?</font>

Flop: (10 SB) 6/images/graemlins/heart.gif, 4/images/graemlins/spade.gif, 7/images/graemlins/club.gif <font color="#0000FF">(5 players)</font>
Hero checks, BB checks, UTG+1 checks, UTG+2 checks, <font color="#CC3333">CO bets</font>, Hero calls, BB calls, UTG+1 calls, UTG+2 calls.

Turn: (7.50 BB) K/images/graemlins/spade.gif <font color="#0000FF">(5 players)</font>
Hero checks, BB checks, UTG+1 checks, UTG+2 checks, <font color="#CC3333">CO bets</font>, Hero calls, BB folds, UTG+1 calls, UTG+2 calls.

River: (11.50 BB) 2/images/graemlins/club.gif <font color="#0000FF">(4 players)</font>
Hero checks, UTG+1 checks, UTG+2 checks, CO checks.

Final Pot: 11.50 BB

[Deamon2]

usual big pot play, it's fine. no way I'm value betting the river.

what do you do if CO bets on the river?

[topspin]

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do anything differently?

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I fold preflop for one. Given you didn't, flop is a mandatory check-raise.

[itsmesteve]

I would raise CO's flop bet. His bet could very well just be positional. You have a decent hand if you can limit the field, with 2nd pair, and Ace kicker, and a back door flush draw. The pot is large. I want to win it. You need to protect your hand here. Calling may be the worst option you have.

The rest of the hand unfolds differently after your c/r.

[Aaron W.]

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[ QUOTE ]
do anything differently?

[/ QUOTE ]

I fold preflop for one. Given you didn't, flop is a mandatory check-raise.

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The preflop call is a mistake, but not a very large one. Getting 7.5:1.5 = 5:1 OOP against an early raiser with a suited ace is a thin -EV call. It's an easy call if there were another cold-caller or a limper before the raiser.

The missed flop check-raise was a much larger mistake.

[Deamon2]

this pot is already pretty big. do you really think you can protect here? Also, do you really want to protect? If someone is betting A-big card, you want him in the hand because he will definitely pay you off when the ace hits.

[edit] basically, I don't see why check-raising is a good idea here

[itsmesteve]

I definitely think you can protect here by facing the field with two cold. If I can't protect my hand on a rainbow flop of rags, when can I? I'm not protecting against an Ace. I'm protecting against gutshots and any card higher than a six which isn't an ace. Check raising is a good idea because you have a much better chance to win this hand against (hopefully) one or maybe two opponents than you do against 5. I want to win this pot, not hope a two outer hits so I can extract 2 extra bets out of someone whom I have reversed dominated.

[imported_smoove]

[ QUOTE ]
I fold preflop for one. Given you didn't, flop is a mandatory check-raise.

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Thanks everyone for the check-raising advice. This is definitely something I need to work on.

[Deamon2]

thanks itsmesteve

when I thought of protecting the hand, I had only considered hands like Ax and Kx calling, along with OESD and gutshots. now that you put it that way it makes more sense

[mithong]

in these kinda situations, id like at least one more caller before you cold call this raise...

this flop presents a perfect situation in which to check raise.. you have 2nd pair which could very well be best, an over card, and bdfd... considering it was the CO that bet, you definitely wanna raise and knock out opponents to increase your chances of winning this decent sized pot.

[MrEngenic]

Preflop: Ok call

Flop: Perfect flop for a checkraise. You have a pair with an A kicker = you could have CO reverse dominated. The backdoor flush strenghten your hand as well.


Turn: Will play differently if you CR the flop. I think a CR semibluff is great against the right opponent here. It would be hard for CO to stay with something like AT-AQ and he could throw away an overpair such as 99-JJ, even QQ if you are lucky. You don't really mind him calling with AT-AQ though. The callers will throw away most hands here for two cold, this is where you gain the most.