Session #2 advise needed.

[winky51]

Session #2 .5/1 table
Hands: 349
Flop: 105 (30%)
Mistakes: 15 which cost me $23.75 but I learned
Showdown Wins: 31.5
Showdown Losses: 15 (7 were in a row by them making it on the last card)

I took everyone’s advise and reread some sections I felt I did not understand so well in HE4AP. I raised and made poor player pay for staying in. I tracked the raises and they paid off more than the losses. Those 2 nights at the local Indian casino really shook me up playing online in session #1. But now my head is clear and back on the track of “Bad players win by luck, good players win by skill. Man I really saw no hands those 2 days.

Anyways I had a few questions on some hands.

Hand #1 Fold after raise on PF?

Party Poker 0.50/1 (10 handed)
Winky51 has 5/images/graemlins/heart.gif, 5/images/graemlins/club.gif and is SB

EP1 limps, EP2 limps, MP1 raises, MP3 calls, Button calls, Winky51 calls, BB calls, EP1 calls, EP2 calls

Flop(14 SB): 2/images/graemlins/spade.gif, 6/images/graemlins/heart.gif, J/images/graemlins/diamond.gif

Hero checks, BB checks, EP1 checks, EP2 bets, MP1 folds, MP3 calls, Button calls, Winky51 folds, BB folds, EP1 calls

Hand #2 Should I have been more aggresive or did I do right to check on the Turn

Party Poker 0.50/1 (10 handed)
Winky51 has A/images/graemlins/spade.gif, A/images/graemlins/club.gif and is MP3

UTG limps, MP1 limps, MP2 limps, Winky51 raises, Button folds, SB calls, BB calls, UTG calls, MP1 calls, MP2 calls

Flop(12 SB): 3/images/graemlins/club.gif, 2/images/graemlins/club.gif, 2/images/graemlins/spade.gif

SB checks, BB checks, UTG checks, MP1 checks, MP2 checks, Winky51 bets, SB calls, BB calls, UTG calls, MP1 folds, MP2 folds

Turn(14 BB): 9/images/graemlins/heart.gif

SB checks, BB checks, UTG bets, Winky51 calls, SB calls, BB calls

River(18 BB): T/images/graemlins/diamond.gif

SB checks, BB checks, UTG bets, Winky51 raises, SB calls, BB folds, UTG calls

Hand #3 I felt no one had anything of a low pair. At the end they seemed weak so I bet the J thinking they thought I had 2 over cards.

Party Poker 0.50/1 (8 handed)
Winky51 has Q/images/graemlins/spade.gif, T/images/graemlins/spade.gif and is CO

EP1 limps, Winky51 limps, Button folds, SB limps, BB checks

Flop(4 SB): 8/images/graemlins/heart.gif, 4/images/graemlins/heart.gif, 7/images/graemlins/diamond.gif

SB checks, BB checks, EP1 bets, Winky51 calls, SB folds, BB calls

Turn(6 BB): 6/images/graemlins/club.gif

BB checks, EP1 checks, Winky51 checks

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

BB checks, EP1 checks, Winky51 bets, BB folds, EP1 folds

Winky51 wins pot $4.50

Hand #4 I raised and bet on the flop and sensed weakness from the others. Right move or too bold?
Party Poker 0.50/1 (7 handed)
Winky51 has 6/images/graemlins/diamond.gif, 6/images/graemlins/spade.gif and is BB

CO limps, Button folds, SB limps, Winky51 raises, CO calls, SB calls

Flop(6 SB): 2/images/graemlins/spade.gif, 4/images/graemlins/diamond.gif, K/images/graemlins/spade.gif

SB checks, Winky51 bets, CO calls, SB folds

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

Winky51 checks, CO checks

River(7 BB): 2/images/graemlins/heart.gif

Winky51 checks, CO checks

Winky51 Wins pot $4

Hand #5 Was not sure if I should raise again on the turn. Felt as though if I did I would lose everyone behind. I collected 2 extra bets after raising on the river instead. Is this right play?

Party Poker 0.50/1 (10 handed)
Winky51 has T/images/graemlins/diamond.gif, A/images/graemlins/diamond.gif and is CO

EP2 limps, MP2 limps, Winky51 limps, Button limps, SB limps, UTG checks

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

SB checks, UTG checks, EP2 checks, MP2 bets, Winky51 raises, Button calls, SB folds, UTG calls, EP2 folds, MP2 calls

Turn(10 BB): 6/images/graemlins/spade.gif

UTG checks, MP2 bets, Winky51 calls, Button calls, UTG calls

River(14 BB): 4/images/graemlins/club.gif

UTG checks, MP2 bets, Winky51 raises, Button folds, UTG folds, MP2 calls

Winky51 Wins pot $14.25

Once again thanks for all the help. I learn more each session and each post.

Al (winky51)

[Homer]

Hand 1

Preflop - Calling was correct. If EP1 and EP2 call the raise (which is what will happen 99% of the time), you'll be getting 11.5:1.5, or 7.7:1. This is plenty since you are only 7.5:1 against flopping a set.

Flop - You should consider calling, getting 17:1. You are 22.5:1 against catching one of the two remaining 5's on the turn, and if you do catch, you likely will be able to make up the difference in implied odds from turn/river betting.

Hand 2

Turn - You must raise here. You almost certainly have the best hand and want to charge the others for the right to draw. UTG likely has a 9. He would have check-raised the turn with trip 2's or 33/99. If the board were rainbow, then calling the turn and going for overcalls actually could be a good play, since your hand is not vulnerable due to the board being paired.

Hand 3

Flop - You must fold here. The pot is small, the board is coordinated, and you have no part of it.

River - Judgement call. Do you think your bet will allow you to take down the pot more than 25% of the time? What does EP1's flop bet + turn check mean? Does it definitely mean he was on a flush draw or could it mean that he has a pair, but didn't bet the turn for fear of someone having a straight?

Hand 4

Preflop - Raising is not horrible if it gives you a good chance of taking it down with a flop bet. Typically, I'll check here.

Turn - Heads-up, you have to fire again on the turn. There's a decent chance you have the best hand and will take it down right here. If you check, you will often be bet into, and will be left with an awkward decision. Better to bet it yourself and put the pressure on your opponent.

River - Judgement call. You might have a thin value bet here. Then again, checking could be better if you think your opponent is on a flush draw and checking might induce him to bluff.

Hand 5

Hand #5 Was not sure if I should raise again on the turn. Felt as though if I did I would lose everyone behind. I collected 2 extra bets after raising on the river instead. Is this right play?

What's wrong with losing everyone behind? You want to charge the hands that are trailing you the maximum or make them fold.

Turn - I know your instinct here is to call a single bet on the turn and river, but a much more effective use of two bets is raising as your last bets in the pot. There's still a decent chance that your hand is best and you'd like to protect it from the two players who called two bets cold on the flop. If MP2 re-raises you should fold immediately. If he calls and checks to you on the river, you should probably check behind. Another option, if you are fairly certain that MP2's turn bet means that he has a 6, is to fold immediately. However, you should not do this unless you have a great read on MP2.

* If anything didn't make sense, reply and let me know.

-- Homer

[winky51]

On hand #5

I understand what you said in the reply. I should assume that being this aggressive with my seemingly 2 pair will make even bad players fear my hand and check on the river. So instead of 2x 1 bets (turn and river) I still get the same result if I raise he calls and then he checks on the river afraid of me or if he really has the best hand he is going for the check-raise assuming I will raise again and he will nail me. But instead I check back. Same amount of bets but I would scare off anyone on the draw on the turn eliminating their chance to make their hand and strengthen my chance to win. That's what you saying right?