Back in the Saddle

Finally decided to end my self-imposed, Uncle Sam contributed exile from poker with a little 9-18 action at LC's tonight. I had to shake off some rust, but it seemed to go well. Problem was, I'd win a couple of small pots to make headway, then lose a big one (flop top two, but someone else turns a set, etc). Anyway, the other players were so bad that I figured that I'd either make a nice score or go broke quickly. Luckily, the first option happened, and I picked up a rack in about three hours.


Here's one hand that I'm not sure if I played it correctly.


In the BB, I have pocket AA. three callers, the SB calls, and I raise. The three who called are pretty bad (can show any hand from any position). The SB is very weak tight.


Flop comes 662, two hearts. I bet out and am called by UTG and cutoff. the other two fold. From what I've seen, these two guys are likely to raise with a strong hand on the flop, and will both call you down with anything to keep you honest.


Turn is 4. I check, UTG bets, cutoff calls and I raise. Both call (whew!)

I raised because I thought I had the best hand here, but also because I knew that

1) I'd likely be repopped if I was behind,

2) wouldn't get re-raised if I was ahead (based on their previous play)

3) would likely get calls because these two would draw at anything


River was a K. I checked, and it was checked through. I should have bet here, but, at the time, checking seemed like the thing to do.

I reasoned that, even a blind idiot wouldn't be able to call me here unless I was beat when


a) I raised the turn, indicating a strong hand

b) a scare card like a king comes on the river


I figured that, even if they put me on a bluff on the turn, AK was a likely holding for me to have, so the K river pretty much killed their one pair hands.

I guess I was hoping that one of the two would put me on a JJ or QQ and, hitting his K, (yeah, they'd chase overcards in this situation, too) bet out.

Anyway, I took it down, but can't help thinking that I missed at least one bet on the river.

Welll....you answered your own question. Definately bet the river here. Check raise on the turn is fine. Welcome back and good luck. Babe

I dislike your check-raise play on the turn although it worked out well. I hate to risk handing out a free card in a big, raised pot like this on the expensive street with a two-flush on the table and mutliple players involved. I would bet the turn and bet the river. I play my hand as best until someone tells me to stop by raising, in which case I call.

Babe, this is the first time I can ever recall being in total disagreement with your response to a post.


There is enough money in this pot to be thinking about protecting those aces as opposed to milking the table for an extra bet here. If it gets checked around and someone spikes a miracle, you've made a genuine error here. If it gets checked around, and the drawing hands miss and don't pay on the river, you've made a genuine error.


How can you potentially cost yourself the 2 big bets that the drawing hands would have to pay you? Hell, if the flush doesn't get there, nobody's gonna pay you on the river most of the time.


I dunno. Maybe I'm just too conservative.

Rush and Jim- You are both correct on the turn play here. I missed the "two hearts on the flop" description. I was focused on the wrong thing (the card values) and I made a mistake. Perhaps when I first read the post, I assumed that our hero had the A of hearts. Or...perhaps (and more likely) I just made an error by reading the post too fast!. Thanks for pointing it out. Babe

Another thing to consider re: the turn is that it's hard to figure what hand someone could be betting here that you have beat, especially since a blank hit. If someone has an overpair to the board you should have heard from them on the flop, so you can't expect someone to bet here with pocket 8's (having just called the flop).


If a paint drops on the turn it might be a different story, but with all the blanks out there you might as well charge someone who picked up a gutshot to draw.

2d,


I'm back to playing a bunch at LC's too. Come and say "high" sometime!


I'm with Jim in that I don't like the check on the turn, and I'm with Babe's first post in that I don't like the check on the river.


Granted, the contingent worth of betting out goes down if one can't fold to a raise. But I can. So I bet. AA seems so easy to play against players who won't raise on a BB street without two pair or better. I bet turns and rivers until they raise, then I fold. In the 9-18 game there, if you always play real tight preflop, then that's how predictable almost every player will play against you almost everytime, thereby favoring no checking and all betting with AA, until raised on a BB street.


Tommy