Assaulted by the deck...it hit me hard.

[ElSapo]

Much better results this morning, after yesterday’s semi-disaster. However, it’s easy to win a whole bunch of bets when the deck takes you out back and beats you senseless. I mean, it hit me hard.

I included hand one, which seems pretty straightforward, as a prelude to hand two. I wonder if the check-raise on the first induced a wacky fold on the second? Probably a coincidence, but since the 2nd hand guy was also involved in the first who knows. Maybe he just didn’t want to show?

Hand 1 - This was my second hand of the session, and I’m in the small blind. Two limpers, I complete with Q6c and the big blind checks. Flop comes 6d, Ac, Qd . I bet, limpers folds, big blind calls. Turn is the 8h. I check, BB bets and I raise. BB calls. River is a miracle 6s, I bet he calls.


Hand 2 – In late position I’m dealt AQo. UTG raises, three fold to me, I call (should I raise here? Probably not to an UTG raiser, I’d think…), one other player calls, SB folds and BB calls. Four to the flop.

Flop comes Jd, 9h, Jc …

Missed me, but the initial raiser checks so I bet. One caller, the initial raiser drops and the blind drops. Maybe raiser had smaller pocket pair?

Turn comes Ad, I bet, he calls.

River is 4s.

I check, which was probably a mistake, but he folds. What?? I wonder if he folded, fearing the check-raise if he bets? But still, you just check and see. I guess no Ace no Jack. Or maybe he just had to go to the bathroom? As to the check – at the time I couldn’t see a hand calling I could beat. Once he folded, of course, I figured maybe AT would call (any ace for that matter), maybe a 9 would call also…


Hand 3 – In middle position I pick up 89s. Four limpers to me, so I call, one limper after, SB completes and BB checks. Seven to an unraised flop. That should be what I want with 89s…

** Dealing Flop ** : [ 3s, 9h, Ac ]
Middle pair, and it get’s checked around. At this point there’s 3.5 big bets in the pot.

** Dealing Turn ** : [ Ks ]
So I’ve picked up a flush draw in addition to my pair. Pair can’t be good at this point, I figure. Second to act bets out, a fold and a call. My turn to act and there are two behind me. If one of them calls I figure I’m getting 6-1 on the call, assuming it’s not raised. I call, one more calls.
** Dealing River ** : [ 9d ]
EP bets out, all call and my trips take it down. Question though, was the logic on the turn call correct? Figure nine outs for the flush, and maybe count the 8 and 9s for a total of 15 outs? 6-1 on my money plus anything on the river. Now I think I should have raised, as well, on the river. Missed a couple of bets there maybe.

Hand 4 – No details here, just gorgeous when I turn quad sixes, try and slow play and the field goes nuts. Turns out while I flopped top set, two other guys flopped straights and just called my initial bet. On the turn, they start firing away and it’s capped on turn and river. That was lucky.

All comments appreciated...

[Robk]

Hand 1

With a 2 flush on the flop, I would be a bit hesitant to try to checkraise the turn. But it's a solid play against an aggressive opponent.

Hand 2
Before the flop you should fold, if you don't know anything specific about the raiser. Your opponent probably held T 8, or Q T. You should have bet the river for value, expecting calls from worse aces, nines, and pocket pairs.

Hand 3
Bet that flop! You likely have the best hand, and don't want to be giving out free cards to something like JQ. If the turn comes ugly, you may have bought yourself the button. Good turn call, and you're right, raise the river.

[Barry]

It's always nice when you have days like that. Congratulations!

Hand 1

The turn checkraise worked out fine this time, but I wouldn't have risked it here; he could have checked behind you and you lose a BB. Once you start betting out, normally you should continue to bet. You could have checked the flop, if the BB bet it, a turn checkraise would be appropriate. If he checks the flop, it's only 1 SB that you lose.

Hand 2

Gutsy flop bet, nice one. When you don't get raised on the turn, you're most likely not facing a J. So value bet the river, a lesser A and maybe a 9 will call.

Hand 3

Your turn call is fine. Even if everyone else folds it's 5:1 and you're 3:1 to improve. Even considering, your outs are not to the nuts, you can call. Definitely raise the river.

Hand 4

It's so nice to have multiway action when you have the nuts!

[Louie Landale]

[1] Hmmm. "Miracle" isn't the word I would use for improving the probable best hand. You would have bet the river anyway, no?

[2] "Fold" should be the first thing that comes to mind when you have AQ and "UTG" raises; at least against reasonable raisers. I mean, what hands WORSE than AQ are YOU raising with UTG? No, don't fold against most low-limit players but you need to give it strong consideration as you move up.

A real curious fold, but I doubt it had anything to do with hand [1]. He may have gone brain-dead but probably has some silly thing like 87 that he KNEW wasn't good.

[3] On the turn the pot is "obviously" way too big to consider folding, especially since you have a pair. Now, considering hand [1] I MAY be tempted to raise figuring to steal it from the pair of Ks on the river ... but probably not in these small limits. Raising the river makes sense against reasonably assertive players who don't think too much, since there are too many players calling for nobody to have a 9. I don't think you gave up too much by just calling, since you got an over-call and at best can get only 2 more calls.

[4] Noticing that slow-playing didn't do any good this time; its going to get capped no matter what you do.

- Louie

[cferejohn]

On hand 3, it really seems very unlikely that he has the best hand. With 7 callers, odds that one of them has an A are really pretty good.

[Robk]

The pot was unraised and everyone checked to him. There is only one player to act behind him. I don't think this indicates that an ace is probably out there. And even though it will be some of the time, it is so important not to give a free card when it isn't that I think a bet is still worth it. And of course a bet will get you a free card on the turn a lot of the time if you are beat.

[elysium]

el sapo
read hfap

[Ed Miller]

In hand two, you should fold your AQo first in after an unknown UTG raiser. If you know UTG to be a loose raiser, then you can 3-bet. Cold-calling is basically never correct in that situation.

In hand 3, I don't think you appreciate the bigness of your hand on the turn. You have middle pair and a flush draw in a hand where no one has shown much strength so far... likely 14 clean outs for you. I probably would have raised on the turn, and sure as hell would have raised the river once I got there.