I know I got lucky, but...

[anatta]

I am in my usual 8-16 game. 4 limpers to the cutoff who raises, SB calls, I call in BB with Ah7h.

Flop As4c2c, SB bets right out. I played against SB a few times and he is not great, but better than most of the other guys I play against. With this flop, I thought most likely he has a flush draw. If he had an Ace, I thought he probably goes for the check raise. I raised and attempted to get it heads-up. The players in this game respect my raises. Normally, I would fold an Ace with a weak kicker with a large field behind me including a preflop raiser, but the pot was big, and I felt if nobody had an ace, I could get it heads-up and I really thought SB was drawing.

Turn 4h. SB bets out. I don't believe him. I still think he has a flush draw and he is semi-bluffing. I think he probably wouldn't have called a raise in the small bind with a four, and if he did, he would check-raise his lucky turn. I raise again. He calls and this confirms in my mind his draw.

Turn is the lovely Ac. I bet and he calls and flashes me the...4d2d...What? Yeah, that's what he had, he turned a full house. I misread him as a player, and I misread his hand all the way. Other than that, what do you think of my play?

[JTG51]

Well, your play was just fine given your reads. It turns out the read was way off, but I think you made the right plays based on that read.

Obviously, none of us can really comment on the read since we don't know your opponents. The read sounds reasonable though.

There is one thing I'm curious about. You said part of the reason you raised the flop was that you felt no one else had an ace. How did you come to that conclusion? Optimistic thinking? /forums/images/icons/smile.gif

[anatta]

The larger the pot, the more optimistic I become! /forums/images/icons/smile.gif

What I was trying to say was that IF no opponent had an ace, then they would probably fold to my raise. I think its in HEPAP where it says you should fold Ace-weak kicker when there is a bet to you and many players to act, but the board here, A42 two suited, screamed flush draw with the preflop raiser to the right of the SB. I took a chance that nobody had an ace and got lucky. Nothing like my river luck...to which I say "about time!"

[travisand]

The SB deserves what happened to him. He should have either reraised you on the flop or at the very least on the turn when he made his full house.

[Louie Landale]

On the flop you are sandwhiched big-time: you have a reasonable but vulnerable hand with potential better hands behind you and are faced with a bet. If ANYBODY says they play great in that situation they are lying. Raise/Call/Fold? who knows.

On the turn... even if your read is correct there is little reason to raise. Even if you ARE a show-down favorite at this point (and I do NOT believe you are...), you should still call and hope to snag a bluff on the river, especially since you risk addional bets if you are wrong.

As for your bad reads ... Consider this: perhaps you are confusing what YOU (as a reasonable player) would have done in the SB with what some OTHER apparently reasonable player does in the SB. Try not to confuse your "should do" with the other's "do do", pun intended.

- Louie

[Nottom]

You played fine. His play was awful on all streets but the flop.

[anatta]

My thought on the turn raise was he is still on a draw, I will make him pay big time. After reading your post, I see I failed to consider:

1. There is a good chance, its even probable, that I am behind.
2. If I am ahead, he is on a draw, which he will make about 20% of the time so I lose more when it hits anyways.
3. If I am ahead, and he is bluffing, I should just call and encourage him to bluff again, in which case I win the same.

Good points, you are right I should have just called.