2 Taj 20-40 hands

[Diplomatdcm]

20-40 at the Taj sat. night
1) I have not played a hand for about 30 min, and everybody thinks I am a pretty solid player. I get Q /images/graemlins/heart.gifT /images/graemlins/heart.gif in Mp folded to me and I raise. Manic to my left say" I have got to protect" and 3 bets folded to me and I call.
Over the course of the evening I had seen the manic do this a feew times and each time he had a small to middle pair. So, unless I hit a big hand i played to call him down with any pair. Good or bad ?
Flop is K /images/graemlins/club.gifQ /images/graemlins/diamond.gif7 /images/graemlins/spade.gif
I check, he bets I call.
Turn is the Q /images/graemlins/club.gif
I check he bets I raise he calls.
River is the A /images/graemlins/spade.gif
I bety he calls
comments


2) Later tha night - I get A /images/graemlins/spade.gifQ /images/graemlins/diamond.gif in the CO.
New MP player open raises, folded to the plaer in front of me who cold calls, I think and call, new player on the button calls both blinds fold.
flop is A /images/graemlins/club.gif8 /images/graemlins/diamond.gif9 /images/graemlins/diamond.gif
checked to me I bet, button calls, MP folds player in front of me calls.
Turn is the Q /images/graemlins/club.gif
Check, I bet button calls, player on my right folds.
RIver is a Blankedy McBlank.
I bet Button raises, I call.
Comments

[astroglide]

hand 1: normal

hand 2: i'd 3bet preflop if i'm playing. you're either doing better or doing worse than the raiser/cold-caller, and there's no better time to decide.

[Nightwish]

Hand 1 is standard play.

Hand 2 is not. You need to either 3-bet or fold this pre-flop. Cold calling is the worst option. Of course, you got a very nice flop and turn. On the river, it sure looks like the button is trying to steal the pot, but there's no sense in re-raising because he'll fold a worse hand. Just call his raise.

[elysium]

hi diplomat
hand 1) you're still entering in too loose and too often. you're also suffering from boredom. it's actually painful, i know. you could even run worse than usual for a short time. get up and walk around more frequently. force yourself to tighten further still. one day at a time. join a gambler's anaymous group. if you play correctly, you might be able to debate whether or not you're gambling when tight and aggressive. will the style of play i recommend actually make you physically sick? yes. go to the men's room and puke, come back and fold KQs from UTG, and 77 too. a half hour. even a herioin addict can do that. as far as this particular hand is concerned, it's run of the mill here. i'm more concerned about how easy you are making this on yourself. i'd like to see some withdrawl symptoms.

hand 2) that's good. i like the thinking it over. you could fold here pre-flop, and should diplomat. if anything, you should over tighten. you are still in there with the bad boys. i still think you absolutely should be heavily geared toward game selection, even if it means stepping down into the low limits. and you would play tight there too. that wouldn't change. you need to force yourself to muck inspite of the withdrawls from the action. i want to get that forced mucking motion going. and were talking about KQs from UTG or even against an EP solid limper. you need to be hard on yourself not easy. this will build up your tolerance for boredom. this game isn't for sissys who can't take a little pain.

[Garland]

I wouldn't discount reraising the river on hand #2 if you read your opponent as someone who has an A and hit his "Blankedy McBlank" kicker.

Garland

[Bartholow]

I mostly agree with what the others said but I think JT is a definite possibility in hand 2, no way should you 3 bet without some sort of read that you didn't mention.

[sweetzer]

In hand #2, AQo is a clear fold for me preflop against a raiser and a caller, unless their standards are very low. Other than that everything seems solid.

[Steve Giufre]

You can't fold AQ to a MP raiser that just sat down. Especially they way that 20-40 Taj game plays. I think you are gonna find you the best hand a large majority of the time. 3 bet and knock the blinds out. Both hands look real straight forward postflop.

[NYplayer]

Hand 2.
I don't think betting the river serves any purpose.
Think about it this way.
You're either ahead or behind.
If you're ahead he will call a bet, raise, or fold.
I think most hands that would call you down will bet the river (any ace, any flush draw that paired the queen).

If he will fold to a bet (he was on diamonds or some other draw) he may still bet the river.

If he will raise you have to consider how often you are ahead vs. behind. I think JTs/JT or a set are as likely as 2 pair (although I would have expected JT to raise the turn given the two tone board). i don't think you'll win 1 more bet that more often than you'll lose one more bet when raised on the river. so i see being raised on the river as an EV wash.

so it basically comes down to how often will he check behind with a hand that would have called vs. getting an extra bet out of a busted draw. I think that a busted draw will bet the river more often than a made hand will check behind making check calling the best course of action on the river.

[Diplomatdcm]

Well I lost both hands. In the first hand the guy did have a little pair, but it was 77 he flopped a set and horribly misplayed it. I thought that I played it pretty well/routinely and just wanted to make sure.
Hand two I made an obvious preflop blunder, I should have 3 bet or folded, I called the worst possible option. The button did have JTo and so I let him in by just calling preflop. Thanks for the responses.