Mirage 6-12, too aggressive with KK?

[jai]

Here's a recent hand from my Vegas trip this weekend. Sunday afternoon 6-12, fairly soft game. One EP limper, I raise in MP with KsKc. Player to my immediate left makes it 3 bets. All fold, including EP limper. Heads up, so I smooth call. 3-bettor has only been at the table for a few orbits, and has been fairly tight (only involved in a few pots), and hasn't shown down a hand, so I don't have a good line on his play.

Flop comes:

8d 2h 3s

I check, he bets.

Turn: 10 d (8d 2h 3s)

I check, he bets. I check-raise, he makes it three, I make it four bets.

River: 3h (10d 8d 2h 3s)

I bet and he calls.

A problem area in my game thus far has been playing in heads-up situations against unknown players, and is one I'd like to improve. How'd I do here?

[sucka]

How is this too aggressive?

Given his pre-flop 3-bet and flop action he could only hold one hand that beats you - AA.

He could, would and should play this way with K's, Q's, J's and even T's. I doubt he has T's though as he would have gone crazy with you on the turn and the river.

I think that worse case you are up against A's here. However, you played the hand well. I like the CR on the turn.

If you lose to pocket A's then, oh well...

[mobes]

I would have capped preflop and led out on the flop. I dont think you can play KK to aggressively without an ace, flush, or str8 board out there. If he has AA then what better way to lose with KK. Sure beats all those gross cold calls people make before getting lucky on the river. I think you must have run into AA if you are asking us if you were too aggressive though.

[jai]

I decided not to reraise preflop because it was heads up (good or bad?), and check raise the turn. Like you, I put the preflop raiser on AA-TT, or AK.

Well, he showed down pocket 22 for the flopped set, which I really didn't see coming. Is the four bet on the turn here too aggressive? I didn't have a good enough read on this player to know if he would make it 3 bets on the turn with QQ/JJ, but I thought it was more likely I was ahead than behind here (is this right?).

What do you think of my opponent's play?

[mobes]

I think your opponent played awful preflop. Reraise with the dueces? Not only was he way behing at this point, but his raise drove out all the people that would have paid him off if he hit one of his 2 cards. He got lucky here.

[Ed Miller]

After I get 3-bet on the turn, I put my opponent on a set here, period. I think you are underestimating the range of hands that many players will 3-bet preflop with. Given the action, I bet his opponent had 88. He was worried that you had TT after you 4-bet the turn, so he just called your river bet.

[Ed Miller]

This result should not be surprising to you, jai. You have to understand that many players have much looser raising (and reraising) standards preflop than you do. It is common to find players that will raise and reraise with any pair at all. I assume they 3-bet with a pair because they put you on AK when you raise and assume they can steal from you if no A or K comes.

When I saw that you were 3-bet on the turn, I immediately put your opponent on a set as his most likely holding. When he just calls your river bet, it means that he must have either 88 or 22... as TT or 33 would have raised.

When players take actions later in a hand that is inconsistant with actions that they took earlier in the hand... you have to reevaluate your earlier reads in light of the new information. Failing to do so will have you putting five big bets in drawing to two outs.

[jai]

Thanks for the advice, majorkong. I just didn't think a three bet on the turn necessarily meant a set (I felt AA/QQ/JJ would have played it this way). But obviously I am only ahead of QQ/JJ here and there are probably more ways I am behind. I didn't put my opponent on a smaller pocket pair because this was the first aggression he had shown since he sat down.

Would re-raising pre-flop and leading the flop define my hand better and/or save me money on the later streets?

[bad beetz]

when he goes three bets on the turn I have to worry about AA or TT and call, however since he doesn't go one more you know it's not TT

I'm guessing since you posted this you had him beaten.

[Ed Miller]

I didn't put my opponent on a smaller pocket pair because this was the first aggression he had shown since he sat down.

This makes it sound like your opponent is on the passive side. Passive players don't generally 3-bet preflop with small pocket pairs... but they really don't 3-bet the turn without a big hand. As for 3-betting the turn with any overpair in this situation.... think about what hands he can put you on. You raise preflop and then checkraise the turn. I would put you on first, an overpair, and second, a set. If I had JJ or QQ... I'm not going to like my hand much in this situation. I might do the 3-bet with position as the last money I put into the pot play... but most players don't do that move... and even those that do wouldn't be calling your 4-bet. When he 3-bets you, he is saying, "I can beat your overpair," loud and clear. When you 4-bet, you said to him, "I have TT." That's why he just called your river bet.

If I had chosen to pursue the slowplay route here (not 4-betting preflop and not raising the flop)... which is a reasonable choice (always remember to vary how you play an overpair in this situation) because only one overcard can come to your pair... I would have waited until the river to raise if I thought that my opponent would bet the river. If I didn't feel he would bet the river, then I would checkraise the turn as you did, but when 3-bet... I would just call down. Against some opponents, I would just muck to the 3-bet... many would never 3-bet you here without a set.