KJs UTG

[Bob T.]

Online 5-10 game, tight enough, so that winning more than your share of the blinds is a way to profit in this game.

UTG, I open raise with K [img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img]j [img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img]

MP, a reasonable player 3bets, and we see the flop.

Flop 9 [img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img]4 [img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img]2 [img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img]

I check planning on semibluff checkraising the turn if an A or K doesn't appear. MP bets, I call.

turn J [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] I check, MP bets, I raise, he calls.

River 3 [img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img]. I bet, MP calls. He holds, AK off, and MHIG. Should I take the semibluff checkraise on the turn out of my repetoire against this player?

Good luck,
play well,

Bob T.

[The Dude]

No, not necessarily. The fact that you check-raised the turn with the goods this time will make him more prone to lay down the hand in similar situations in the future. Heads-up you must do a lot more semi-bluffing to be profitable.

[sthief09]

If he's the type to call down after being check-raised on the turn while holding an unimproved AKo with no draws, then a semi-bluff check-raise probably wouldn't have been the best line against him. I do admit though that I would consider this my "default" play.

I guess this is where table image comes into play. Oddly enough, you'd think your table image would encourage him to fold.

[chesspain]

I guess I'm confused about using the "turn semi-bluf checkraise by default" here. Since you openraised UTG, you likely don't have a piece of that flop, and if you were still going to c/r on some rag, he will likely either: still call with AK, not believing that you didn't cap PF with KK or AA, or three-bet you with a premium pair.

This reminds me of a hand I played last night in a very loose Party 2/4 game against a lag who was becoming borderline-maniacal:

She openraised in MP, I reraised from the SB with red aces, folded back to her and she called:

4 [img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img] 2 [img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img] 8 [img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img]

I bet, she called.


[4 [img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img] 2 [img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img] 8 [img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img]] 2 [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img]

I bet, she raised(!?), I three-bet, she called.


[4 [img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img] 2 [img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img] 8 [img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img] 2 [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img]] Q [img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img]

I checked, she bet, I called, and she took it down with K [img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img] T [img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img] on the rivered flush.

Unless her play was way over my hand, I did not understand her raising the turn, since as the preflop openraiser I didn't see how she could have had such a good hand as to raise. Consequently, she only cost herself more money to chase her draw. In fact, I don't see Bob T's hand as being much different than this hand here, in so much as his raise on a rag would have looked as much like a bluff as did my opponent's raise here.

[Joe Tall]

Here's the thing, you showed down the goods. He actually may be more inclinded to lay one down in the future heads up next time.

Peace,
Joe Tall

[Eihli]

i know this isn't the question of the thread, but why raise KJs UTG? was this a shorthanded game?

[Joe Tall]

i know this isn't the question of the thread, but why raise KJs UTG?

Bob answered this question in his description, "tight enough, so that winning more than your share of the blinds is a way to profit in this game."

In a tight game, your raise UTG will often gain much respect. If you have good postflop skills, such as Bob does, playing KJs postflop is not much of a problem.

Peace,
Joe Tall

[GuyOnTilt]

Hey Bob,

I don't like it.

Since you described MP as "a reasonable player", I really dislike your turn play. Most of these players' 3-betting standards versus a UTG raise looks like this: AA, KK, QQ, JJ, AK, AQs. The only hands that you want to check-raise the turn with are the latter two. You'll be 3-bet here on the turn extremely often, and will be behind virtually every time, yet you can't fold the turn and your hand really likes to be shown down. Avoid the situation by betting the turn and calling down a raise, or perhaps even check-calling the turn and betting a river blank. I think your plan on the flop is fine (though I like check-calling the flop and turn better given your opponents range of hands and the likelyhood of how many of those he's apt to lay down pre-river on a raggedy board), but you need to be able to change your plan as the hand progresses.

Yeah, the more I look at this hand, the more I dislike it. Let me sleep on it though...

GoT

[Mike Gallo]

Bob,

I like the way you played this hand.

Since you account for the K [img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img], you know he doesnt have A [img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img]K [img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img] or A [img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img]J [img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img] since you have the J [img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img].

Should I take the semibluff checkraise on the turn out of my repetoire against this player?

If he respects you and will fold, yes.

[Mike Gallo]

Bob,

I like the way you played this hand.

Since you account for the K [img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img], you know he doesnt have A [img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img]K [img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img] or A [img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img]J [img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img] since you have the J [img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img].

Should I take the semibluff checkraise on the turn out of my repetoire against this player?

If he respects you and will fold, yes.