Ten Question Challenge

[zephyr]

Pretty straight forward hand here, or is it,

Party Poker No-Limit Hold'em Tourney, Big Blind is t30 (9 handed)

Hero (t715)
Button (t770)
SB (t1860)
BB (t325)
UTG (t830)
UTG+1 (t775)
MP1 (t425)
MP2 (t1365)
MP3 (t935)

Preflop: Hero is CO with A/images/graemlins/diamond.gif, Q/images/graemlins/diamond.gif.
UTG folds, UTG+1 folds, MP1 folds, MP2 folds, MP3 calls t30, <font color="CC3333">Hero raises to t90</font>, Button folds, SB folds, BB folds, MP3 calls t60.

Flop: (t225) K/images/graemlins/spade.gif, 9/images/graemlins/spade.gif, 6/images/graemlins/spade.gif <font color="blue">(2 players)</font>
MP3 checks, <font color="CC3333">Hero bets t125</font>, MP3 folds.

Final Pot: t350
<font color="green">Main Pot: t225 (t225), won by Hero.</font>
<font color="green">Pot 2: t125 (t125), returned to Hero.</font>

Results in white below: <font color="white">
No showdown. Hero wins t350. </font>

This hand definetly is not that exciting, but I think it merrits some attention. Sklansky deals with this in HEPFAP on pg. 136-7.

"Against a few opponents, a suited flop sometimes will allow you to bluff. As long as your opponents are reasonable players, they won't call your bet unless they have at least top pair or one of the two suited cards. And if you are called, you can sometimes succesfully bluff through the river."

He is speaking of a mid-limit hold'em game here. I believe that an average low limit SNG'er at party would call with top two pair and probably any of the top 5 spades. Maybe more. So that brings me to a few questions.

At first I thought that I was on a pure bluff in this instance. But, when I thought of the various possibilities, my raise seems like more of a semi-bluff. A typical opponent will probably call with:

1) a made nut-flush (slowplay)
2) one of the top 5 or so spades
3) a pair of kings
4) a pair of nines
5) any pair, plus a spade
6) pocket pair greater than 9

I would tend to think that I would get reraised by:

1) a set
2) two pair
3) top pair plus a spade
4) a made non-nut flush
5) pocket aces

So here come the questions:

1) To a reraise, I fold. Correct?

2) Assume I'm called, turn is a blank, and I'm checked to. Now what?

3) Assume I'm called, turn is a blank, and I'm raised. Now what?

4) Assume I'm called, turn is a spade, and I'm checked to. Now what?

5) Assume I'm called, turn is a spade, and I'm raised. Now what?

6) Assume I'm called, turn is an the ace of hearts, and I'm checked to. Now what?

7) Assume I'm called, turn is an the ace of hearts, and I'm raised to. Now what?

8) Assume I'm called, turn is an the queen of hearts, and I'm checked to. Now what?

9) Assume I'm called, turn is an the queen of hearts, and I'm raised to. Now what?

10) Is this a dumn post?

I'd like to see some opinions, as I'm finding it a touch tricky to know how hard to press such semi-bluffs. Notice that if I'm called on the flop the pot is already 475. Thanks so much.

Zephyr

[NotMitch]

Its very straight forward, more than likely the bet on the flop is the last money of mine that goes in the pot no matter what the turn is.

I don't think the flop bet is a bluff or semibluff at all, I'm fairly sure you were ahead of most (like more than 75%) of hands he folds here.

[ddubois]

my raise seems like more of a semi-bluff

This seems like an overly liberal, and probably incorrect, usage of the term semi-bluff.

[zephyr]

Although I'm still rather green in this area, I still think that I have to disagree with you. A semi-bluff is defined as:

"a bet with a hand, which, if called, does not figure to be the best hand at the moment, but has a reasonable chance of outdrawing those hands that initially called it."

I think that my bet will be called by a pair of kings, or tens, or a pocket pair. In these cases, my hand is not the best at the moment, but does have a reasonable chance of outdrawing. Further, I can easily catch a scare card in this instance, another spade, and win the pot in this manner.

Perhaps my logic is a touch off though. Typically that would be the last money I would put in the pot, but upon doing a little more analysis I'm not quite sure that is correct.

Zephyr

[gergery]

If he calls, I assume he has 1 spade (that's far more likely that two, and he's unlikely to continue unless he has some spade, unless he made trips).

So if he calls, I chk-fold unless i catch a non-spade ace, in which case i'll bet enough to make a single spade fold (ie. offer worse than 5:1). If I'm called at that point, i check/fold.

--G

[ddubois]

Two non-spade ace outs does not fall under "reasonable chance of out-drawing" in my opinion.

[stripsqueez]

[ QUOTE ]
Its very straight forward, more than likely the bet on the flop is the last money of mine that goes in the pot no matter what the turn is

[/ QUOTE ]

not a great plan - lots of times a chook will call the flop bet with some random spade and then auto bet the river when you check the turn

stripsqueez - chickenhawk

[Girazze]

Here are my answers:

1) To a reraise, I fold. Correct?
- Yes

2) Assume I'm called, turn is a blank, and I'm checked to. Now what?
- Bet T250. I feel you have to continue to represent a strong hand, especially when your opponent checked. If he calls again and then checks again on the turn....he's slow playing you and you should check with him and see a free river card. Odds are, he will fold to your raise.

3) Assume I'm called, turn is a blank, and I'm raised. Now what?
- Fold

4) Assume I'm called, turn is a spade, and I'm checked to. Now what?
- Bet T250. I would still represent a strong hand.

5) Assume I'm called, turn is a spade, and I'm raised. Now what?
- Fold

6) Assume I'm called, turn is an the ace of hearts, and I'm checked to. Now what?
- Bet T250

7) Assume I'm called, turn is an the ace of hearts, and I'm raised to. Now what?
- Call and see the river. Beware of opponent holding Ax or Kx.

8) Assume I'm called, turn is an the queen of hearts, and I'm checked to. Now what?
- Bet T250.

9) Assume I'm called, turn is an the queen of hearts, and I'm raised to. Now what?
- Fold.

10) Is this a dumn post?
- Nope

I may this all wrong since my poker play is nothing to write hime about. I'm winning money but not close to ROI of 40%+ that I see in a lot of these posters. My ROI right now is only 8%. My answers may be the reason why so I gladly accept all criticism.

[NotMitch]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Its very straight forward, more than likely the bet on the flop is the last money of mine that goes in the pot no matter what the turn is

[/ QUOTE ]

not a great plan - lots of times a chook will call the flop bet with some random spade and then auto bet the river when you check the turn

stripsqueez - chickenhawk

[/ QUOTE ]

True, but it turns into a stack size issue. If opponent calls and the turn is a blank the pot in T475 and your stack is T500 and you have Ace high. Why do you want to put more money in here? And if you do how much are you betting on the turn?