My first time...

[Griffin]

I was 17 and my parents were out of town so I invite my girlfriend over and....oops, wrong forum! .....I guess I'll tell about my first time at 5/10 instead.

Here are the key hands I played last night, my first time at 5/10 stakes. Comments are welcome.

It's Pacific 5/10. I've watched a few hands and the only things I've noticed are that players are more aggressive than at 2/4 and even though you can still get 5-7 seeing the flop, you get fewer at the river than at 2/4. At the time of my post, none of the players had done anything unusual to give me any reads.

Hand 1:
My very first 5/10 hand and I'm dealt J/images/graemlins/spade.gif J/images/graemlins/diamond.gif in the BB. (I would have moved up sooner if I'd known my hands would improve). /images/graemlins/wink.gif

UTG limps, folded to SB who completes, I raise, both call.

Flop (6 sb): 2/images/graemlins/heart.gif 8/images/graemlins/diamond.gif 9/images/graemlins/club.gif

SB checks, I bet, UTG folds, SB calls.

Turn (4bb): A/images/graemlins/club.gif

SB bets, I call.

River (5.7 bb): Q/images/graemlins/heart.gif

SB bets, I call.


Hand 2:
Two hands later on the button I'm dealt A/images/graemlins/heart.gif 5/images/graemlins/heart.gif

UTG raises, EP1 coldcalls, MP coldcalls, folded to me, I coldcall, SB folds, BB 3-bets, we all call. Five to the flop for 3 sbs each.

Flop (14.8 sb): A/images/graemlins/diamond.gif 4/images/graemlins/diamond.gif 5/images/graemlins/club.gif

BB bets, UTG calls, EP1 folds, MP calls, I raise, they all call. Four to the turn.

Turn (11.4 bb): 7/images/graemlins/spade.gif

Checked to me, I bet, BB calls, UTG folds, MP raises, we both call.

River (17.4 bb): 3/images/graemlins/spade.gif

BB checks, MP bets, I call, BB calls.


Hand 3:
Table now has 8 players. I'm EP1 with A/images/graemlins/diamond.gif Q/images/graemlins/diamond.gif

UTG folds, I raise, EP2 coldcalls, poster folds, BB calls. Three to the flop.

Flop (7.2 sb): 8/images/graemlins/heart.gif 6/images/graemlins/spade.gif 3/images/graemlins/heart.gif

BB checks, I bet, both call.

Turn (5bb): 6/images/graemlins/club.gif

BB checks, I check, EP2 checks.

River (5 bb): 3/images/graemlins/spade.gif

BB bets, I call, EP2 folds.


Hand 4:
The table has broken up. Down to 5 players. I'm the button and have A/images/graemlins/diamond.gif 9/images/graemlins/diamond.gif.

Two folds to me, I limp (will 3-bet if raised), SB completes, BB checks.

Flop (3 sb): 6/images/graemlins/diamond.gif J/images/graemlins/diamond.gif 8/images/graemlins/club.gif

SB bets, BB calls, I call.

Turn (2.9 bb): 2/images/graemlins/club.gif

SB bets, BB calls, I call.

River (5.8 bb): A/images/graemlins/spade.gif

SB bets, BB folds, I raise, SB calls.

Hand 5:
Folded to CO-2 who open-raises, folded to me in SB with Q/images/graemlins/heart.gif J/images/graemlins/diamond.gif '
I fold.

Thanks!

[Joe Tall]

[ QUOTE ]
I was 17 and my parents were out of town so I invite my girlfriend over and....oops, wrong forum!

[/ QUOTE ]

Well, she was my study partner in High School. She had a boyfriend but one study night she said...needless to say I managed a 3.8....oh, sorry, you're right, wrong forum.

Lots of hands here...if no comment then the rest looks good.

Hand#1
That sucks. No reads, but I think you lost. The SB bet into the preflop-raiser when the Ace hit and followed through on the river.

Hand#2
Fold preflop.

Hand#3
Do you really think you have a shot on the river here? I think you can fold.

Hand#4
Raise preflop.

Hand#5
Well, I don't think you are ready for 5/10 if you are asking such preflop questions. Just my opinion.

Peace,
Joe Tall

[Ed Miller]

I think you made several mistakes on several hands. I'm too lazy to write about them all, though, so I'm just going to mention something that you may not have considered.

You might want to raise the turn in Hand 1. You will often have the bettor beat (he's may be using the ace scare card to semi-bluff). If you get 3-bet, you can lay down.

If he calls and checks the river, you can decide whether you want to value bet. But raising the turn is basically always preferable if he might be semi-bluffing. Use your position to punish him.

I'd make this raise basically every time in the games I usually play in.

[BottlesOf]

Well, I don't think you are ready for 5/10 if you are asking such preflop questions. Just my opinion.

While this may be correct, I would just like to point out there is a long thread in the SS forum implying that one should know things like this already. And I don't think everyone does. If one were to ask in a separate thread, "I hold QJo in the SB, LMP open-raises..., should I play?" This post might be construed as beneath the SS, or already have been covered. I just hope that questions like this will continue to be asked and answered.

[Griffin]

First let me say that I have no aspirations to move up to 5/10 anytime soon. I don't know if everyone gets that urge to "sit at the grownup table" despite being too young to do so, but I wanted to give it a try and did so. I'll learn from my mistakes, improve my performance, and wait a loooong time before I do it again. (It's funny, but that's the advice my girlfriend gave me after my other first time. /images/graemlins/wink.gif )

<font color="blue">Hand 1: </font>
Ed, you were right about this one. SB was trying a steal with J2off. I took the pot. ..... You said you make this raise every time in the games you play in. Would you make this raise in 1/2 and 2/4 games?

<font color="blue">Hand 2: </font>
Somehow, the two coldcallers, the possibility of SB and/or BB coming along, and the fact that I was the button made me want to play this. I agree that I should've folded pf. I lost to MP's pocket 7s. Did I make mistakes postflop?

<font color="blue">Hand 3: </font>
Do you really think you have a shot on the river here?
Yes, for a number of reasons. EP2 coldcalled my raise, so it's unlikely he has a hand with an 8, 6, or 3 in it unless it's 88. He might have a pocket pair of something. I would think he would bet any pair on the turn when it is checked to him. When he checked, I put him on overcards.

BB's river bet could be a steal, so I decided to call with my board two pair and Ace kicker. BB had Q9o and MHIG. Also, I thought about raising the river, but quickly determined that such a move would have no value. I thought I played this hand well, but if others think I should have checked the flop, bet the turn, or folded/raised the river, please speak up.

<font color="blue">Hand 4: </font>
Because the table was breaking up, LP players were getting loose with their raises. I limped hoping to induce a raise from SB or BB so I could 3-bet.

I think I should have raised the flop for a free card play and to take control of the hand. I lost to SB's A8o. I'm surprised he didn't 3-bet my river raise.

<font color="blue">Hand 5: </font>
Well, I don't think you are ready for 5/10 if you are asking such preflop questions. Just my opinion.

LOL. Well, I have to agree. My only justification for the question was that PF raising standards had dropped. He might have raised with a Ace or King, but he might also raise JTs, 88, or other hands that QJo could beat. I autofold QJo against a raise in my usual games, but I know nothing about HU play (doesn't happen often in 2/4 and down), which I felt like this would be if I played it.

I would just like to point out there is a long thread in the SS forum implying that one should know things like this already. And I don't think everyone does.

Thanks BottleOf. Although it is embarassing, I don't know the answer, and the reason is that I haven't studied any texts on HU play. (The texts I have deal with HU on the river, not pf). Even though the BB is left to act, I felt like this was a HU situation. I do not assume that starting hand guides for full ring games are the same for HU games, so I don't know what value QJo has, if any, against an LMP "possibly" loose raise.

Anyway, what I need is not an answer to Hand 5, but to study texts on HU play before I move to 5/10 limits (as well as fix all my other leaks and mistakes! /images/graemlins/laugh.gif )

[Ed Miller]

Ed, you were right about this one. SB was trying a steal with J2off. I took the pot. ..... You said you make this raise every time in the games you play in. Would you make this raise in 1/2 and 2/4 games?

I'd make that raise in basically any online game (where people tend to play aggressively and bluff a lot). In a live low-limit game where some people play very timidly, rarely bluff, and rarely check-raise, I might lay down.

In your spot, I would have raised without much thought. Check-call the flop and bet the turn is a fishy betting pattern. It is a move WAY more than its fair share. People just don't tend to play real hands that way.