Three hands for criticism

[DougThor]

Hand 1

Party Poker 1/2 (10 handed)
DougThor has A/images/graemlins/club.gif, K/images/graemlins/club.gif and is BB

MP3 limps, Button limps, SB limps, DougThor raises, MP3 calls, Button calls, SB calls

Flop(8 SB): 8/images/graemlins/spade.gif, A/images/graemlins/spade.gif, 6/images/graemlins/spade.gif

SB checks, DougThor bets, MP3 calls, Button calls, SB raises, DougThor calls, MP3 folds, Button folds

Turn(7 BB): 7/images/graemlins/heart.gif

SB bets, DougThor folds

I got scared by the monochrome flop. Should I have checked and called to the river or believed him and correctly gotten out on the turn?

Hand 2
Party Poker 1/2 (10 handed)
DougThor has A/images/graemlins/heart.gif, K/images/graemlins/diamond.gif and is MP2

EP2 limps, DougThor raises, MP3 calls, Button folds, SB folds, BB calls, EP2 calls

Flop(8 SB): K/images/graemlins/spade.gif, J/images/graemlins/spade.gif, 6/images/graemlins/club.gif

BB bets, EP2 calls, DougThor raises, MP3 folds, BB calls, EP2 calls

Turn(7 BB): 9/images/graemlins/diamond.gif

BB bets, EP2 calls, DougThor raises, BB 3-bets, EP2 folds, DougThor calls

River(14 BB): 6/images/graemlins/spade.gif

BB bets, DougThor calls

BB had QTo and was semi-bluff betting into the flop after my PF raise. I think this was a mistake on his part. What do you think about my raise on the turn. When he re-raised, should I believe the straight and drop it?

Party Poker 1/2 (10 handed)
DougThor has A/images/graemlins/diamond.gif, K/images/graemlins/heart.gif and is BB

UTG limps, MP2 limps, CO limps, Button folds, SB folds, DougThor raises, UTG calls, MP2 calls, CO calls

Flop(8 SB): 3/images/graemlins/diamond.gif, T/images/graemlins/diamond.gif, 2/images/graemlins/diamond.gif

DougThor checks, UTG checks, MP2 bets, CO folds, DougThor calls, UTG calls

Turn(6 BB): K/images/graemlins/spade.gif

DougThor checks, UTG checks, MP2 bets, DougThor raises, UTG folds, MP2 calls

River(10 BB): 7/images/graemlins/club.gif

DougThor bets, MP2 calls

MP2 had 74d and hit the flush on the flop. Again I run into trouble with the single suit flop versus my top pair. Was my raise correct on the turn? Should I have checked him down on the river?

I was getting great overcards, AK multiple times, and just got spanked this session, lost 35 BB, which is frustrating but part of the game which I can accept. I think I'm not respecting the scary flops and also misplaying the turn a lot as well.

[jbc]

Overall, I think you're play was OK on these hands. As they say, sometimes bad things happen to good cards. Anyhoo, comments below:

[ QUOTE ]
Hand 1

I got scared by the monochrome flop. Should I have checked and called to the river or believed him and correctly gotten out on the turn?


[/ QUOTE ]

It's opponent dependent, but I probably would have check/called it down. I don't see a check raise on the flop for a made flush, unless it's a low flush. Anyhow, when you just called his raise on the flop, he was definitely betting the turn. What card would you have stayed in with on the turn? If none, why not just fold on the flop?

[ QUOTE ]

Hand 2

BB had QTo and was semi-bluff betting into the flop after my PF raise. I think this was a mistake on his part. What do you think about my raise on the turn. When he re-raised, should I believe the straight and drop it?



[/ QUOTE ]

Actually, I like your opponent's semi-bluff on the flop with the nut open-ender. Folding to his re-raise is extremely situationally dependent. If you think about it here, it's pretty valid that he would have the made straight here, with the semi-bluff on the flop.

[ QUOTE ]

MP2 had 74d and hit the flush on the flop. Again I run into trouble with the single suit flop versus my top pair. Was my raise correct on the turn? Should I have checked him down on the river?


[/ QUOTE ]

I think the turn raise was fine, but obviously MP2 wasn't going anywhere with a made flush (people who limp with 47s generally aren't going anywhere with a made or drawing hand). I don't know about the river bet, I'll let someone else comment there.

[ QUOTE ]

I was getting great overcards, AK multiple times, and just got spanked this session, lost 35 BB, which is frustrating but part of the game which I can accept. I think I'm not respecting the scary flops and also misplaying the turn a lot as well.

[/ QUOTE ]

Don't fret too much. The QT and 47 hands are the dangers encountered with agressive play at the micros. Trust me, I'm a member of this club /images/graemlins/smile.gif. Just keep on keepin on.

Play well,
jbc

[MortalNuts]

Nice post. I don't think some of these hands are cut-and-dried; I'm hoping one of the more experienced posters will comment. Anyway, my thoughts:

Hand 1: I might call this down, though you can make a case for the fold. SB's check-raise of the flop isn't automatically a flush, though given your relative positions I think it's more likely than usual. (My rationale: if SB has a good but vulnerable hand, like TP-good kicker, he would probably play in such a fashion as to make people face two bets cold if possible. Since you raised PF in the BB, I think he'd think he has a good shot at a bet/raise from you, so with a vulnerable hand he ought to bet out and hope you raise. His check, then raise after many callers, is consistent with a strong hand, since he's granting odds to drawing hands.) If you call his flop raise, then I think you call the turn, since it's now (weirdly) heads-up, and I don't think he would've raised on that flop with a straight draw. (If you don't call this bet, after calling the flop raise, what did you read SB for on the flop?)

Hand 2: PF and Flop action are both good. You might just call the turn, though, since BB is still betting into you after your flop raise. (Incidentally, I'm not crazy about your opponent's bet on the flop, but only because it's likely to force others to face 2 bets cold when he is on a drawing hand that wants callers. I think a semi-bluff check-raise on his part would be better, but what do I know?)

Hand 3: I think this is fine.

The danger of my posting all this is that it may well be a case of the blind leading the blind. /images/graemlins/smile.gif But hopefully if that's the case, someone will let you know.