Two hands against a tough tricky player!

The following two hands may be a good quiz for you; please stop and answer the questions before you read the answers. (20/40 hold'em)


Hand #1


My Hand 74o in the BB, all fold to Mr. Big (a very good winning player , very tricky and usually a great reader) who open-limps one off the button. Button (average player) calls .(3-way)


Flop comes 7s 7d 3d


What would you do? Lead, check raise, or check call?


I didn't want to bet and take a chance on both of them folding . I knew Mr. Big would try to steal it on the flop. Therefore, I checked, Mr. Big bet as expected and button folds and I call. If I raise now he will probably lay his hand down unless he has a flush draw.


Fourth Street is the 2h


What would you do now? Bet, check-raise, or check call?


If I try for a check raise, he may check behind me and get a free card to a flush draw.

If I check raise, he will probably lay the hand down now and I will just win one bet.


I decided to bet (he knows I will bluff) because it was obvious that the 2h didn't help me.

If I bet now, it certainly looks like an obvious bluff. Mr. Big calls!


Fifth street is 9h board is now 7s 7d 3d 2h 9h


What would you do now? Bet, or check-raise?


If I check, he may check behind and I win nothing on the river. If I check and he bets, and I check-raise and he folds; I only win one bet.

However, if I bet he may call and I win one bet. If I bet and he bluff raises; I will win two bets. (He is very capable of such a play, when he bluffs on the river, he is convincing!)


I decided to bet which kinda looks as if I'm continuing my bluff. Mr. Big says "I think I'll raise it" (the trap was set, I re-raised and he mucked his hand) It's always great to beat a worthy opponent :-)


Hand # 2


My Hand is Kc Qc in BB, #5 off limps, Mr. Big is 1 off and limps. I check (3-way)


Flop: Jc 9c 6s


Would you bet, check call, or check raise out of position?


I have 9 outs for a flush plus two overcards. It's not a multiway hand so if I win it now that's just fine with me. I check raised out of position. #5 folds and Mr. Big calls. (Headsup)


Fourth Street: is the 3h


Would you bet, check call, or check raise?

If I bet I may win now; but I also may get raised with a made hand (even a small pair or ace high beats me at the moment).


If I check, he bets and I just call, I'm allowing him to take control of the hand. He will then likely think I'm on a flush draw, and he will call me down or bluff on the river if a club doesn't come.


I check raised again on the turn. He mucks his hand! He is thinking I wouldn't dare check raise out of position twice with a flush draw - BUT I DID :-)

IMO, the way to play these hands is not nearly as important as the thought process that lead you to your course of action.


Well played...er...well thought out.

What kind of play is limping first in when one off the button? That doesn't sound like good poker to me unless he feels either you or the SB and or the button are dumb enough to fall for a trap play with AA. Then again the way he played it I suppose that this was a possible holding if he really is tricky. Also I don't think you should have reraised on the river. What were you hoping he would call you with? What if he re-raised? I think that was a big mistake since this guy is not only tricky, but tough too.


The second hand looked like a nice play straight out of HFAP. And whats even nicer is it actually worked this particular time.

Hand #1: Cut-off should have raised pre-flop; Button should either have raised or folded pre-flop.


I would have bet the flop because my opponents would have thought Andy would never bet out if he has a 7. They'd be less inclined to try to steal if I checked than if I bet, reasoning that I'd reason that a flop of 7-7-3 had missed them.


Anyway, since you knew your opponent would bet, your check-call is good. I like your bet on the turn because it will indeed look suspicious to him. I can't put him on having anything that can beat trip 7s, so I also like your reraise. Especially if he knows you as an action player, it's a good reraise.


Hand #2: This is a limper's flop: mid-level cards with straight and flush possibilities. I would have check-called the flop and then bet out on the turn, but your thinking worked perfectly.


Mr. Big doesn't seems so tough and tricky. Mr. Morgan does.

I've got to agree with skp. Even if you lost both hands in a showdown or were forced to fold the second hand to a reraise on the river (if the hand continued), you're well on your way to consistant wins by thinking through you hands this way. Actually, I suspect you're already winning consistantly.

"What kind of play is limping first in when one off the button"


He may have a hand like A4o, K6s, 22. He knows I defend my blinds more often than I should. His thinking is: (a) I don't have much of a hand. (b) but I do have great position; (c) so why risk two bets preflop; (d) I may can win this pot on the flop by using my second bet then instead of preflop. However, this was one of those times I would have DEFINITELY folder preflop to his raise!


"Also I don't think you should have reraised on the river. What were you hoping he would call you with"

He may have called with a pair or ace high. However, I didn't really expect him to call - period!

There are many times I raise and know there is a 90% chance I won't get called; I do this often in order not to have to expose my hand. I don't want him to get free information when I'm almost positive he isn't going to call a raise.


Also it's not my style to play scared poker, I'm very aggressive most of the time when I have a good hand or am bluffing; I play the hand the same way or fold.


"What if he re-raised"

I would just call.

hand 1) you should try this against agrressive players only. check raise the flop. if a blank hits mix it up. check the turn to look like your on a draw or have nothing like you were trying to bluff him out with the check raise. alot times this will make them bet the turn. then check raise or call and let them bluff the river then hit them. sometimes bet out on turn. keep them guessing. on the river i would just call the river for the raise if he is a good player because you probably don't get called unless your beat and might get reraised.


hand 2) i would check raise the flop and bet out on the turn. if you check the turn you give him a chance to beat you on the river when there is a good chance he will lay down the turn. the check raise on the turn is dangerous, not only for what i just mentioned. that he might check behind. but also it looks suspicious when you do this. alot of player will look you up when you make this play. and what if he does have a big hand, now he's gonna raise you again and charge you the maximum.

Yeah re-raisning not to show is a benefit I didn't think of. I think that is a reason that may be valid, especially against this guy who is a good reader and may use the information he sees from the way people play their hands, better then other people would use that information (hows that for a run on sentence :-). I suppose your re-raise might also get him to fold a hand like a better 7, of course this is an extremely rare thing to happen but maybe all those things combined might make it worthwhile. I still think calling is the better option though, but that is simply my opinion.

He'd have to be awfully tricky to reraise again with any hand that couldn't beat a mere 7 w/no kicker so I think folding would be better if the situation arose, but it didn't so i'll shut up.