A hand you played this morning : KQs in MP

[GuyOnTilt]

It's a fine Saturday morning and you're playing 15/30 online at a table of 8. The player on your right is super-aggressive, betting and raising with crappy hands more often than good ones. Once he starts up, he doesn't seem to slow down unless someone makes him. On your left is a weak-tight player who seems to be very prone to fold postflop, but likes to cold-call PF with hands like QJo, ATo, 87s, and 55. An old man sitting across from you (his username is OldMan and then some random numbers) seems to be a good tight/aggressive player.

So you're just ho-humming your way through your session when finally an interesting hand comes up. You're dealt K /images/graemlins/heart.gifQ /images/graemlins/heart.gif in MP1. UTG folds and the player on your left raises. You make a weird feeling cold-call. MP2 cold-calls, and it's folded around to the SB (old man) who calls as well. The BB mucks and it's 4 to the flop for 9 SB's.

Flop comes: A /images/graemlins/heart.gifQ /images/graemlins/diamond.gif8 /images/graemlins/spade.gif

SB checks and EP does his thing and bets. You call, MP2 mucks, and the BB calls. 3 to the turn for 6 BB's.

Turn comes: 9 /images/graemlins/spade.gif[A /images/graemlins/heart.gifQ /images/graemlins/diamond.gif8 /images/graemlins/spade.gif]

SB checks and EP again bets, meaning he raised preflop and nobody's shown counter-aggression yet. You raise and the SB cold-calls. EP calls. Since the SB is still in the pot, you plan on checking through the river without improvedment. 3 to the river for 12 BB's.

River comes: K /images/graemlins/diamond.gif[9 /images/graemlins/spade.gifA /images/graemlins/heart.gifQ /images/graemlins/diamond.gif8 /images/graemlins/spade.gif]

Checked to you and you bet. SB folds, EP folds, and you take it down.

I think you played this hand pretty strange and maybe not necessarily well. Any thoughts in your defense?

GoT

[stripsqueez]

i wonder what the SB had given your description ?

i think you played it ok - pre-flop is interesting - it should always feel a bit weird to cold-call pre-flop before the blinds - KQs is probably the hand i cold call with the most - feels like you wouldnt mind the extra runners

stripsqueez - chickenhawk

ps its a hot saturday night

[chesspain]

PF: Looks fine, although I assume you meant that the player on your right raised. KQs is probably the only hand with which I will reliably coldcall outside of the blinds.

Flop: Looks O.K., especially with the runner-runner str8/flush possibilities

Turn: I don't like the position I'm now in. Even before the betting starts, I don't like the fact that SB and BB are still hanging around, with no real draws I'm not now behind other than maybe KJ, since if either had JT they have just turned a str8. Clearly, this is raise or fold territory.

River: Standard, since if someone had JT or aces-up you would have heard about it on the turn.

[JimRivett]

I would be inclined to 3 bet pre-flop in an attempt to isolate the initial raiser. Failing a reraise I would probably lay it down.

Seeing as how you called pre-flop, I would think raising the pre-flop raiser when he bets the flop could be another attempt to get it heads up.

I do like the turn raise, considering the outcome you have to wonder what the other hands were?

Regards,
Jim

[El Dukie]

Assuming your read on his ability is correct, I think SB is likely to be holding something like the Ax /images/graemlins/spade.gif, or Q /images/graemlins/spade.gifT /images/graemlins/spade.gif. He stuck around after flopping a pair, and picked up either a spade or str8 draw (maybe even /images/graemlins/spade.gif + gutshot) on the turn.

[Manzanita]

G.O.T.,

It would be to your advantage to isolate the guy on your right (who I assume is the preflop raiser). The best time to do so would be preflop. Having failed to do so, you need to raise the flop to get the good player out and find out how strong the preflop raiser is. I'm not real thrilled with waiting until the turn to raise.

-- Manzanita