Making Good Reads at the Low Limits

[balt999]

The difference between playing $20-$40 and $4-$8 is astronomical. When playing $4-$8, when an opponent shows stregth it usually means he/she has a big hand, and their tendency is to wait till the turn or river to show it...Extra bets can be saved when you make an intelligent fold when you know your beaten..here are a few examples of what I'm talking about....

These hands from a typical $4-$8 game at Boulder Station in Las Vegas...

I'm dealt A /images/graemlins/club.gif A /images/graemlins/diamond.gif and raise a passive Old Man (POM)...Every folds..POM calls..

POM checks dark (as he tended to do)
flop comes: J /images/graemlins/heart.gifQ /images/graemlins/heart.gif3 /images/graemlins/spade.gif

POM checks and calls my bet....

Turn is a 6 /images/graemlins/club.gif POM Fires a bet...I think he has a Queen at this point..I call the bet with the calling the river against any card on teh river...

Against POM checks dark....

River A /images/graemlins/heart.gif

I fire another bet...POM suddenly comes to life and check-raises me....What a pickle I got myself into....I didn't think POM would check raise with two pair, and decide folding was the best option....

POM turned over K /images/graemlins/heart.gif 6 /images/graemlins/heart.gif for a flush!

HAND 2: I'm in the BB with A /images/graemlins/club.gifQ /images/graemlins/club.gif

6 Players have limped in..I Check my option.

Flop comes A /images/graemlins/diamond.gifJ /images/graemlins/club.gif7 /images/graemlins/heart.gif

The Same Passive Old Man (POM)is the SB, and bets..I raise knowing out the entire field....POM calls.

Turn is a J /images/graemlins/diamond.gif

I bet and get checked raised by the POM...Needlessly to say, the Jack probably saved me a lot of money..I mucked...POM shows J7off...

I bring up these hands, cause those bets I saved help in the future hands as I ended up around 17 BB winner...

Anyway, just thought I'd share my experience with you guys...

[inkstain]

Not so sure about "making good reads", as they're fairly easy to read, but to actually follow through and act on the read will save you many bets. So many otherwise-decent LL players end up paying off weak players who basically turned their hand up and showed them the best hand.

[lil']

Hand 2 I think you played well, except for not raising pre-flop.

Hand 1 you should have raised the turn and not folded a set for one more bet on the river.

[BigEndian]

What lil' said.

- Groove

[rkiray]

I like just calling from the blinds with AQ and AK. Then I will check raise if I hit the flop, or it's all rags on the flop. I don't do it all the time, but it's my default in this situation. I especially like it in a aggresive game. I don't do it in passive games.

[lil']

A-Q suited is a big hand that can play well multi-way. I see no point in not raising with what is likely the best hand with a group that seem willing to pay you off if you hit. If you miss, so be it, next hand. If you hit, cha-ching. And the cha-chings more than make up for the misses and occasional suckouts.

[brian0729]

I like the limp w/ AQo or AKo, but with these hands being suited I think a raise is the better play.

[rkiray]

Actually I agree. I forgot that it was suited when I read lil's reply

[MRBAA]

I think it has tremendous value to raise AQ, AK, JJ in a typical fairly loose passive low limit game. So many players will limp with really weak hands (Q-x suited, 78o, etc.) that you are often way ahead pre-flop. For every time A-4o hits a 4 to take down your AK , you'll crush him when you hit an ace or you both miss.

[rkiray]

I would raise it in a passive game. I mainly play at Paradise, and there arn't many passive games there even at limits as low as 2/4. Most games are over aggressive. Check raise plays from the blinds and ep are very important there.

[balt999]

I have to disagree on the Folding a set on the river..why give another BB away when you know your beaten?? I guess I'm not a proponent of pots getting to big that you have to call..If you're beaten, you're beaten....move on to the next hand and

[lil']

If you fold top set for 1 bet on the river, you are giving up waaaaay too much.

why give another BB away when you know your beaten
I wouldn't know that for sure. I wouldn't be surprised if a saw a flush. I wouldn't be surprised if I won either.

Also, since the hand was played so passively post-flop, his set is pretty well disguised.