Question about a couple hands - longish

I've been a seven card stud player the past few years (at least as much of a player as you can be living in Illinois,) and just recently started dipping my feet into the waters of Hold 'Em. After some research I bought into Paradise for $300. I know people say their games are tougher to beat, but I felt comfortable with their software since I had been playing Stud there before. I promptly lost $250 of it before clamping down on my game, and I have gradually gotten about $200 of that back.


Yesterday was one of the bad days when I kept getting busted out by bad beats, and I can't decide if the following two hands were good plays or if I was running scared. Any comments? This is 1/2 on Paradise. In both these situations the people I was concerned with were unfamiliar to me.


HAND ONE:

I'm BB with Ad Kh. Two folds, a call, two more folds, a call, SB raises to me. I call (should have re-raised?) My left re-raises, then a call, SB caps it, everyone calls around. Four in.


Flop As 9h Qd rainbow.


I'm vaguely worried, although I have high pair with a great kicker. SB bets into me, I call, my left calls, next person re-raises, SB calls, I fold. I'm thinking with all the betting, I'm facing 2-pair somewhere at least. Down to three.


Turn 7d


Everyone re-raiser above who bets, SB calls, third folds.


River 5c


Both check


Raiser: Ac Jc (Aces + J kicker)

SB: Jh 9c (Nines)


I'm pissed now. Did I make the wrong call folding so early? I basically feel like based on the betting it was a good move, but like I said I was getting burned all night and might have been scared to get involved. I later found out that the first raiser in this hand is a total nut who raises almost every flop and spends his time getting in people's faces.


SECOND HAND:


I get 7h 7s in middle position. One caller to me, and I call. Two others limp, SB folds, BB checks. Five in.


Flop: 8c 3h 9c


Check check to me, I check, so do the others.


Turn: 7c


Now I'm worried. I just got trips, but there's a open ended straigh flush on the board. Sure enough, first one up bets. Second folds to me. I'm thinking there are just way too many ways for me to be beat here, and I bail too. Others call.


River: Qh


Checks all around.


Now I'm pissed because I already know I could have won this. Final results were a pair of queens, high card ace, and a pair of eights.


Same concerns as above. All comments welcomed.

AK hand: I would have raised SB on the flop. You are beat here by AA only and you have position. You want to clear out the field or charge dearly for someone to chase their three outer. As you played it, your fold when it was 1 SB back to you was clearly wrong unless you were certain one of your opponents had AA.


77 hand. The flop should have been an automatic bet when checked to as you almost certainly have the best hand and you want to charge the overcards and draws money. On the turn your fold is horrible as you have 10 outs for a full house and will almost certainly make at least one more bet on the river if you hit. And that is just if you know someone has a straight. I think that few players would check JT on the flop here so you really shouldn't expect the straight.


Based on these two hands, your game seems too passive. Furthernmore, if you do not know the number of outs you have at each stage, you need to learn to keep track of this.


Keep working at it and post hands on the small stakes forum and your hold 'em game will come around.


Regards,


Paul Talbot

The call preflop w/ AK in the BB doesn't seem too bad to me. A raiser in the SB after limpers should have a big hand. You will be out of position in a multi-way pot. What I don't like is the flop call. When the SB leads, I would pop it. Make the players face 2 bets cold. Laying down top pair top kicker is a tough choice. And with these players, you will have to look them up a lot I think.

Hmmm, that points out two noteworthy gaps in my thinking. A) I spend too much time thinking about how many cards can beat me rather than how many cards I can win with (likely exacerbated by the fact that I was having a bad night.) B) I need to spend more time thinking about past betting patterns in terms of how they relate to the current bet in question. If I had thought about the cards that make a straight, and who would stay in / bet with them, I would have garnered more information about my current situation.


These points both give me some food for though. Thanks much for the insightful comments.


GDD

First hand: I think it's good policy to always 3-bet pre-flop with A-K. When the flop comes rainbow with an Ace, raise if there's a bet in front of you.


Second hand: Basically, you should never throw away a set on the turn. If the flop came with the 9c-8c and you had a straight flush draw, wouldn't you have bet the flop? So when everyone checks the flop, it's more likely that no one has even a flush draw, much less a straight flush draw.

Hand #1: If it's low limit, reraise or just call either should be fine, because the best hand usually wins as it'll go to show down most of the time. On the flop, you should raise and try to protect your hand and make others fold behine you and lead the turn. Folding on the flop with top pair top kicker is simply bad poker.


Hand #2: when you turn a set, the worst play is folding. You should either call or raise, because you have chance to fill up on the river even if you don't have the best hand now. Raising the turn would be a better play than calling as you want players behine you to get out or else they get a cheap draw on you.


I think your current play right now is too weak tight, meaning you worry about monster under the bed too often. You have to play more aggressive in order to make money in the game of holdem. Hopefully as you gain more playing experience your game will improve. Read the small stakes and mid high stakes forums as it should help you improve your game.