Playing pocket pairs too fast?

Homebrew · #1 03-13-2005, 04:25 PM

Here are a couple of hands from recent $20+2 tournaments. Am I being too agressive with these pocket pairs? Comments on all aspects welcome. Thanks.

Hand #1
Party Poker No-Limit Hold'em Tourney, Big Blind is t30 (8 handed) converter

MP2 (t710)
CO (t1675)
Hero (t880)
SB (t725)
BB (t1080)
UTG (t1435)
UTG+1 (t770)
MP1 (t725)

Preflop: Hero is Button with T[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img], T[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img].
2 folds, MP1 calls t30, MP2 calls t30, 1 fold, Hero calls t30, SB completes, BB checks.

Flop: (t150) 6[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img], 7[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img], 3[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img] (5 players)
SB checks, BB checks, MP1 checks, MP2 bets t50, Hero raises to t150, SB folds, BB folds, MP1 folds, MP2 calls t100.

Turn: (t450) 6[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img] (2 players)
MP2 checks, Hero bets t275, Hero calls t255.

River: (t980) 2[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img] (2 players)

Final Pot: t980

Hand #2

Party Poker No-Limit Hold'em Tourney, Big Blind is t50 (8 handed) converter

MP1 (t1090)
MP2 (t1540)
Hero (t695)
Button (t625)
SB (t1050)
BB (t1160)
UTG (t1225)
UTG+1 (t615)

Preflop: Hero is CO with Q[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img], Q[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img].
3 folds, MP2 raises to t100, Hero raises to t300, 3 folds, MP2 calls t200.

Flop: (t675) 4[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img], T[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img], 9[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img] (2 players)
MP2 checks, Hero is all-In [395], MP2 calls t395.

Turn: (t1070) 7[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img] (2 players)

River: (t1070) 7[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] (2 players)

Final Pot: t1070

citanul · #2 03-13-2005, 04:53 PM

what happened on the river hand 1? i'm assuming on the turn that's MP2 calls the bet? you pushed the river, right? i'd probably have pushed the turn. there's cards you really don't want to have come off the deck on the river and have chips left.

hand 2 looks very standard. depending on the stupidity quotient of the opponent, i might have pushed preflop at the low buyins.

knowing something about your opponent helps, but unless i'd got a note on someone in big caps that says "HUGE TRAPPING CRAPWEASEL WITH ACES" if opp has me beat, he has me beat. the one hand i'm worried about is JJ in hand 1. In hand 2, if you opp happened to flop a flush or a set, more power to him. if he happened to flop a set, well, more power to him too. if he's got the set, backdoor outs are still there which is ince. if he's got the flush, it's got to be a strange one, since AKs would be oddly played, as would AJs or Axs. Again, if he's got aces here, or kings, he's getting all your money unless you've got a flush out that's feeling good that day.

citanul

Big Limpin' · #3 03-13-2005, 05:19 PM

[ QUOTE ]
you pushed the river, right?

[/ QUOTE ]

I hate that action. What hands do you figure to be value betting against? Serious question, pls respond.

I am thrilled to check the river down, but am willing to be persuaded otherwise.

Homebrew · #4 03-13-2005, 05:19 PM

Sorry...didn't check the hand after using the converter. I bet 275 on the turn, he went all-in, and I called the remaining 255. He had QQ...

In the second hand...he turned over KsJs for the flopped flush. These hands happened about one minute apart, on different tables obviously, and started me wondering if I was being too reckless. Thanks.

Big Limpin' · #5 03-13-2005, 05:21 PM

homebrew, i like the action on both hands.

Benholio · #6 03-13-2005, 08:02 PM

In the second hand, I would have pushed instead of raised with half your stack. If ace-rag-rag flops you are still getting all-in on the flop right? Is your opponent still getting all-in on an ace-rag-rag flop? By leaving a few hundred chips you are allowing your opponent to cut his losses on a bad flop but not yourself.

Homebrew · #7 03-14-2005, 08:48 AM

Hmmm...I have to think about this some...I'm not sure I agree about going all in. I guess I was willing to get all the chips in the middle. My thinking was that he was coming with a premium hand in any case, and if he had AJ or mid pocket pair, etc., then I might be able to get 200 or more extra chips by enticing him to call. What if you go all in and he folds, are you happy getting just whats there with QQ? Maybe your are right...he called and I lost. In this particular case, I would have been better off grabbing the pot pre-flop. In general, you want a pre-flop call of your raise, right?