Why am I such a fish?

[chopchoi]

I get KK in mid-position, raise 1st in, and am heads up with BB. Flop is A,J,rag, and BB comes out betting. I raise. The turn is another A. I bet.

That was a dumb bet. I'm not going to get him to lay down a better hand, and I'm not sure that I'm ahead, so I can't really bet for value. I should have checked and seen the river cheap. The reason I bet here is out of habit. I used to raise the flop/check the turn whenever I had a hand that I thought might be good, but I wasn't sure. But then I got beat by the free card too many times, so I started raising the flop, betting the turn, and checking the river. The thing is, here, I had no reason to fear giving a free card, so I should of checked.

Anyway, he check-raised me. Now I'm 98% sure I'm beat, so what do I do? I call him down. WTF am I thinking? I know better than to do this, but I do it anyway. What do I need to do to keep myself from playing like a fish. Knowing better obviously isn't enough.

Anyway, he shows Aces full of Jacks.

[KingOtter]

I usually bet with pocket K's when a second Ace hits the board.

Why? Because the chances of someone having an ace in their hand just plummeted.

Check-raise though would be tough, and it would depend on my opponent whether I fold or not. Tight, reasonable post-flop player? Fold. A bit laggy with a history of trying to take pots? Call down.

KO

[Kuanti]

I don't find that your turn bet was dumb. It might not have been a value bet, but it gave you the information you were looking for. The bottom line is that your pocket KK's (or any big holding) can't win every time, and you really have to get over your fear of folding them or else it'll just keep costing you.

[iluzion]

a fish? no. a fish wouldnt be aggressive, expecially not with this hand. that personally looks like how I would play it. an aggressive player would come out aggressive like this with a few weaker hands than yours. KK KJ QJ QQ JT would all play this fairly similar. once check-raised on the turn theres a really good chance your not against any of those hands, so from then on i just call down and feel fishy.

[chesspain]

Your first mistake was raising the flop. What were you hoping to accomplish by that?

[chopchoi]

[ QUOTE ]
I don't find that your turn bet was dumb. It might not have been a value bet, but it gave you the information you were looking for. The bottom line is that your pocket KK's (or any big holding) can't win every time, and you really have to get over your fear of folding them or else it'll just keep costing you.

[/ QUOTE ]

Is there any point in betting for info on the turn, when you can check/call the river for the same price?

[chopchoi]

[ QUOTE ]
Your first mistake was raising the flop. What were you hoping to accomplish by that?

[/ QUOTE ]

By raising the flop, I hope to limit the number of players who enter the pot, thereby reducing the chance that I get outdrawn. This also ensures that I get more money from each player entering the pot. Since I stand to win more than my fair share of pots, I want to extract a premium from those who do call.

Why do you think raising was a mistake?

[Simplistic]

he means raising post flop. I dont' really like your play on the streets here. if i'm first to act I'll bet the flop, and although your raise isn't bad here, if he calls then you shut down and are done with the hand. any thoughts?

[Kuanti]

If he has an Ace there's no card on the river that could help you, but only cards that could get you into bigger trouble. If he checks your turn bet, you're most likely ahead and can get maximum value. But if he check-raises you like he did, it's a safe fold. It seems like you're prepared to pay 1 bet regardless right? You might aswell be the one who bets.

I'm definitely not a pro, and I'd sure like to get some feedback aswell since I'm here to learn. I'm just giving you my train of thought.

EDIT: A 3rd King would give you a full-house, so there is a card that could help you.

[chesspain]

I'm talking about the raise after the flop.