Slumping hands

[kiemo]

My slide continues. In the last week I have won a grand total of 16 hands out of 500 (and in .5/.10 there is no rake, so you want to win as many pots as you can).

These three hands are my questionable ones from last night and are good examples of thebroad scope of how the cards just arent falling for me right now (none of these hands are even the flush suckouts that I hit me really hard also lately). Please evaluate

PokerStars 0.05/0.10 Hold'em

Hand one:

Preflop: Hero is UTG+1 with K/images/graemlins/heart.gif, A/images/graemlins/diamond.gif.
UTG calls, Hero raises, UTG+2/MP2/CO/SB/UTG calls.

Flop: 9/images/graemlins/diamond.gif, T/images/graemlins/club.gif, J/images/graemlins/club.gif
SB bets, UTG calls, Hero raises, UTG+2 folds, MP2/CO/SB/UTG calls.

<font color="blue">Raise for value in case the Q falls, becuase there are alot of people going to be chasing a straight here</font>

Turn: T/images/graemlins/diamond.gif
SB checks, UTG checks, Hero bets, MP2 calls, CO calls, SB calls, UTG calls.

<font color="blue">Basically a semi-bluff which I am trying to win the pot with right now. In hindsight, agaisnt 4 players this just isnt going to work</font>

River: 7:spade
SB checks, UTG checks, Hero checks, MP2 checks, CO checks.

Results in white below: <font color="white">
SB shows 9h Ac (two pair, tens and nines).
UTG shows 7c Ks (two pair, tens and sevens).
Hero shows Kh Ad (one pair, tens).
MP2 shows 2h Qh (one pair, tens).
CO shows 8d Kd (straight, jack high).
Outcome: CO wins 16.50 BB.

Bad hand by me?
</font>

Hand two:

Preflop: Hero is BB with Q/images/graemlins/spade.gif, K/images/graemlins/club.gif.
UTG+1 calls, UTG+2 raises, MP3/Button/Hero/UTG+1 calls.

Flop: K/images/graemlins/spade.gif, 4/images/graemlins/heart.gif, 5/images/graemlins/spade.gif
Hero bets, UTG+1 folds, UTG+2/MP3/Button calls.

<font color="blue">Hmm what did UTG+2 raise with. JJ/QQ. Anything better and he would raise me..</font>

Turn:9/images/graemlins/diamond.gif
Hero bets, Rest call

River: (11.20 BB) 8/images/graemlins/diamond.gif
Hero bets, UTG+2 calls, MP3 folds, Button calls.

Results in white below: <font color="white">
Hero shows Qs Kc (one pair, kings).
UTG+2 shows Kh Ac (one pair, kings).
Button shows Kd Jh (one pair, kings).

Ok what was UTG+2 thinking. If he felt his TPTK was beat why would he continue to call and if he felt like it was the best hand why not one bet after preflop? </font>

Hand 3

Preflop: Hero is UTG+2 with 7/images/graemlins/heart.gif, 7/images/graemlins/diamond.gif.
UTG folds, UTG+1 raises, Hero/MP1/MP2 calls

Flop:7/images/graemlins/spade.gif, 5/images/graemlins/heart.gif, 4/images/graemlins/diamond.gif
UTG+1 bets, Hero raises, UTG+1 calls.

Turn: Q/images/graemlins/spade.gif
UTG+1 checks, Hero bets, UTG+1 calls.

River: A/images/graemlins/heart.gif
UTG+1 bets, Hero raises, UTG+1 calls.

<font color="blue">This screams I hit my set of aces, but my ears were I am not listening</font>

Results in white below: <font color="white">
UTG+1 shows As Ad (three of a kind, aces).
Hero shows 7h 7d (three of a kind, sevens).

Just bad luck on this one. 50/50 on mucking this one preflop. Glad the guy didnt 3 bet river. </font>

[Zetack]

Hand one. When you raise the flop, with this hand it should be to try and see the rest of the hand cheaply. You're hoping to make a top pair maybe check, or at least refrain from raising on the turn. Even two pair often slow down the rest of the way. But I like to tell myself when I get A-K that its a three bet hand. Assuming a two bet PF, I'm willing to put three small bets in without hitting anything but no more. I've found I lose a lot of money pushing A-K hard when I don't hit. I don't stick to that religiously, sometimes the nature of the board or the opposition requires more, but I tend to.

Here you have a possible made straight, a flush draw and a coupld of cards in the playing zone. With 12 Sb's in here a call would be fine, your raise is still ok, but on the turn, your A-K outs have started to look really weak, you have too many opponents to bluff, even the Q may not be an out and somebody could still be drawing to a flush. It may be time to think about getting out of dodge. Check and see what happens.

Hand 2. I'm starting to think about how much I want to play K-Q with a raise in front. Undoubtedly at micro it costs me some not to, but I hate to be in the position you found yourself in. With a bet already in you probably have to call. And if you're going to play K-Q off you have to play it for the best hand when you hit on this board until somebody tells you otherwise. Nobody ever did. I think you played this exactly right.


Hand 3. Dump the sevens. On a loose passive table unraised you may be able to play them early. To an early raise with no callers, don't play em. After the flop you played fine. His river raise doesn't scream set to me, it screams he paired his ace...maybe he has a pair of aces now, maybe he has two pair Aces up. He did you an incredible favor though, by not 3 betting.

[StellarWind]

I would just call the flop. The board is extremely threatening: flush draw, potential straight, potential made two pair, and A or K may make someone two pair. You only have three solid outs to your name. It is not a good omen that SB called your raise and now bets in your face. You have about zero prospect of getting a free card and a reraise is likely.

The appearance of a pair and second flush draw on the turn brings you to the dead zone. As in you could easily be drawing nearly or completely dead. Not only should you not bet, you may have to fold if it comes 2 bets back to you. Only the large pot is holding you in the hand.

[sfer]

Hand 1: You're pretty much right about checking the turn, plus your draw is pretty weak. Spiking a Q is 10 to 1 against if no one is holding one. Also, with that big a field, raising the flop is pretty courageous as well.

Hand 2: KQo is problematic with a PF raiser. Assuming normal 2+2 raising standards you're easily dominated. With tighter raising standards you're in obvious trouble. Basically, the best case is you're behind but a coin-flip, and if you flop a pair you're wondering if you're outkicked or up against a set. I think these are pretty easy mucks preflop. After the flop is fine. I wouldn't slow down until someone gave me a reason.
EDIT: Sorry, I just noticed you were the BB. I'd play this too. I think you and the other poor dude were just stuck with 2nd/3rd best hands. Be happy you weren't raised.

Hand 3: The PF call is fine if you are confident that the table is loose enough so you'll get several callers behind you. Postflop is fine. I'd raise the river too. He could just as easily have AQ and think his 2 pair is good. Just be happy he didn't 3-bet you.