Do you play it any differently??

New player just sits down and posts the BB, its very early about 5am and everyone has gone home. I am up about 65BB in a 4-8 game after being down 12BB and steamed abit, but now iam playing my A game anyway. Six handed game i get AQ offsuit UTG + 1, UTG limps. I raise, button calls BB calls.

4 players.

Flop

4, 6, Q with two clubs ( I have the ace of clubs ) UTG checks, i bet. All call


Turn 9 of clubs.


UTG checks i decide to bet and again everyone calls. I now decide that will probably check if the river is really scary otherwise i would bet or if a club came i would offcourse bet.


River pairs the 6. All check. Before i turn my cards over, BB reveals his hand KK and takes down the pot.


What do you think of the way i played it and the way he played it. Do you think i should do anything differently, i know you shouldn't be result orientated but i was just thinking the way about the way he played it and i think it was terrible. What do you guys think??

By the way i am new to this game, have only played about 25 hours and i am 1.96 BB per hour Up i know that doesn't mean anything but atleast it has given some confidence cause i go on TILT alot so i need some control.


Thanks,

MJ's Brother

I see no reason not to bet the river. If somebody had a flush, they would have either bet the turn, checkraised the turn, or bet the river. The 6 is not a scary card. I would bet my top pair/top kicker every time and expect to get called only by worse hands.


I can't explain they way KK played this hand.

I agree with Dynasty. When no one pops me on the turn, I rule out anyone having a flush. I think my hand is still good despite the middle card pairing. I would bet. Once in awhile you run into a loon who never bets his hand. That's poker. There are more bad hands out there then good ones.

Your play seems pretty good to me, but I too would have bet the river.


His play is inexplicable. If he raises preflop then bets out, you stood to lose a bit more than the 2 1/2 BB's you did lose. I can't imagine you laying this one down, so it would have cost you 4 BB's to see it to the river, maybe more if you raised the flop or turn.

Dynasty and Brier seem to be right.


One of the things you should be doing between hands is recalling whether this group are "loons" and won't bet their own hands. If you tag them as such then checking this hand on the river may be routine. Against assertive tenacious types betting the river is a no-brainer.


Make a mental note about BB being a "loon".


But what really erks me about your post is the implied presumption that since you lost and NEVER had the best hand AND bet it 3 times that you "obviously" or "apparently" must have played it wrong. Its not necissarily so.


If you are playing "reasonably" selective and "reasonably" assertive you will, I ASSURE you, find yourself standing in the showdown with your pants down in some situations a lot worse than this. You know, betting for value and coming in 4th. DOH! Once in a while. Getting embarrassed like this is a good thing so long as its once in a while AND (what the heck) you go ahead and learn something from it.


- Louie