Three hands at Party...

[ElSapo]

Three hands from this morning…I've been really frustrated lately, and I'm unsure about my playing. I've just posted two big losing sessions, and I'm seriously unsure if the problem is me or I'm just hitting a bad stretch. I'm incline to think a little of each, but mostly me. I suspect I see too many flops and try and push people around, which is next to impossible at .5/1 games. I also think I see too many flops out of too little respect for the limit, but I'm wary of trying to move up. Seems I'm in need of some self discipline.

Oddly, the bankroll isn't hurting too much from this. Though I've had bad sessions at .5/1, my tournament play and a couple of no-limit sessions have been good. I think I've been lucky.

Anyways, the hands - I'll post results later.

1. I'm in the BB with 79o. Seven limpers to me, the SB drops and I check. Eight to the flop. It comes 794 with two diamonds. I bet out and am called in five places. Top two is nice, but that's a lot of people chasing. Turn is the 3h, I bet out and am raised by EP who has been playing fairly solidly, but this is the first time I've seen him. I just call. River is the Jh, I check, he bets and I call. Did I play this too passively? Should I have reraised the turn or was going into call-down mode the right move?

2. In EP, towards the end of the session, I get AA. One fold before me, I raise, and only the BB comes along. Flop comes KsJs3c. He bets, I call intending to raise the turn. Turn is a Kc, he bets and I raise, he re-raises and I suspect the worst. River is a Qs. He bets, I call.

3. Personally, this was my favorite hand from today. In MP I get QQ. One limper to me, I raise, the BB comes in and the limper calls. Three to the flop, which comes 432 rainbow. Checked to me, I bet and am check-raised by the BB. I call and EP calls. Turn is a 7c, putting two clubs on the board. Again checked to me, again I bet, and this time all just call. River comes 9h. Checked to me, I bet and am raised by BB again. At this point, I know things can't be good, and I call.

[Homer]

Hand 1 - I would reraise the turn. He could be semi-bluffing with a pair and a flush or gutshot straight draw, or could easily have a lesser two-pair. He could have a slowplayed set or 56 (straight isn't likely if he is really solid), but a lesser two-pair or a semi-bluff is much more likely. If he caps, check-call the river.

Hand 2 - Calling the flop with the intention of raising the turn is okay, but you should change your strategy and go into call-down mode instead when the top card pairs on the turn. No good can come of raising, unless you are willing to fold to a re-raise. I prefer to let him continue to bet his J or flush draw into me (he will bluff one last time with the flush draw on the river). This way you make the same two bets as you would by raising the turn against a flush draw, make either the same or one bet extra against a J, and lose the same amount against a K. Plus, there is no chance that he can semi-bluff three-bet you out of the hand (not likely to happen anyway). Given that you raised the turn, when he three-bets the turn you should fold. You got your information and didn't use it. When he bets the river you should definitely fold because if he didn't have a K then he was pounding with a flush draw and it just got there. The best time to fold, though, is when he three-bets the turn. Look at it this way. You raised preflop. You could easily have a K yourself. When he three-bets he expects you to call. This means that he isn't bluffing. He has a K or a boat. Fold.

Hand 3 - I would have three-bet the flop, especially with a third opponent in there. Heads-up, it isn't as wrong to just call the check-raise. Given that you just called the checkraise and were checked to again on the turn, I agree with the bet. When you are checkraised again on the river you should be confused. I know I am. You are likely to be beat but should call anyway with your overpair. There are enough wackos at these limits that calling with your overpair will be profitable. BB could have a lower overpair or some cheese like 95 or A9. Hopefully he didn't river a set of nines, which is the only hand that makes sense to me here (unless he played his flopped straight real funky).

-- Homer

[34TheTruth34]

Hand #2, I don't mind raising the turn here for a free showdown. I make this play all the time, especially with AA on a paired board after my opponent shows strength. The thinking goes, "well, I'm probably behind, but I plan on calling the turn and river anyway, so I might as well raise. Then, I check behind on the river unless the magical ace comes." This works perfectly in low limit games, because they almost always check to you on the river (btw, you don't make this play against tricky or good players, just regular average or bad players). The best part of the play is that when the player re-raises, you can fold with a clear conscience.

Anyway, I think it's obvious here that when you get reraised you are way behind. You have to be able to make this fold against a reasonable opponent when you get 3-bet on the turn.

[Bob T.]

1. I'm in the BB with 79o. Seven limpers to me, the SB drops and I check. Eight to the flop. It comes 794 with two diamonds. I bet out and am called in five places. Top two is nice, but that's a lot of people chasing. Turn is the 3h, I bet out and am raised by EP who has been playing fairly solidly, but this is the first time I've seen him. I just call. River is the Jh, I check, he bets and I call. Did I play this too passively? Should I have reraised the turn or was going into call-down mode the right move?


I think I three bet the turn, if you get four bet, you probably need a lot of help on the river. You didn't say if this pot was still multiway on the turn, I would like the three bet more in a multiway pot. Although I would be worried that the raiser had a set, because a lot of microlimit players wait until the turn to raise with a set.

2. In EP, towards the end of the session, I get AA. One fold before me, I raise, and only the BB comes along. Flop comes KsJs3c. He bets, I call intending to raise the turn. Turn is a Kc, he bets and I raise, he re-raises and I suspect the worst. River is a Qs. He bets, I call.


You get the worst card in the deck on the turn, and you raise? Although it isn't guaranteed, the flop bet frequently shows top pair, and when the second King comes you raise? I might have called, but I think there is little to be gained from raising now.

On the river I think you got the next worst card in the deck, you are now behind trips, a full house, and a flush. I think that you could probably fold here, and give nothing up.

3. Personally, this was my favorite hand from today. In MP I get QQ. One limper to me, I raise, the BB comes in and the limper calls. Three to the flop, which comes 432 rainbow. Checked to me, I bet and am check-raised by the BB. I call and EP calls. Turn is a 7c, putting two clubs on the board. Again checked to me, again I bet, and this time all just call. River comes 9h. Checked to me, I bet and am raised by BB again. At this point, I know things can't be good, and I call.


You might have three bet the flop here. I suspect that you are behind, but I would call down with my overpair almost all the time.

[ElSapo]

Results:

1. EP shows 44 for a set. Played pretty well on his part I thought. Not sure how else I could have played this. Against someone I knew better, or knew to be wild, maybe I reraise the turn.

2. BB had K3 for the boat. Yep, he makes his boat and I raise him. This was just poorly played. He gave me every indication I was beat, but I decided to show it down anyways. Way to go me.

3. BB shows down A5o for the flopped straight. I liked his not raising the turn, probably getting another bet out of me.

Ugh.

[Robk]

On hand 1, why didn't you go for a checkraise on the flop?