I tried to play this well. Did I?

[Ulysses]

Standard issue NorCal 15-30.

7 /forums/images/icons/spade.gif 8 /forums/images/icons/spade.gif in the BB.

EP (weak) limps. MP (tight, slightly weak, but more solid than most) raises. Button (bad, overaggressive, thinks he has as much mojo as Tommy and can beat anyone w/ two cards and position, but is wrong) cold-calls. SB folds. At this point I haven't read Tommy's post about the blinds yet and call. EP calls.

7 /forums/images/icons/heart.gif 6 /forums/images/icons/spade.gif A /forums/images/icons/spade.gif

Not bad. I check. EP checks. MP bets. Button calls. I check-raise. EP folds. MP 3-bets. Button calls. I call.

5 /forums/images/icons/diamond.gif

I bet. MP raises. Button folds. I call.

My plan: spade, bet. 8, bet. 4, bet. 7, checkraise.

7 /forums/images/icons/club.gif

I check. MP checks behind and throws over AQ.

Yuck. Good time to go for a checkraise or stupid loss of a bet?

[mikelow]

1. Ignore Tommy's post on blind play. Way too tight.

2. Were you going for a check-raise on the river? A lot depends on your read of MP and his read on you. I think he would have called a river bet. What you have to weigh is the chance of getting two bets versus the chance of getting no bets, since it's nearly certain he has AK or AQ.

It's close, but I like the check-raise strategy. Too bad it didn't work this time. But if this comes up again against this player, I'd be more inclined to bet the river.

[M.B.E.]

I agree with the river checkraise. But I don't understand the flop checkraise; surely betting out would be preferable, especially considering your description of the EP limper as "weak".

[Matt D]

How about capping the flop? Not only is your hand a favorite against his likely holding, but you do not get raised on the turn, thereby putting in less money when your hand is a dog. That stop and go always smells of weakness.

[J.A.Sucker]

This is an EASY call in the BB preflop. I don't think that even Tommy can disupte this /forums/images/icons/smile.gif

On the flop, you should be trying to get as much money in the pot as possible. You won't win here by checkraising. In the event that nobody has an A, then you may win by betting, but it's unlikely. Still, playing all the way is good, since you're favored to win by the river in most cases. Then when raised, you can keep reraising. In fact, the action could go you bet, EP calls, MP raises his A, Button calls/raises, you reraise. This is the best scenario for your hand, and isn't out of the realm of possibilty considering your player description. Pound at that sucker.

Once the action on the flop gets back to you, you need to reconsider what the others are on. MP likely has a good A, which is fine with you, since you are very live against him, but when Button calls 2 cold you should wonder how many outs you actually have with an 8-hi flush draw. It may be time to back off here as you did. Then again, he may have 89 or even a poor A (if he's a bad player). I'd be inclined to 4 bet here - the cap at AJ's (the only N. Cal 15 game I can think of these days) is 5 bets. The MP player won't cap without a set of A's here, IMO, since you described him as "slightly weak".

Betting out the turn is clear, but looks better if you would've 4 bet it. It's looking like AA for the MP, but this may have been more obvious if you would have capped it. The button folding is a good thing, giving you back the extra outs you may need.

Now the 7 comes on the river. You are going for the checkraise, which is a fine play agaist tougher players or maniacs. However, I don't think that this jives well with your turn play or your player read. You say he's weak, and has hit the hand really hard. If he has AA, then you're dead here. If you think he has AK or something, then why not raise on the turn with many outs (9 spades, 2 7's, 3 8's, 3 4's, 3 9's = 20 outs)? He may lay down here, which is good for you. If he calls, then you're still in good shape, since you'll get more bets from him on the end. What hands do you think he'll bet on the river if he is so weak? Only hands that beat you (ie AA).

BTW: MP didn't seem too weak to me on this hand - I like his river check, since there was a lot of action you probably won't call him with any hand that he can beat there except the hand you had - 7s8s.

This is just my opinion, but I'm Just Another Sucker.

[Ulysses]

I don't think the flop check-raise was a mistake.

EP was unlikely to call a flop bet without an Ace. He was likely to call two bets with any Ace. So, I figure his being in or out doesn't change either way.

As for button, he would call one bet with just about anything that he cold-called two pre-flop with. On the other hand, he might just fold if I bet and MP raised and it was two to him. That's why I didn't bet out. He was also the kind of player that wouldn't fold when it came back 2 more to him, because he already had some of "his money" in on the flop.

I think I thought it through well up to that point and was happy with my play. However, I think the mistake was not 4-betting the flop. In addition to building the pot, it would also give me a little better handle on whether MP had a big Ace or a AA, since he's much more likely to cap it with AA.

[Ulysses]

How about capping the flop?

I think not 4-betting the flop (cap at AJs is 5 bets) was my real mistake in the hand, for the exact two reasons you state.

[Ulysses]

I explain my rationale behind the flop checkraise in a previous response. I think that was actually an OK play, perhaps even a good one in this scenario.

However, I think you are absolutely correct re: the need to raise again on the flop. Sure, button might be on a bigger flush draw, but there are a lot of other hands he might also be on. You're correct that this MP wouldn't cap with AK or AQ here.

On the turn, there's no reason for me to put MP on AA over AK or AQ, but my weak play on the flop makes this a tougher read than it should be. However, even if I were able to somehow put him on exactly AK on the flop, I'm surprised you think a raise is the right move heads-up on the turn. Yes, I have a lot of outs, but why put that extra bet in as an underdog? I doubt many NorCal players would lay AK down to a 3-bet on the turn here.

BTW: MP didn't seem too weak to me on this hand - I like his river check, since there was a lot of action you probably won't call him with any hand that he can beat there except the hand you had - 7s8s.

I assume you mean won't call him on the turn? So I take it you would have also checked behind in his position. Would you have checked behind with AK?