3 Interesting Hands and Reads... QQ, AKs, and AQs [Archive]

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Rage23

06-24-2004, 02:53 AM

Party Poker No-Limit Hold'em, $0.50 BB (9 handed)

saw flop|saw showdown

UTG+1 ($13.05)
MP1 ($26.85)
MP2 ($11.50)
MP3 ($28.25)
Hero ($26.35)
Button ($7.40)
SB ($42.15)
BB ($24.50)
UTG ($22)

Preflop: Hero is CO with Q/images/graemlins/club.gif, Q/images/graemlins/diamond.gif.
1 fold, UTG+1 calls $0, MP1 calls $0, MP2 calls $0, 1 fold, Hero raises to $3, Button calls $3, 2 folds,50,50,50, UTG+1 calls $2.50, MP1 folds, MP2 calls $2.50.

Flop: ($13.25) J/images/graemlins/spade.gif, 4/images/graemlins/heart.gif, 6/images/graemlins/heart.gif (4 players)
UTG+1 bets $10.05 (All-In), MP2 folds, Hero calls $10.05, Button calls $4.40 (All-In).

My initial thought is that UTG is sick of playing and is making a desperation stab on the pot with his short stack. Of course, before calling I wanted to think about what he had that could beat me. I really doubted JJ, because he didn't raise preflop, and I'm doubting he called a 6xBB PF raise with J9 or J6. My biggest concern is 44 or 66, because with a hand like that he might push to try and get AKs or AQs out of the pot. In any case, I think I'm ahead at this point. I also didn't really have to worry about Button, cause it's a given he's going to go all-in with his short stack to call. Thoughts???

Turn: ($37.75) 8/images/graemlins/club.gif (3 players, 2 all-in)

River: ($37.75) T/images/graemlins/diamond.gif (3 players, 2 all-in)

Final Pot: $37.75
Main Pot: $26.45, between UTG+1, Hero and Button. > Pot won by Hero ($26.45).
Pot 2: $11.30, between UTG+1 and Hero. > Pot won by Hero ($11.30).

Results in white below: 
UTG+1 shows Jc 9h (one pair, jacks).
Hero shows Qc Qd (one pair, queens).
Button shows 6c Ac (one pair, sixes).
Outcome: Hero wins $37.75. 

Party Poker No-Limit Hold'em, $0.50 BB (10 handed)

saw flop|saw showdown

MP1 ($30.95)
MP2 ($18.80)
MP3 ($70.85)
CO ($11.35)
Hero ($58.70)
SB ($18)
BB ($22.50)
UTG ($11.70)
UTG+1 ($20.75)
UTG+2 ($9.35)

note: my read on MP1 is that he's fairly tight and raises PF w/ position from premium hands down to AQo.

Preflop: Hero is Button with A/images/graemlins/club.gif, K/images/graemlins/club.gif.
1 fold, UTG+1 calls $0, 1 fold, MP1 raises to $2, MP2 calls $2, 2 folds, Hero calls $2, 2 folds,50, UTG+1 calls $1.50.

Flop: ($8.75) K/images/graemlins/diamond.gif, T/images/graemlins/club.gif, 2/images/graemlins/spade.gif (4 players)
UTG+1 bets $0.5, MP1 raises to $3, MP2 folds, Hero raises to $5.5, UTG+1 calls $5, MP1 calls $2.50.

is this raise enough or appropriate? I min raised to see where I stand and to try and get a feel if he had a set.

Turn: ($25.25) 5/images/graemlins/spade.gif (3 players)
UTG+1 checks, MP1 checks, Hero checks.

I think I made a mistake here by checking, not sure though?

River: ($25.25) 3/images/graemlins/club.gif (3 players)
UTG+1 checks, MP1 bets $3, Hero calls $3, UTG+1 folds.

I'm starting to think AK or AQ here simply because he has been playing good hands all night. A raise wasn't correct here was it?

Final Pot: $31.25
Main Pot: $31.25, between MP1 and Hero. > Split: MP1 ($15.62), Hero ($15.62).

Results in white below: 
MP1 shows Ah Kh (one pair, kings).
Hero shows Ac Kc (one pair, kings).
Outcome: MP1 wins $15.62. Hero wins $15.62. 

Party Poker No-Limit Hold'em, $0.50 BB (9 handed)

saw flop|saw showdown

CO ($25.55)
Button ($34.45)
SB ($12.50)
Hero ($63.80)
UTG ($22.50)
UTG+1 ($23.97)
MP1 ($12.70)
MP2 ($35.40)
MP3 ($24)

Preflop: Hero is BB with A/images/graemlins/club.gif, Q/images/graemlins/club.gif.
2 folds, MP1 calls $0, 3 folds, Button calls $0, SB completes, Hero raises to $1,50,50, MP1 raises to $1.5, Button folds, SB calls $1, Hero calls $0.50.

My raise here was a little low I think. I had been raising about 4xBB with a variety top hands, and hadn't been getting any callers because they were respecting my tight play too much, so I lowered the raise looking for action.

Flop: ($5) A/images/graemlins/heart.gif, 7/images/graemlins/club.gif, 9/images/graemlins/spade.gif (3 players)
SB checks, Hero bets $3, MP1 raises to $11.2 (All-In), SB folds, Hero folds.

I put him at AK, due to the reraise and PF play. I don't think he would have min-reraised with AQ or AJ and would have reraised more with QQ KK AA. I typed over chat to him that I thought he had AK before I folded, and sure enough, he showed it. Comments?

Final Pot: $19.20
Main Pot: $11, won by MP1.
Pot 2: $8.20, returned to MP1.

Results in white below: 
No showdown. MP1 wins $19.20.

gavrilo

06-24-2004, 07:25 AM

hand #1 I would call
hand #2 I would raise more on the flop, you have to bet here with the third guy in, no free cards.
hand #3 I'm not sure what you are going for with the minraise out of the big blind, but putting the guy on exactly AK once he min-reraises you is one hell of a read there.

AZK

06-24-2004, 12:28 PM

Just another issue you might want to think about:
"My raise here was a little low I think. I had been raising about 4xBB with a variety top hands, and hadn't been getting any callers because they were respecting my tight play too much, so I lowered the raise looking for action."

Rather than lowering your raising standards and allowing opponents to catch up to your premium hands, you should raise more often. If you start to get too much respect at the table start raising with more hands, i.e. suited connectors. I'm not saying raise these hands all the time, but in position and if it looks like you can just take the pot down preflop. The effects are incredible once the table thinks you are bullying and ends up paying you off big time when you do have hand...

schwza

06-24-2004, 12:53 PM

hand 1: call.

hand 2: i would 3-bet preflop. the fact that you're suited makes calling less unattractive. i would also put in a real 3-bet on the flop - i'm not a fan of the min-raise. i would bet the turn: there's a good chance one of them has a hand like KQ that will pay you off. the problem with raising the river is that there aren't many worse hands that will call a decent raise. also, if he reraises you'll throw up.

hand 3: i would check in the BB. you're out of position and you're giving away a lot of info by raising. and again, you'll throw up if reraised (more than the min). if you are gonna raise, i'd raise 4-5BB's to isolate and set up a steal. and maybe you'll win it right there, which would be good too.

i probably would have called his push. i'm not saying it would have been smart, but i would have. if he does have the dreaded AK, you're still 17% to win - not a total disaster. (the backdoor flush draw helps).

Rage23

06-24-2004, 04:00 PM

Thanks for all the comments. In the two weeks that I've been posting and searching through old posts here, I can't even describe how much my game has improved. Thanks!

Rage23

06-24-2004, 04:06 PM

Thanks for advice. I had considered that, but was looking at it from a different perspective. When I was in late position and there were few people who had called, I figured that I was ahead preflop and could use a few callers, especially with a hand like AQ that could flop both TPTK type hands or a good draw hand. Maybe this is the wrong thinking... Of course in a regular game when I am getting calls from my 4x BB raises, I go ahead and raise the usual 4x BB with these hands...I simply lowered it because I thought I was ahead and wanted to sweeten the pot, knowing that most likely if i bet out on the flop, they'd all fold like they had previously been doing.

As for raising with suited connectors... I like that idea as long as its not overdone. I started raising 4x BB when first in from LP with hands like KQo and AJo every once and a while to try and steal pots PF and it worked fairly well. I'll have to give it a try with the suited connectors if I find myself in a similar situation again. Thanks for the idea.