Re: A few hands for the baby bluffers (long)
 

Naw, I agree with you there. It's a tempo play as well. If the action has been high while your cards are dry that is a great way to slow it down a little, to 'reset'. We can't see the hands around it but like someone else noted, image maintenance is important.

Re: A few hands for the baby bluffers (long)
 

To contintue my last post:

hand 4:

The fact that you hit 2nd pair is not a reason, by itself, to check raise him. If you feel he hasn't got a hand, and will fold, than you can do it with any two. People are often thinking too much about their OWN hand when they bluff. Your own hand actually mean very little. It's all about your opponent's behaviour and cards, and sometimes the hand you _represent_.

I don't think this is a specifically good spot for a move, since it looks like there's still a lot of game to play, you have the big stack, he made a rather big bet, and according to your description, he is rather predictable (be careful, though, about this: very few players are really completely predictable.) I'm sure you'll be able to exploit his play in a better spot. So over-all, I don't see anything special about your fold here. Legitimate fold.

hand 5

3 handed SNG play is very very read, dynamics, and situation dependant, so there's not much to say about this hand. It could be good, could be bad. The question should be what is your over all strategy in this 3-handed situation, and it should be a function of both other players' strategies, not only the big-stack you're in the hand against.

One thing that I don't like is the size of your turn bet. What exactly are you representing by this? I think a smaller bet is more in place (~1/2 pot). His reaction won't be different, and you are saving some chips. I'm not sure you are correct when you say "he's almost certainly got a small pocket pair, and can't call this bet". I think you are putting people on specific hands too fast. He called PF, checked behind on the flop, and folded on the turn. It's 3 handed, he's big-stack. Why just small poker pair? You have far from enough information to make this claim.

That's about it. I hope you took 1st. [img]/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]

Re: A few hands for the baby bluffers (long)
 

"Seat 4: ThreeProngs ($5,325 in chips)
Seat 5: KIonizer ($2,823 in chips)
Seat 6: durron597 [ 10,A ] ($3,072 in chips)
Seat 7: Thy Smiter ($2,910 in chips)
Seat 8: leaf597 ($870 in chips)

ANTES/BLINDS
KIonizer posts blind ($75), durron597 posts blind ($150).

PRE-FLOP
Thy Smiter folds, leaf597 folds, ThreeProngs folds, KIonizer calls $75, durron597 bets $300, KIonizer calls $300.

FLOP [board cards K,J,8 ]
KIonizer checks, durron597 bets $600, KIonizer bets $2,373 and is all-in, durron597 folds."

I would probably check behind on this flop; I think there were just too many ways for your opponent to (feel like he) hit it. Aside from KJ, JJ, and KK, he might well have done what he did with AK, KQ, KT, QJ...all hands that he might have been playing here. Also -- if you can do it for free, why not see if you can make your gutshot or pick up an open-ender?


"Seat 4: ThreeProngs ($5,020 in chips)
Seat 5: KIonizer ($2,948 in chips)
Seat 6: durron597 [ A,10 ] ($4,347 in chips)
Seat 7: Thy Smiter ($2,685 in chips)

ANTES/BLINDS
ThreeProngs posts blind ($100), KIonizer posts blind ($200).

PRE-FLOP
durron597 bets $550, Thy Smiter folds, ThreeProngs folds, KIonizer calls $350.

FLOP [board cards 3,J,K ]
KIonizer checks, durron597 checks.

TURN [board cards 3,J,K,9 ]
KIonizer checks, durron597 checks.

RIVER [board cards 3,J,K,9,J ]
KIonizer checks, durron597 checks.

SHOWDOWN
KIonizer shows [ 6,7 ]
durron597 shows [ A,10 ]
durron597 wins $1,200."

If this guy is gonna call you with 67o, perhaps you should value bet your Ace-high? Just kiddding, but I think you could try a bet on the turn after the second check. But I like the way you played it, too. I do think it can be very useful to show down a hand like this, to convince people that you're not an aggro maniac but just really, really lucky.




"Seat 4: ThreeProngs ($4,422 in chips)
Seat 5: KIonizer ($3,696 in chips)
Seat 6: durron597 [ Q,7 ] ($6,882 in chips)

ANTES/BLINDS
KIonizer posts blind ($150), durron597 posts blind ($300).

PRE-FLOP
ThreeProngs folds, KIonizer calls $150, durron597 checks.

FLOP [board cards 3,K,9 ]
KIonizer checks, durron597 bets $450, KIonizer folds.

SHOWDOWN
durron597 wins $1,050"

Looks good to me. A free card is unlikely to give you the best hand if you're behind, and the flop isn't too coordinated. I guess some people would recommend raising preflop? I wouldn't myself.


"I think that having a standard 2/3 pot bet is good, you price out the draws and don't hurt your stack too much when they actually have something."

Yes, I thought your 2/3 pot bet of 450 into a 600 pot was right on the mark. [img]/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img] [img]/images/graemlins/blush.gif[/img] [img]/images/graemlins/tongue.gif[/img]


"Seat 4: ThreeProngs ($4,422 in chips)
Seat 5: KIonizer ($4,346 in chips)
Seat 6: durron597 [ Q,10 ] ($6,232 in chips)

ANTES/BLINDS
KIonizer posts blind ($150), durron597 posts blind ($300).

PRE-FLOP
ThreeProngs calls $300, KIonizer calls $150, durron597 checks.

FLOP [board cards A,4,Q ]
KIonizer checks, durron597 checks, ThreeProngs bets $550, KIonizer folds, durron597 folds."

I would play this the same way. If I had position on him, I might call or raise -- I'm not convinced he has an Ace -- but I think it's too much risk for too little reward here.

"I consider this a value bet, not a bluff.

Seat 4: ThreeProngs ($5,022 in chips)
Seat 5: KIonizer ($4,046 in chips)
Seat 6: durron597 [ 5,8 ] ($5,932 in chips)

ANTES/BLINDS
durron597 posts blind ($200), ThreeProngs posts blind ($400).

PRE-FLOP
KIonizer folds, durron597 calls $200, ThreeProngs checks.

FLOP [board cards 9,5,4 ]
durron597 bets $600, ThreeProngs folds."

I like the bet, but why do you consider it a value bet? Do you think he's gonna call you with overcards?
I fold this hand preflop, though.


"Here, he's almost certainly got a small pocket pair, and can't call this bet.

Seat 4: ThreeProngs ($7,972 in chips)
Seat 5: KIonizer ($1,896 in chips)
Seat 6: durron597 [ 7,Q ] ($5,132 in chips)

ANTES/BLINDS
durron597 posts blind ($200), ThreeProngs posts blind ($400).

PRE-FLOP
KIonizer folds, durron597 bets $800, ThreeProngs calls $600.

FLOP [board cards A,3,K ]
durron597 checks, ThreeProngs checks.

TURN [board cards A,3,K,K ]
durron597 bets $1,400, ThreeProngs folds.

SHOWDOWN
durron597 wins $3,400"

I like this play. I agree that his most likely hand is an underpair; plus, even if he was slowplaying a big ace, he now has to at least consider folding. It also helps that this guy is tight (and passive?) (I'm guessing, since you raised him preflop with Q7o).