Two questions

[AriesRam]

A couple of questions from the Stars NLHE freeroll last night.

Early on 15/30 blinds, no read on players (new to table) I am on the button with 5 /images/graemlins/spade.gif4 /images/graemlins/spade.gif. I have T1800 and opponent has T1300. Six limpers to me, I limp, SB completes, BB checks. Flop comes K /images/graemlins/spade.gifQ /images/graemlins/spade.gif7 /images/graemlins/heart.gif. EP bets minimum, 2 callers, I raise to 90, SB & BB call as does original bettor.
Turn is 8 /images/graemlins/spade.gif. Check to me, I bet the pot, around 500. Only the SB calls. The river is a harmless rag. SB checks and I put him all in. He calls with J /images/graemlins/spade.gif6 /images/graemlins/spade.gif.

Aside from the horrible river bet (I will only get called if I am beat, right?) how did I play the rest of this hand. I am new to NL and I am not sure if raising on a flush draw to get a free card carries over very well to NL from limit.

Second hand:

Later in the tourney, I have T11,000 and the average stack is T13,000. I am again on the button with a large stack T40,000 in the CO. Blinds are 300/600. Folded to the CO who calls, I have KJo. I make it 1800. BB and CO call. Flop come J /images/graemlins/diamond.gif6 /images/graemlins/heart.gif5 /images/graemlins/heart.gif. Checked to me. I figure this is a clear all-in here. BB folds, CO calls with 9 /images/graemlins/heart.gif3 /images/graemlins/heart.gif. No heart comes, but it does go 4-2 for runner runner straight and I am done. Like I said, I think the flop bet is standard, my question is more about the pre-flop raise. The CO had been playing quite a few hands, so I was pretty sure I had the best hand. Looking back, I think I should have raised more. But it would have been tough to raise higher without completely pot-committing myself, I think. Would anyone else have raised more?

[Dentist]

hmm...
Hand 1: I don't like the flop raise.. you have a drawing hand, and only the spades are good.. What were you trying to accomplish with your raise? Free card play? Pot builder? Seems like I'd like to keep my drawing hands cheap.

You hit, he hit, you had the crap end... yeah, a check on the end would have been good.

Hand 2)
Geez.. KJo is one of my least favorite hands that looks good and plays bad.
I guess the raise was Ok pre-flop.. but what were you trying to do? Win the pot right then? Build it? If you were trying to win pre-flop it was way too small.. if you wanted to isolate the big-chip buy (mistake) then it was too small.

You hit and you ran into a loose player who had so many chips that your bet just wasn't significant.

Be happy was was willing to double you up by only having a crappy flush draw with no reasonable other outs..

You got unlucky.. that's poker.. and sometimes poker blows.

[AriesRam]

Dentist-

I was trying to get a free card in the first hand. I assumed that if I flat called the flop, a turn bet would probably be more than the 90 I raised it to. Like I said earlier, hindsight makes it easy to see how dumb the last bet was.

As for the second hand, I guess I was trying to isolate the large stack. Although my limited thought process probably went something like "Large stack will play many hands, KJo is technically an above-average starting hand, therefore I am winning. I will make my standard 3XBB raise, all will be well." You are right, if I was going to play this hand, (and I am not convinced that playing it is the wrong way to go in this instance) I needed to jam it much harder.

I am well aware of KJo many limitations, and will dump it to any raise or in early postion, so I don't think I got transfixed by big pretty cards. /images/graemlins/wink.gif I am also not upset about getting drawn out on, I read the situation correctly and got my money in with the best hand. What else can you do?

It's funny how you can play well for 2 1/2 hours, and the two hands you botch are the ones that overshadow every good thing you do.

[Dentist]

I hear ya..

I played a PL tourney today and here was the hand that devastated me... I had an average stack..

I had KQ suited in the BB

A mid-position player made the standard 3X the BB raise...

I had no line of play on the player because I had just switched to the table.

I definitely didn't want to 3-bet, but I just couldn't fold that hand (too pretty)

Flop - A A 3 rainbow...
For some reason.. I got the idea that if he didn't have an ace, a reasonable bet would win the pot.. and if he had an ace he'd raise.. and if I checked I'd basically be giving the pot up...

I bet.. he called... I should have given up right???

Well.. a King came on the turn and all of a sudden I think.. well.. maybe he called with a pocket pair.. possibly as good as queens..

So I bet again... and he called..

River.. Blank..

Silly me... why oh why did I bet again (was I drunk?)

And he pushed all in over the top..

I folded.. assuming he slowplayed an ace..

Half my stack gone and I felt stupid...

How would you have played that hand?