9/18 Commerce

[onegymrat]

9/18 Commerce. Fairly good game with a few soft spots. UTG raises, could be any two face cards. Two MP cold-callers. Folded to SB, his second hand. Classic cap and sunglasses look. SB 3-bets. I was going to do that in BB with A /images/graemlins/spade.gifK /images/graemlins/heart.gif. It was either fold or be prepared for a cap. I chose to call and UTG caps. All call with five to the flop.

FLOP: 6 /images/graemlins/spade.gif7 /images/graemlins/spade.gif8 /images/graemlins/diamond.gif

SB bets. I call as does UTG and one MP. Four to the turn.

TURN: K /images/graemlins/spade.gif

I really like this card. I liked it so much I raised SB after he bet. All fold to SB who calls. Headsup to the river.

RIVER: J /images/graemlins/diamond.gif

SB checks. I originally put SB on a big pair. I was really conflicted over checking or betting. I don't see how he would call my turn raise without AA, KK, or AK. If he was the type to call with JJ, then it was a third logical way for me to lose. I chose to check the river.

Still conflicted over checking. Please advise. Results to follow.

[risen]

If you are prepared to fold or call a 4bet preflop I'd rather you just cap it yourself here. A preflop cap followed by a flop raise might make this hand easier to play and define your main opponents hand better. The turn action is normal and in keeping with your earlier read fits with a PP under KK, but why are you so quick to give him credit for JJ, if he had the same read on the UTG raiser you did it could be anywhere between QQ and 99 (Hopefully you would have heard about trips by now) You've got a pretty easy river bet here, with the action you've put in so far, you can represent the turned flush so you shouldn't be worried about a check raise from a better hand. TPTK should be good enough times here.

[Garland]

onegymrat,

If it's been raised and reraised to you in BB and you have AK, I would be inclined to dump the hand preflop. You're almost certainly going against a pair or two, and UTG may cap like you mentioned. AKo is a drawing hand, and if any of your opponents has AA or KK, you're drawing very slim. AK suited has more merit, but I would still fold.

When it's checked to you on the river, you should be ready to value bet. SB won't checkraise you even if he has the set of JJ because there's no way he doesn't have the nut flush (you hold the A /images/graemlins/spade.gif). He's likely to pay you off with QQ or 1010 hoping you were bluffing on the spade draw. The only way I'm checking behind on the river is if I believe SB is capable of making good folds such as folding an underpair on the turn. Most $9/$18 players I know will clutch on to their pocket pair until the bitter end.

Garland

[Clarkmeister]

"AKo is a drawing hand"

gag

[Rick Nebiolo]

[ QUOTE ]
9/18 Commerce. Fairly good game with a few soft spots. UTG raises, could be any two face cards. Two MP cold-callers. Folded to SB, his second hand. Classic cap and sunglasses look. SB 3-bets. I was going to do that in BB with A /images/graemlins/spade.gifK /images/graemlins/heart.gif. It was either fold or be prepared for a cap. I chose to call and UTG caps. All call with five to the flop.

[/ QUOTE ]

With big slick and this lineup there is no way you should fold. Your options are cap it yourself over representing your hand a bit or sit tight and see who else is feeling frisky. I like calling here as it puts you on a wider range of hands in the eyes of your opponents.


[ QUOTE ]
FLOP: 6 /images/graemlins/spade.gif7 /images/graemlins/spade.gif8 /images/graemlins/diamond.gif

SB bets. I call as does UTG and one MP. Four to the turn.

[/ QUOTE ]

Raising could be considered here. This over represents your hand on cheap street and has some benefits. This is a scary flop for both UTG and the SB (assuming they hold paints or big pairs), and it is unlikely they would pressure you. As an escape you have backdoor outs to the nut singleton flush and any ace or king keeps you in the ballgame. You would be worried more if any other players called your raise as they would be more likely to hit this flop hard. Meanwhile, they have to think you flopped a set


[ QUOTE ]
TURN: K /images/graemlins/spade.gif

I really like this card. I liked it so much I raised SB after he bet. All fold to SB who calls. Headsup to the river.

[/ QUOTE ]

Raising is probably the best play with a pot this big but I wonder with top pair kicker and a draw to the nut flush is calling reasonable? Any set, two pair, small made flush or nine calls either way and you want lessor singleton spades to call, as long as they don't already have a pair (giving them a cheap shot at two pair or trips).

Great result though getting it head up now.

[ QUOTE ]
RIVER: J /images/graemlins/diamond.gif

SB checks. I originally put SB on a big pair. I was really conflicted over checking or betting. I don't see how he would call my turn raise without AA, KK, or AK. If he was the type to call with JJ, then it was a third logical way for me to lose. I chose to check the river.

[/ QUOTE ]

The more recent "classic cap and sunglasses look" players I've seen usually don't play that well (thanks WPT!). Such a player could easily have QQ, KQ, or TT. You would have been checkraised on the turn with KK (given his check). I'd bet for value and expect to win when called about 70% of the time.

Regards,

Rick

[onegymrat]

In most cases at the 9/18 Commerce, a 3-bet preflop or on the flop is an automatic cap. It plays similar to their 4/8 game where anyone lag holding faces will say, "Cap it! What's the difference?" When I chose to call 3-bets, I knew it would be 4-bets but as Rick N. said, I could be put on a variety of hands doing so.

Since it was SB's second hand of the game, he had no read on UTG and I took his 3-bet as a serious hand, 10-10 to AA . I don't think my call preflop was bad, but debatable. But with the table I was in, I feel it was more correct.

My raise on the turn worked perfectly except SB did not fold. It would cost the same to call to the river, and I could take a free river if I chose to. I drove out everyone else but SB clearly had at least AK to stick around.

SB had A /images/graemlins/club.gifA /images/graemlins/heart.gif. I felt that if he was going to call my turn raise, he was going to call my river bet. If my read was correct, 10-10 to AA, then 3 hands beat me and 2 don't. I felt a check was correct. The pot may have been too big for him to fold. UTG speculated that a river bet may have caused SB to fold. At first, I was confident of my decision, but I'm not so sure anymore.

[elysium]

hi one
it's close between checking it down and betting. i don't think that the SB can expect you to bet with any hands that he beats. if he has 2 pair, it's unlikely that he would check in other words. for this reason, you have a value bet when he checks. and i'd bet in this spot. however, that said, there is something telling you that this opponent looks like he's setting up a river check-raise. i'll have to take your word for it, although it's not very probable, but still is within a considered possibility, and if that's the case, then checking it down is not awful. me? i'd get the bet in.

[elysium]

hi one
i was under the impression that you were trying to avoid a check-raise. well, if you're trying to avoid having your river bet shown down AA or KK, that's not a reason not to bet. i know you have put him on a narrow range of possible holdings, but we're heads up here one. this is a betting game. you've got to love top pair best kicker here.

[elysium]

hi rick
i seldom disagree with any of your advise and consider it some of the best advise on this site, but the turn raise is really rudimentaryish. one's got to raise the turn every time, doesn't one?

[elysium]

hi gar
calling or raising with AK is usually always o.k. in this situation. the only real exception is when one solid reraises another solid. the UTG raiser here is only called, not reraised, and the SB could be reraising on the comparative weakness shown.

[Rick Nebiolo]

Now that I read results what confused me in this hand is the SB with the "classic hat and sunglasses look". I was thinking of a young guy, which to me means someone who watches too much WPT and overplays hands /images/graemlins/smile.gif.

Whether to raise or call the turn in this spot looks close buy now I'm too tired to think straight.

~ Rick

[Steve Giufre]

"Now that I read the results what confused me in this hand is the SB with the "classic hat and sunglasses look". I was thniking of a young guy which to me means someone watches to much WPT and overplays hands".

Im a young guy, and I am famous for overplaying my hands. That being said, if someone rounded up all those those WPT hat, headphones and sunglasses guys, and supplied each one a good stiff kick in the testicles, the world would probably be a little better place for a day.