QJo in a MP

[Schmed]

6-12 game I just sit down in. I have played with about 2/3rds of these players before. I look down to see Q /forums/images/icons/diamond.gif J /forums/images/icons/heart.gif

Preflop, Folds to me, I call, lp calls, button calls, blinds complete.

Flop

q /forums/images/icons/spade.gif J /forums/images/icons/diamond.gif 3 /forums/images/icons/spade.gif

BB bets, I raise, button reraises, SB folds BB calls, I cap, button calls, BB calls.

Turn

A /forums/images/icons/spade.gif

Blind bets out, I call, button raises, blind folds, I call.

River

Q /forums/images/icons/heart.gif

I check, button checks

Button shows down K /forums/images/icons/spade.gif j /forums/images/icons/spade.gif , I show down my boat /forums/images/icons/blush.gif ....

Thoughts,

Preflop pretty straight forward. If the button raises after my call I had intended on calling.

Flop

I wanted to slow play this so bad but the flush was there and what little discipline I have made me get off of the slow play train and hammer it. I doubted trip J's or Q's. Not impossible but not probable. When the button raised I thought....hmmmm maybe AQ spades but he didn't raise preflop....so I then moved my read to Qx spades...I figured I was ahead and wanted to make it expensive for the guy with spades.

Turn.

Well here comes the spades. I have to think the blind was bluffing or something as I know him as a pretty solid player. He may have had small spades too. The raise to me said flush. I figured I had 4 outs and the odds in the pot to draw to it. To a lesser extent there were a few people at the table that I had never played with, one with a pile of chips in front of him, and I didn't want to allow any of them to think they could run over me.....it was my first hand.

River

Golden....I'll sit here and check raise flush boy and really do something for my table image............DOH!!!! Oh well at least the 12 I lost went in to image later as I received a couple of free cards later......

[Inthacup]

Oh well at least the 12 I lost

You lost $24. However, against most opponents, this is an easy check-raise. Keep an eye on the guy who checks the nut flush HU when the board pairs on the river. You gave him plenty of reason to think you had the boat with the way you played the hand, but most players refuse to check when they have the nut flush. In the future, bet out against this guy, he's obviously very observant.

[CrackerZack]

I'm not a huge fan of the open-limp. Your hand is off-suit, if you're gonna play it from MP, I'd raise and hopefully knock out hands like KJ that you have you dominated. You were lucky to hit 2 of your 3 queens against his hand, that didn't improve him also (although you only needed one obviously).

[Schmed]

24 Against most opponents but against this guy I would have bet 12 in to him he would have called the 12. That's a 12 dollar win in my mind.

He's a very good player. I really didn't like being in the pot with him. I almost folded on the turn as I knew his raise meant he had the goods but the money was there and I still had a heartbeat......

Thanks

[Ed Miller]

You say that you think your preflop play is routine, but it is one that I would never make. QJo is a pretty ugly hand, and you really need to take a shot at the blinds if you plan to play it at all. I generally muck this hand first in from MP, but if I were to play it (perhaps in a tight game) then I would raise for sure. I can't think of any appropriate spot to open-limp with QJo.

[Homer]

Against 99.9% of opponents checkraising the river is the correct play. If you bet, they will call with a flush, earning you $12. For a checkraise to be more profitable than betting out, your opponent needs to bet >= 50% of the time (assuming he will always call your checkraise).

I know of very few players who will check a nut-flush through on the river when the board pairs, even if there is a good chance they were just drawn out on. This guy is either very observant or is weak-tight (not likely since he pumped his flush draw + second pair on the flop).

-- Homer

[hutz]

I wouldn't have seen the flop with QJo in MP. That's an awfully ugly hand to open limp with.

[Schmed]

I actually wondered about that part of my play. I had just sat down and typically I muck whatever I get in that situation that's not a group 1 hand, (I like to get comfortable for a hand or so). Being honest the cards caught me a little by surprise, (I'm taking my chips out of the racks, waitress is coming up on me, I'm nodding to people I know....ya know typical card table distractions), I actually thought they were suited until the flop hit and I took another look...... /forums/images/icons/blush.gif

I know I know....baaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaad Schmed....pay attention........ If I didn't hit I would have been a pecan.....ya know.....gone..... /forums/images/icons/grin.gif

[SoBeDude]

Actually he needed both as his opponent had the nut flush.

But I'm with you. I think this is an open-raise or fold situation preflop.

-Scott

[lil']

I would think that a you would have to be at a table with decent players to raise Q-Jo here. I could see a bad player cold-calling with K-Qo, K-Jo easily. I would muck it here too.

[SoBeDude]

I would only play QJ in MP for an open-raise or fold.

If I think I'm going to get more than 2 callers from my raise I'm folding.

I'm hoping I pick up the blinds, or if the flop looks pathethic, I'll pick up the pot with a flop bet.

Like Majorkong, I would not open-limp with this hand ever.

-Scott