I hate my play here

[sniperd]

The table is your typical PP table. People giving too much value to their hands at times, but nothing crazy, no LAGS present.

Party Poker No-Limit Hold'em, $2 BB (6 max, 5 handed)

SB ($116)
BB ($93)
UTG ($73.95)
MP ($46)
Hero ($47)

Preflop: Hero is Button with A/images/graemlins/club.gif, 2/images/graemlins/club.gif.
UTG folds, MP calls $2, Hero calls $2, SB completes, <font color="CC3333">BB raises to $4</font>, MP calls $2, Hero calls $2, SB calls $2.

<font color="blue"> I like limping here, just trying to flop that draw, or if it checks to me, my Ace is probably good, so I call. </font>

Flop: ($16) 9/images/graemlins/spade.gif, A/images/graemlins/diamond.gif, J/images/graemlins/spade.gif <font color="blue">(4 players)</font>
SB checks, BB checks, MP checks, <font color="CC3333">Hero bets $5</font>, SB folds, BB calls $5, MP calls $5.

<font color="blue"> Well, it checked to me, lets fire that bet out. Oh.. got called in 2 places, OK, I guess I am outkicked, and the other probably has a Jack. </font>

Turn: ($31) Q/images/graemlins/club.gif <font color="blue">(3 players)</font>
BB checks, MP checks, Hero checks.

<font color="blue"> Well, still probably out kicked, let's just check it, almost smells like a check raise trap. </font>

River: ($31) J/images/graemlins/club.gif <font color="blue">(3 players)</font>
<font color="CC3333">BB bets $10</font>, MP folds, Hero calls $10.

<font color="blue"> I HATE my call here. I am basically calling to chop if he has an Ace, and losing to any Jack. My absurd reasoning is that I am calling $10 to win $15.50 (chop). Am I being overly critical, or does that logic make sense? </font>

Final Pot: $51

Results in white below: <font color="white">
BB shows Kc Qs (two pair, queens and jacks).
Hero shows Ac 2c (two pair, aces and jacks).
Outcome: Hero wins $51.

I really feel that I got lucky here to win this. Am I being overly critical of myself?

</font>

[turnipmonster]

bet the turn, check the river. easy fold if you get raised. the reason I like betting the turn as opposed to checking is you can expect a bet almost no matter what the river is if you check the turn. you are then in the uncomfortable position of calling getting 2.5 to 1 or so.

--turnipmonster

[sniperd]

Thanks for the reply turnipmonster. I fully agree with your theory of checking the turn will almost certainly cause a bet on the end. Taking that thought (and perhaps stretching it a bit) would it be correct to check my A2 on the turn, since a worse hand won't call a bet, but a worse hand may bet the end? There by increasing my EV+ when I have a winner, and decreasing my EV- when I have the loser?

Just a theory thought. I would be interested what you think about it.

[SkippingGoat]

Why such a small bet on the flop? It makes it look like a cautious position bet desperately hoping to take down the pot. Getting callers after betting only a fraction of the pot gives you no idea where you are (which isn't a terrible thing since you're on the button but still throws into question how to act on future streets). Furthermore, you seem to ignore the possibility that someone is on the spade draw. Potting it on the flop makes it expensive to draw and represents an ace. If you get a caller then you can suspect with more certainty that you are beat. If everyone folds, great you don't want callers here anyway.

[turnipmonster]

the thing that I try and think about regarding inducing a bluff is, how much EV am I losing by not getting money from two probable draws on the turn and how much am I gaining by calling a bet on the river. I don't have time to work it out at the moment, but I am folding to about 14 cards that can come no matter what (a spade and any straight card), and even if the river blanks I am not going to call a pot bet every time. I am much less likely to call if the first player to act bets, since he's betting into two players.

in this hand, there are just too many things that can happen that are going to make me fold if I check the turn.

heads up, I think your point has a lot of merit.

--turnipmonster

[sniperd]

You are totally right Turnip. Multi-way that theory is so dangerous, but can be OK heads up. Good points, thanks for the input!

SkippingGoat, my only fear of potting the flop is if I am called, I would assume I am beat. However, I find that a spade draw is probably calling my pot bet, so I don't know if potting the flop will really tell me all that much more on this kind of table. Now, in a live game, I fully agree, but on party poker...? Not so sure.