NLHE steal

[nicky g]

10c-25c. I limp with Q /images/graemlins/diamond.gifJ /images/graemlins/diamond.gif. One limper behind me, the BB raises a dollar, I call, limper calls. Flop comes 9 /images/graemlins/diamond.gif9 /images/graemlins/club.gif6 /images/graemlins/club.gif. BB checks and I decide to try a steal, and bet $3. Limper folds, BB calls, and I decide to be more or less done with the hand unless I improve. Turn is a queen, and BB checks again, so I bet $6, planning on checking down the river if BB calls. He calls, and the river is another queen. I go all-in for another $15 and he calls.
Thoughts?

[crockpot]

does it count as a thought to call you a bastard?

i think you played it pretty well though.

actually i shouldn't quite call you a bastard, because he would have played quads like this if he had them.

[dogsballs]

Looks ok to me. I find that's usually the best way to play big bet poker - get lucky on the turn and river after attempting a steal.. /images/graemlins/grin.gif

Sounds like BB's a klingon; did you know that before trying the steal?

[1800GAMBLER]

I'd be more likely to fold to the raise preflop. After that steal wise i'd do that way against the weakest players and the smoothcall-bluffraise or as Sklansky calls it, the Delayed bluff, against the better players.

[nicky g]

[ QUOTE ]
does it count as a thought to call you a bastard? ...
actually i shouldn't quite call you a bastard, because he would have played quads like this if he had them.


[/ QUOTE ]

No, you should /images/graemlins/grin.gif. Hand history said he had KK. /images/graemlins/tongue.gif Massive suckout. I agree that the preflop call is a bit dubious, especially given the limper on my left whom I might be driven into, but I don't think it's too bad. I think the steal on the flop is fine too, and the river is straightforward. I think the main question mark is over the turn bet; I'm not sure why, but I feel a check and showing it down has a lot going for it. Basically I suppose I feel if I'm ahead now he's not very likely to call me, and there's not a lot of danger in giving a free card. On the whole though, I'd probably play it the same way again.

[tewall]

What you're saying about the turn makes sense. He could also raise you with anything and make life unpleasant for you.

The flop steal seems a bit dubious to me, unless it's something you wouldn't be expected to do here, and your opponents know that, and they're not brain dead. However, the better your opponents are, the more I like the steal.

[spoody]

I think the Kings played this hand poorly. He got a flop he had to like at least a little, sure 2 nines, but he shouda bet harder (raised you) on that flop to get rid of the flush or even straight draws...and get rid of you too and your runner runner junk for that matter.

I think you played the hand very well, but even on the turn the guy couda blasted you with a big bet and probably shaken you. Was your opponent slowplaying? I know I have gone in to a wimpy shell with KK before, but his play was wrong.

Spoody

[nicky g]

"He could also raise you with anything and make life unpleasant for you."

Yes, good point.

"The flop steal seems a bit dubious to me, unless it's something you wouldn't be expected to do here, and your opponents know that, and they're not brain dead. However, the better your opponents are, the more I like the steal. "

It wasn't the best line up to try this against, but I thought there was a good chance he'd fold unimproved big cards. As I say, I didn't intened to take it any further. Probably it would barely work often enough to make it profitable though.

He certainly played it poorly, although he did get me to put a lot of money in with a hand that was very far behind his (I'd have folded to a flop bet). But I don't think that was his intention; he just wimped out at the sight of the 9s, and called for a lot of money when he was beat.

[tewall]

Well if you felt it was barely profitable, then it's probably a good play, especially if you get to show it so people think when you're betting you don't have the goods. This is just foreplay for the real money-making play, however, which is betting heavy when you have the goods and taking advantage of bad calls.

I don't think your opponent played his hand poorly, except for perhaps the call at the end. On the river he was getting around 2-1 for his call, so he only needs a 1 in 3 chance for you to be bluffing for his call to be correct, but given the way the hand progressed it's hard to think of a hand you could be betting that wouldn't beat his. It certainly doesn't seem 33% likely.

But check/calling the flop and turn seems very reasonable to me. He very likely has the best hand if no one has the 9. If he bets himself, who will call him? He's in a situation where he'll likely only get called by better hands, but if he checks there's a good chance someone will try to represent the 9, and he can call him down, which is exactly what happened.

[tewall]

Well now that I think about it, not raising the turn is probably bad too. I think checking or betting the flop is debateable. It depends on how likely someone is to bet if he checks. If it's better than 50/50 that someone will bet, he's better of checking. Check/raising the flop certainly wouldn't be bad, but calling to pick up another bet on the turn seems like a reasonable gamble. The check on the turn seems O.K. too because there's a good chance you'll bet again.