Two hands

Hi


Here's two hands that I'm not sure if I played good or bad. What do you think?


Hand 1:

I open raise with KK in EP and get four callers including SB.

Flop comes. 5c 8c Qd

SB bets, I raise, everyone folds except SB who calls.

Turn. Jh

SB bets, I raise, SB reraises, I fold.


How did I play this? Should I have let go after SB bet out on the turn?


Hand 2:

I'm in MP with JTo and make a (very?)loose call after UTG has limped in. Three more callers.

Flop comes: Td 9d 6c

Checked to me, I bet, player to my left raises, everyone folds, I reraise, he calls.

Turn: 3h

I bet, he calls.

River: 3s

I check, he bets, I call. He turns over JJ and i lose.


How did I play this? Would you bet or fold to his bet on the river?

Hand 1


I'm not folding KK here. The only hand SB could have that you're drawing dead against is T9. You may be behind but it could be to just two pair. QJ is a reasonable holding for SB. QJ would be consistent with the way SB played the hand. If SB flopped a set, then I would have expected a check-raise on the turn instead of him leading out against you. With an overpair to the board, and only an unlikely straight draw on the board, I'm calling down to the river.


Hand 2


I never would have put your opponent on an overpair to your Ts since he didn't raise pre-flop. Players who don't raise with JJ (or better) are losing value but can trap you when you flop top pair lower than their pocket pair. I would have bet all the way.


Calling in middle position with JTo is loose but if your game is also loose, it's not going to bust you.

Just a question since I am still very much a "player in training"...


Is a pair of tens with "only" a Jack kicker strong enough for a re-raise on the flop? What hands is he legtimately going to raise you with after limping. Limping third in most low-limit games I play in means the guy could easily have a lot of different hands that have me beat at this point, several of which would be strong enough for him to pop me and that have me chasing one of two Js or my long shot draw.


I don't think he is going to raise my opening bet with a drawing hand since there are three more players that might call one bet - he wants them in not out. If I am really chasing two (call it three for the long shot draw?) outs, can I really call that raise. I'm not sure if dumping it is out of the question. Raising is better than calling, certainly, but I'm not sure if its the right play here.


Maybe that is weak-tight, but you are not going to knock this guy out with a re-raise or any subsequent lead bets, and I wouldn't be feeling all that great showing down a J kicker if that is what my most probably outcome is going to be.

Hand 1


The fact that SB leads on the flop after your pre-flop raise shows that he beats your overpair. When you raised on the flop and everyone folded, he just called sensing that you will at least call when he bets on the turn. You should just have called the turn. He could have a set or QJ with a set more likely with his re-raise. If you called, the river could have been your miracle K in which case you could have re-raised if he bets.


Hsnd 2


Call pre-flop is ok. But re-raising with a top pair and medium kicker to my mind is questionable. Your check on the river with a small card told him your beat. Incidentally, sometimes I do not raise with JJ pre-flop like your opponent did. JMHO.

As far as Ironwood4's comments of the first hand:


I very often will bet into a pre-flop raiser if I pick up a good flop. This is certainly not limited to two-pair or better, so I don't know how you can presume that SB can beat his overpair. As it turns out from the hand, Peter was ahead on the flop. I would have played it the same from the SB's point of view, but I would not have raised on the turn if I was Peter.