"YOU CHECKRAISED THE TURN WITH WHAT?!?"

[Jezebel]

3/6 live at my regular club game. The last few weeks some of the regulars that I play with have started to catch on that I rarely shown down losers, and I rarely get out of line with my betting. Mr. ABC Poker. There have been a few grumbles around the table each time I decide to get involved in a pot and I'm not getting much action at all on my good hands. HMMM....time to change gears since I'm becoming too predictable....on to the hand.


I'm first to act after a live straddle bet and I'm dealt J /images/graemlins/spade.gifT /images/graemlins/spade.gif. I decide to limp in for $6 since staddle bets bring out the greed in this crowd and I am expecting a crowd to come in behind me.

UTG+2 (Lets call him Jim), raises to $9. Jim fancies himself as a semi-pro player and has been boring the table with stories of past glory at the felt. Jim is a good thinking player. It is called in LP and the straddle bet completes.

4 handed and 13sb in the pot.
The flop comes 7 /images/graemlins/diamond.gif 8 /images/graemlins/heart.gif3 /images/graemlins/diamond.gif

Straddler checks, I bet out and Jim immediately raises. All fold back to me and I call.

(8BB) Turn brings the 8 /images/graemlins/diamond.gif. I check and Jim ponders the board for a second. He finally tosses a bet out and I decide to checkraise. Jim looks puzzled and decides to just call.

The river bring the 9 /images/graemlins/heart.gif. I bet out and Jim calls.

Fancy Play Syndrome or solid play? What do you think? Results and my thoughts to follow.

[onegymrat]

Hi Jezebel,

This was a perfect time to come out of your comfort zone. The turn was certainly a raise or fold situation. Fancy play it may be, but you certainly timed it right. What would you have done if a blank came on the river? Villain had a big pair with a diamond? Good luck.

[ScottTheFish]

The 8d looks like a nice scare card to put a move on a thinking opponent. I'm guessing he had an overpair and the 9 on the river turned you into a genius /images/graemlins/grin.gif

You got to have your cake and eat it too! A nice "advertising" play to get you some action later, AND you get to drag the pot!

[Brian]

Hi Jez,

I think this play depends on whether you put him on an overpair or AK/AQ etc. If you put him on an overpair, I don't like it, because I don't think he'll fold it in such a big pot. If you put him on AK it's fine, as long as he'll lay it down.

-Brian

[CrackerZack]

Limping after a straddle is pretty much never right. After that, its fine unless you're sure he has AA-QQ and is unlikely to fold.

[anatta]

I think this was a nice move on the turn given your ABC image vs. a thinking player. If he has overcards, he will fold them, unless he has a big diamond.

I also like the way you just called preflop and the reasoning behind it. A three-bet vs. a straddle is the normal play of course, but if you think you can get a big field and there is little chance to get it heads-up, I say go for the big hand here.

Nice flop bet. Good thinking with the 9 on the river. A lot of players would hit a J or a T and just lose more... /images/graemlins/tongue.gif

[LetsRock]

It's always nice when the cards will back you up on this kind of move.

You get to win the pot, confuse the hell out of the thinkers, advertise that you're not "quite as tight" as they thought and put the tiltoids into defcon 4.

I love it when a plan comes together!

[Jezebel]

I would say that there was a 50% chance for overcards and 50% chance at an overpair when he raised the flop. When he called the turn checkraise, I definetly put him on a big diamond, most likely with an overpair.

He tabled A /images/graemlins/diamond.gifA /images/graemlins/heart.gif, and packed his bags for a trip to tiltland.

[Jezebel]

[ QUOTE ]
What would you have done if a blank came on the river?

[/ QUOTE ]

Given my tight image, if he did not lay down to my turn checkraise and a blank came on the river, I could not have stomached betting.

[BigEndian]

I hope you're kidding Jez. You should bet the river regardless once you CRed the turn. You represented a big hand and you have to follow through. The river is no time to wimp out.

If you are called on the river and lose, you still gain advertising. And it's unlikely to cost you more than a single bet on the end.

- Jim

[MagicRat]

[ QUOTE ]

He tabled A /images/graemlins/diamond.gifA /images/graemlins/heart.gif, and packed his bags for a trip to tiltland.

[/ QUOTE ]

LOL -- What a great turn of phrase!

[Inthacup]

3/6 live...Jim fancies himself as a semi-pro player and has been boring the table with stories of past glory at the felt


LOL

[Indian Ocean]

Do your self a favor and get back to playing ABC poker.

3/6 shouldn't require any heavy thinking or fancy plays like yours.

[Runner Runner]

Utg calling a straddle with JTs. Please, why does everyone love this hand so much that they feel they can call preflop raises with it. I know it was a straddle but still, your in early position with a hand that needs to get in cheaply. Not only that but what if someone wakes up with one of the many hands that dominate yours....oh, wait someone did have you dominated. Good tricky move on the turn, especially in the heads up situation against one opponent. But please, you could have easily made a deceptive move with some good cards that missed. You are giving up way too much playing that sooted connected s**t to a raise. High holdem is a game of high cards.

[Gravy (Gravy Smoothie)]

JTs is one of the strongest drawing hands in Hold 'Em. While the preflop call may be marginal, it is by no means bad if he can expect a couple of overcalls behind him. And in terms of being "dominated"...the straddler could have AK, AQ, KQ. Also, AA doesn't really dominate JTs...as JTs is primarily a drawing hand, it figures to make the best hand if the draw hits. If our hero had AK or AQ, THEN the straddler's rockets dominate him, because our hero would need two kings or queens to have the best hand, and can expect to lose plenty of bets when he catches top pair.