Pretty straightforward hand, but i'm lost.

[Exitonly]

Party Poker No-Limit Hold'em Tourney, Big Blind is t15 (10 handed) FTR converter on zerodivide.cx (http://www.zerodivide.cx/converter)

saw flop|<font color="#C00000">saw showdown</font>

MP3 (t800)
CO (t800)
Button (t790)
SB (t785)
BB (t710)
UTG (t740)
UTG+1 (t800)
Hero (t800)
MP1 (t710)
MP2 (t1065)

Preflop: Hero is UTG+2 with A/images/graemlins/spade.gif, Q/images/graemlins/heart.gif.
<font color="#666666">1 fold</font>, UTG+1 calls t15, Hero calls t15, <font color="#666666">5 folds</font>, SB completes, BB checks.

Flop: (t57.50) 7/images/graemlins/spade.gif, T/images/graemlins/club.gif, Q/images/graemlins/club.gif <font color="#0000FF">(4 players)</font>
SB checks, BB checks, UTG+1 checks, <font color="#CC3333">Hero bets t50</font>, SB folds, BB calls t50, UTG+1 folds.

Turn: (t157.50) 4/images/graemlins/club.gif <font color="#0000FF">(2 players)</font>
<font color="#CC3333">BB bets t35</font>, Hero calls t35.

River: (t227.50) K/images/graemlins/diamond.gif <font color="#0000FF">(2 players)</font>
<font color="#CC3333">BB bets t175</font>, Hero folds.

Final Pot: t402.50


definitely not used to this structure or SnG's...


should i be raising PF? i've been trying to avoid that unless i have a monster, or i'll be able to push.

Didn't know what to make of that small turn bet.. so i decided to call it and then call a smallish river bet. Then he bet (near) pot and i didnt know what was good.

This an alright line? or did i fold the best hand here too often?

[bawcerelli]

he has the flush or the straight.

[Doylestown]

Hey Exit - I think the buyin amount would be helpful. Different answers to different buyin amounts.

[Exitonly]

$10.

(and i suck at these. Hard. Don't get it)

[Doylestown]

It's been a while since I've played a $10. I think playing the hand stronger from the outset is probably the right answer. The $10 players will chime in and let you know.

[splashpot]

I'm uber weak tight level 1. That said, I fold AQo preflop UTG+2. I don't know, maybe I'm losing chips doing this, but it's easier for me to just wait til the blinds are higher or when I have better position.

[Exitonly]

I was really considering this, and think i might start folding this that early.

With the blinds so low, I try my best not to get involved without monster hands. I play ridiculously tight for the first couple levels. So I would have folded AQo early position.

I think you played it good from the flop on.

[Doylestown]

Exit thinking more about it the only thing I really don't like is the limp. Raising or folding seems better preflop. Don't want to take AQ against too many opponents OOP. Seems the $10 players are advocating a fold here.

[durron597]

You'd feel a lot better about your fold if you had raised the turn.

That said, I'm usually raising this preflop. Most of the time you will see a bunch of folds but most likely when you do get callers you will be in position (the blinds or the limper).

[Doc]

I'm raising this preflop, too loose?

Doc

You are not wrong in calling preflop but a % of more call than raises is correct. postflop your raise is a good move and his call shows a good chance he is drawing (incorrect call on his part coz the pot odds werent there). his bet on the turn showed strength and your call may have been incorrect. why call on turn if you wont take it to the end, the river card would rarely of improved your hand.

i wud of quit after his turn bet, strong reason on why he took control in the betting

[Exitonly]

Theres pretty much no way in hell i'm folding to his bet of 35 w/ TPTK. I called because i thought there was a decent chance i could get a cheap showdown, with what was still somewhat likely the best hand. But i probably should have raised to 100 or so if i was going to do that.. becuse if he 3 bets, i have an easy fold, and if he doesnt i get checcked to on the river, and get to decide to value bet or take the free showdown.

So, on the turn i think i should hve raised, i'm still not sold on folding/limping/raising PF though. I can see good points for all of them.

[ChrisW]

In a loose, weak STT (and believe me, there are plenty of 109s which qualify, not just the 11s), a good bit of your profit will come from playing solid cards and outkicking your opponents. So, you'd like to play AQ because you dominate many opposing Broadway hands and are only dominated by one such hand. I can't tell you how many times I've gotten all-in with AQ on a QTx flop and been shown QJs (no flush draw).

However, two unsuited big cards have huge negative implied odds. While you will often make a good hand, you will rarely make a monster. So, an opponent with a fabulous hand (such as a set) will have a great opportunity to win a bunch of chips from you if you hit TP. Now you might say, "No problem, I'll fold if the action gets too heavy." The problem with that approach is that many donkeys will take the same betting pattern with QJ as with TT on a QTx flop, treating both like the nuts. So, if you avoid going broke to a set, you'll fold reasonably often when you have your opponent crushed.

The solution to this dilemma is to "always" raise when entering the pot with unsuited high cards at low blinds. This raise thins the field, but equally importantly it reduces your negative implied odds. Let's say you raise to t60 at the first level of a PP STT and get two callers, one of whom is the BB. There are now t190 in the pot, and you have T940 behind. The flop is QTx, and there's now too much money on the table for you to get away from your hand. Of course, if your opponent has called your raise with a queen, he's going to be forced all-in by the natural progression of the betting for similar reasons. So, against loose opponents who call raises with KQ or QJ, you'll stack them far more often than they'll show you a set or suck out.

Compare with a starting pot of t55 when you limped. Now, if you bet your hand in a normal aggressive fashion (e.g. betting 40 on the flop, 100 on the turn, and 200 on the river), you will not get all the money in by the river. So, you only end up all-in when your opponent loves his hand enough to raise you. Not good for you, because your odds of winning the hand decrease as the amount of action that you get increases. Negative implied odds in action.

[curtains]

IMO the hand was played alright...

[tigerite]

I'd raise pf, but otherwise your line is fine..

Erm actually, no I wouldn't looking at it. I thought you were in a later position. Sorry. (Although sometimes I do raise here.. it depends on my mood and the table, a limp is fine, too)

[Jman28]

I think this was played perfectly.

I raise AQ lvl 1 in LP or out of the blinds, but limp in EP. Basically, I raise once I'm almost positive nobody has AK.

[ilya]

[ QUOTE ]
I was really considering this, and think i might start folding this that early.

[/ QUOTE ]

No, don't do that. You can definitely play AQo for a profit from any position in a $10. Or a $20 for that matter.

[Jman28]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
I was really considering this, and think i might start folding this that early.

[/ QUOTE ]

No, don't do that. You can definitely play AQo for a profit from any position in a $10. Or a $200 for that matter.

[/ QUOTE ]

[curtains]

I do admit I have folded AQo UTG in my life in certain situations (and may have been wrong to do so), but never w 10-15 blinds in a spot like this.

[tigerite]

.. and certainly not after a limper. To open with UTG, or UTG+1, I can sort of understand. Though generally, I don't fold even then unless it's an aggressive table.

[lacky]

yep, I agree, looks like BB hit a flush, not much you can do there.

Steve

[aaronk56]

I think your line was fine. But you might want to put in a small, maybe a min-raise, on the turn. At this level it might encourage a check on the river and give you a free check out. At this level I think your hand was good and you want to avoid a big bet on the river from someone playing Q with a worse kicker.

[johnnybeef]

I raise pf here to isolate the limper as at the t800 games, your utg+1 could be holding *. As it stands, I prolly dump this on the turn as you don't have very much invested in it.

Preflop: You can definitely raise here, at an 11 you will get called by lots of people with hands as weak as QTo or Ax off.
Flop: I think betting 50 is fine in this case. This is where a pfr is helpful. If you raised pf, you take away a lot of the implied odds a person with flush or straight draws have, which may make chasing closer to correct. A 150 pot size bet with 625 behind is a much bigger mistake to call than a 50 bet with 725 behind.
Turn: At this point, you need to raise to find out where you are at. If he is using the 35 as a blocking bet to draw to his A flush cheaply, calling is definitely the wrong play. He may also bet small with a weak queen at this point. If you raise, and he pushes, you can fold. But if he smooth calls, you can become much more agressive when a non scary (club or king) hits.
River: In your spot, the pot isn't big enough to call, so you have to lay it down. At 11s villians make this bet with or without the king, as a bluff when they missed the flush, but a call still isn't profitable. If you show more agression earlier in the hand, it will make him much less likely to get out of line and will likely just check to you. At this point you can decide, to value bet, or see a free showdown.

[pooh74]

phew...just when the thread was starting to piss me off.

[Scuba Chuck]

[ QUOTE ]
Preflop: You can definitely raise here, at an 11 you will get called by lots of people with hands as weak as QTo or Ax off.
Flop: I think betting 50 is fine in this case. This is where a pfr is helpful. If you raised pf, you take away a lot of the implied odds a person with flush or straight draws have, which may make chasing closer to correct. A 150 pot size bet with 625 behind is a much bigger mistake to call than a 50 bet with 725 behind.
Turn: At this point, you need to raise to find out where you are at. If he is using the 35 as a blocking bet to draw to his A flush cheaply, calling is definitely the wrong play. He may also bet small with a weak queen at this point. If you raise, and he pushes, you can fold. But if he smooth calls, you can become much more agressive when a non scary (club or king) hits.
River: In your spot, the pot isn't big enough to call, so you have to lay it down. At 11s villians make this bet with or without the king, as a bluff when they missed the flush, but a call still isn't profitable. If you show more agression earlier in the hand, it will make him much less likely to get out of line and will likely just check to you. At this point you can decide, to value bet, or see a free showdown.

[/ QUOTE ]

Just wanted to say I thought this guy put some time into this thoughtful post.