KK w/ an A. twice. 100-200

[mike l.]

in hand 1 the one with the A99 flop, i figured if i check that flop it will not hurt me since im way ahead or way behind. also i want to see what happens on the turn, and i dont want anyone getting brave on the easy street against me.

when the turn came i felt button was itching to bet, it was just a sixth sense thing. at that point i was completely committed to just calling him down since i thought there was only a small chance he held either an A or a 9 since he checked the flop. as it turned out he did have 96o and he took it down. yes he called three bets cold w/ 96o. that commerce 100-200 game sure is tough.

hand 2. again i figured checking the flop wouldnt hurt me and against these players getting to the showdown cheaply with good but not great hands (like KK on an AJx board) is important. laying down something like KK on that board is tough to do against wily weird aggressive players. so when bb bets the turn and the other guy folds im not loving life but it's just two more bbs to call down in what has become an okay size pot. plus by checking the flop i have opened up the opportunity for bb to bet all sorts of hands on the turn. so it's a +EV spot to call down. anyway when he checks the river it's pretty easy to put him on exactly a J (or smaller pair like 99 or even less) since this guy would bet any A there 100% of the time. so i bet the river, he called, and he was noticeably surprised when he saw my hand, which was good.

[Gabe]

I liked these hands alot. How was Vegas?

[mike l.]

"How was Vegas?"

great. the games there are great. i played 40 with clarkmeister and mason and played like crap but then played great later in the night as the game got really good. id like to go out there with you sometime again it'd be fun. im very very burnt out right now but ill be playing more next month im sure.

[roy_miami]

I had this situation come up today. i get dealt KdKh in late middle. Early position raises, I 3-bet, lag button calls 3 cold and early position calls.

Flop comes A94 with 2 hearts.

Checked to me, I bet and they both fold.

This is how I have always played this hand and I used to be more than happy when I picked up the pot on the flop. Your post really has me thinking that a flop check may be the better play. I would like to hear some more comments on this. I almost feel like I threw some bets away by betting the flop here. Should I still be happy my opponents folded on the flop or did I misplay it?

[Stork]

What limits do you play Roy? The lower you play, the more opponents will call you down with weaker hands, so if you are playing around the 5/10 level or so, I think a bet is the better play. At 100-200 though, where you're opponents actually pay attention and think a little, a check can work out nicely.

[roy_miami]

I play in a 15/30 game that probably plays like a 1/2 game. I probably would get called down by QQ or JJ, some back door draws. One of the biggest reasons I have always bet here is to be consistant when the A comes on the flop. At one time I thought this was important...I don't remember why anymore though. I mean, where I play anyone with A-rag will call down the rockiest of rocks without even thinking about it.

[mike l.]

"I play in a 15/30 game that probably plays like a 1/2 game."

is it tricky, extremely aggressive, and features fearless very rich players, some whom oscillate mysteriously between very tight and very loose? keep in mind im not saying the players are excellent, just that they can be hard to play well against, especially in marginal situations like KK when an A flops and many bets went in preflop.

in other words, i very strongly doubt your 15-30 game plays like a typical 100-200 game. trust me, that's a good thing.

[roy_miami]

I meant it plays like an actual $1/$2 game not a $100/$200 game. Sorry for the confusion.

[mike l.]

"I meant it plays like an actual $1/$2 game"

ok cool now were talking my language. most 15-30 games ive played in are the same way. thank god. so yeah go ahead and bet your KK there it doesnt really matter what you do most of the time. the money will just funnel into your racks like clockwork either way. 15-30 is fun.