Poorly Played Hand Last Night

[Low Limits]

This is my first post so I apologize for not providing the details that the others posters provide. I want some advice on a hand that has been bugging me for the last 12 or so hours. I was in a $3-6 live game last night at a local casino that I visit a couple times a week. I have pocket Aces and raise pre-flop in EP. 5 call. Flop is Ad Kc 8d. I check. First mistake? Hoping to check-raise on the turn (even though there were 2 diamonds) and possibly hoping for a jackpot. MP checks and button bets. I call and MP calls. Turn was a blank. Check, check, bet. I raise. MP hesitates and calls. LP folds. River was another diamond. This is where I made my biggest mistake I think. I bet thinking MP was calling with top pair. He raises and I call. He had 4d 7d. I really want to be a solid player and this hand has just been bugging me. MP was a pretty decent player and I was just getting ticked off at him because he was just getting so lucky on the river all night long. Please help a newbie improve his game. I look forward to posting more hands in the future.

[Mike Gallo]

I check. First mistake? Yes....You flopped a set however you can drawn out from anyone playing diamonds or JQ. If you bet, you might get raised from a player who plays his draws aggressively. When someone did bet, you should have checkraised then instead of waiting for the turn.

I was just getting ticked off at him because he was just getting so lucky on the river all night long. You allowed him to get lucky. You should have put more heat on him on the flop.

He would have called you down probably either way. If you bet the river, he could call with AK or AQ. I would have check called.

[Jeffro]

First off I don't think anything you could have done would have one you this pot but here are my two cents on your thinking and play.
Pre-flop: fine.
Flop: With two suited cards out there I think you need to bet out here.
Turn: Think you need to bet out here as well.
River: I would have bet out as well and probably paid it off as well, very player dependant.

Your read of the MP I think is a real problem here. You say he is decent but then he is getting lucky on the river all night. He called two cold with 47s, I find that nowhere on my solid player list. And he didn't get lucky in this hand after the flop, he had proper odds after the flop to make these calls.

[Low Limits]

Thanks MG in NJ and Jeffro,

It seems that when the pot is this big pre-flop, there's nothing I could have done to make the pot odds incorrect to draw on me. I guess if I check-raised the flop, the odds wouldn't be right. He did call two cold with 47s. I think his post-flop play was more solid than his pre-flop play. You're probably right--I don't think I could have won this hand regardless. Surprisingly, I was dealt AA four times in about 5 hours of play and didn't win a single time even though I know I played them aggressively and correctly.

I definitely will not be fancy with multiple opponents anymore. I usually only slow-play quads or the nut flush on the flop but I think I let my emotions get in the way last night.

[Bob T.]

You have the best hand, and the best draw (to a full house). You raised preflop, and then you check, this in itself is suspicious. I would bet, and if I got raised, three bet if the bet came from late position, and call and raise the turn if I was checkraised on the flop. I think that a lot of low limit players miss a lot of bets, when they try and get tricky on the flop, and instead try and make their move on the turn. A lot of players will take one off for a small bet, but not for a big bet, so when you are ahead, you may as well make your bets when they will contribute more to the pot that you are a favorite to win.

Anyone who would cold call a raise preflop with 74 suited is a) not a decent player, terrible is a word that comes to mind, and b) not going to lay this hand down for anything once he gets his flush draw going.

On the river, you have to be suspicious that he might be drawing to diamonds, given the previous action, but with top set, if you check the river, you will be giving away a lot more in missed bets, than if you bet and call a raise. You might think that bet calling was bad poker, but if I was sitting behind you, I would think that worse poker was check calling the river. Last place would go to check folding the river.

[Low Limits]

Thanks Bob T,

I have learned a lot from your other posts and I'm grateful that you took time to analyze my play. Until last night, I thought I played decent (not great) poker but I realize there are definitely leaks in my game. I definitely cannot wait till the turn to make my move. I definitely missed bets in that hand.

All night long, I played only one hand every one and half revolutions around the table so <10% of the hands. This is normal for me but the other player was calling about 35-40% of the hands since he was one of the few raisers at the table. I thought he had to be at least decent since his decisions were at least in line with pot odds (according to my calculations). I was up about 10 BB but I lost that to that guy in about 3 hands heads-up. It was getting late so I left the table even for the night. I just hope to run into him again with an improved game. Thanks again for the advice!

[JoeU]

Low Limits,

I had a hand very similar to this happen to me about 2 months ago. I posted it here. I had KK, the villian was in the BB with J4c and hit his 3rd club in the river. He also called 2 cold preflop. My deduction is still the same, once this guy calls 2 cold preflop, you are destined to lose lots of money. You should have definitely led the way on all streets; you are the preflop raiser, and have the absolute best hand right up to the river. In a low limit game, make them pay the max when you have the best hand.

Try to forget the result and keep plugging away, those aces will stand up eventually and make you lots of money!

Joe

[MaxPower]

I'm not sure why you thought he might be calling with top pair. He didn't play the hand in a way that indicated top pair.

The fact that the MP player was getting lucky on the river all night long, should have told you that he wasn't a decent player. When playing against this type of player in a low limit game I generally don't even try to put him on a hand.

I think that determining what action to take on the river is the most difficult thing to learn and understand for a new player. Rather than trying to put him on a hand, I would try to think of it this way:

If he will call with a lot of hands worse than yours, but only bet hands that can beat yours, you should bet.

If he will usually only call with hands that can beat yours, but will bet with many hands that won't, you should check and call.

[Nottom]

This hand is so close to one I played online last night. I was in MP instead of EP, but the result was about the same ... lost to 82s on a rivered flush.

This was a few hands after seeing another player beat AKs with his 72 (the guy said he just wanted to be funny).

I really wanted to stay at that table all night, but it was getting late and I could barely keep myself awake, and the fact that I couldn't get a hand to actually hold up wasn't helping.

[KDF]

Never check a set of aces against 4 opponents!

Repeat: Never check a set of aces against 4 opponents!

Altogether now!: Never check a set of aces against 4 opponents!
Never check a set of aces against 4 opponents!

Never check a set of aces against 4 opponents!

Never check a set of aces against 4 opponents!
Never check a set of aces against 4 opponents!

I know never is a bad word in poker, but this situation is pretty close.

PS. execpt when they are all all-in. /forums/images/icons/wink.gif