First NL Post

[ctv1116]

Hi, SS NL forum, I'm testing out the no-limit waters; I've been primarily playing shorthanded limit but that game is getting pretty dull. To me, this hand pretty much highlights the difference between limit and no-limit.

Party Poker No-Limit Hold'em, $0.50 BB (6 max, 5 handed) converter

saw flop|<font color="C00000">saw showdown</font>

<font color="C00000">Hero ($44.70)</font>
BB ($9.99)
<font color="C00000">UTG ($36.30)</font>
MP ($88.85)
Button ($43.25)

Preflop: Hero is SB with K[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img], J[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img].
UTG calls $0, <font color="666666">2 folds</font>, Hero completes, BB checks,50,

Flop: ($1.50) K[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img], 6[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img], T[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] <font color="blue">(3 players)</font>
<font color="CC3333">Hero bets $2</font>, BB folds, UTG calls $2.

Turn: ($5.50) T[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img] <font color="blue">(2 players)</font>
<font color="CC3333">Hero bets $5</font>, <font color="CC3333">UTG raises to $10</font>, Hero calls $5.

River: ($25.50) 4[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img] <font color="blue">(2 players)</font>
Hero checks, UTG checks.

Final Pot: $25.50
<font color="green">Main Pot: $25.50, between Hero and UTG.</font>

Should I have called the turn raise? What would I have done if the guy bet the river?

[fatduck]

This may not apply to 6max as I play primarily 10-handed $50NL but be careful playing a hand like KJo out of position. I think you fold to his raise on the turn. There aren't many hands you beat that he would raise with. Then again, this is $25NL 6max partypoker, he probably has A6o.

[vulturesrow]

Welcome to the forum! I think the turn raise is a clear fold unless you have some sort of read on him.KJo isnt a bad hand shorthanded but being out of position complicates this hand.

[Navers]

Beginner question: Why would you fold to the turn raise? couldn't he be thinking that the person with KJo was bluffing, or maybe he has a weaker king, or maybe he was bluffing himself?

[fatduck]

Given the check-behind on the river I imagine the villain did have a weaker king (or absolute crap). Still, it's a sticky situation playing TPGK out of position. I'm not sure folding to the reraise is a given but you have to remember you're probably looking at another bet (possibly a push) on the river regardless of whether he has the trips or not.

[SkippingGoat]

Easy fold on the turn. What hand are you beating? K9? K8? Please. Why would these hands only call the flop and then raise the turn. It just doesn't make a whole lot of sense unless they had Kx and wanted to represent a ten. Could this happen? Of course it could. Hero could very well be winning on the turn but with another betting round it's simply not worth calling. You've only invested $7 in this pot and you have to call $5 more just to see a river. How much are you going to pay off on the river? What do you think this guy has that you're beating? I think a key skill in NL is knowing when to cut your losses and not get sucked into calling on a board where you're drawing thin at best. In NL you really only want to be a caller if you have odds to draw (you don't) or you can expect to show down very cheaply. While you're lucky that you got to show down cheaply here, you can't expect to have someone check behind on the river after raising the turn. I'd say that this happens 1/5 times at best.