A couple of losing hands from Absolute

[jeffseib]

Hi,
Yesterday was a disaster for me at Absolute. Here are the two hands that cost me a bundle. The guy that beat me in both hands is a LAG, who played many junk hands to the end.

Hand 1 -- Second hand I played after posting.

Absolute Poker 1/2 Hold'em (6 handed)

Preflop: Hero is SB with K/images/graemlins/heart.gif, K/images/graemlins/diamond.gif. CO posts a blind of $1.
UTG folds, MP calls, CO (poster) checks, Button calls, Hero raises, BB calls, MP calls, CO calls, Button 3-bets, Hero caps, BB calls, MP calls, CO folds, Button calls.

Flop: (19 SB) 4/images/graemlins/diamond.gif, 7/images/graemlins/club.gif, 8/images/graemlins/spade.gif <font color="blue">(4 players) </font>
Hero bets, BB calls, MP raises, Button calls, Hero 3-bets, BB folds, MP caps, Button calls, Hero calls.

Turn: (15.50 BB) J/images/graemlins/diamond.gif <font color="blue">(3 players) </font>
Hero bets, MP calls, Button calls.

River: (18.50 BB) 3/images/graemlins/club.gif <font color="blue">(3 players) </font>
Hero checks, MP bets, Button calls, Hero calls.

Final Pot: 21.50 BB

Results in white below: <font color="white">
MP shows 8c 8h (three of a kind, eights).
Button doesn't show.
Hero shows Kh Kd (one pair, kings).
Outcome: MP wins 21.50 BB. </font>

Hand 2 - This was the hand that really distroyed me!

Absolute Poker 1/2 Hold'em (7 handed)

Preflop: Hero is SB with A/images/graemlins/heart.gif, A/images/graemlins/diamond.gif.
UTG folds, MP1 calls, MP2 folds, CO folds, Button calls, Hero raises, BB folds, MP1 calls, Button folds.

Flop: (6 SB) 5/images/graemlins/diamond.gif, 9/images/graemlins/diamond.gif, K/images/graemlins/heart.gif <font color="blue">(2 players) </font>
Hero bets, MP1 raises, Hero 3-bets, MP1 caps, Hero calls.

Turn: (6.50 BB) T/images/graemlins/club.gif <font color="blue">(2 players) </font>
Hero checks, MP1 bets, Hero raises, MP1 3-bets, Hero calls.

River: (11.50 BB) 2/images/graemlins/spade.gif <font color="blue">(2 players) </font>
Hero checks, MP1 bets, Hero calls.

Final Pot: 13.50 BB

Results in white below: <font color="white">
MP1 shows 5h Kd (two pair, kings and fives).
Hero shows Ah Ad (one pair, aces).
Outcome: MP1 wins 13.50 BB. </font>

[sublime]

Until/Unless you know that villian is a "maniac" I would check/call the turn on Hand's one and two. Even most LAG's wont cap you on the flop with nothing.

[jeffseib]

Thanks for the feedback.

I have to be more careful about betting/raising again when the flop is capped.

Thanks again.

[SoCalPat]

There is no sane logical reason to check-raise the turn in Hand 2 unless you've improved.

You're right in every sense to three-bet the flop here, but when MP caps, he's telling you as clear as day: "I can beat top pair." So can you, but it's highly unlikely he has AA as well. Therefore, you can only conclude that you're behind.

You've got to check/call from here on out.

Same thing with Hand 1 ... the three-bet from a non-PF raiser is a bad sign. You're lucky he didn't pop you for an extra bet on the turn when you bet into him, because I know I would've /images/graemlins/wink.gif

The best thing you can do is get out of the mindset that AA and KK are bulletproof. In these hands, with these boards, you're obviously seeing them to the end, but you could've, by my count, saved no fewer than two bets (three if the MP in Hand 1 was looking to check/raise and it was checked around). Those bets add up.