Re: 45s 200-400 hand
 

Actually, everything post flop makes me wonder...there are a few other lines I could have taken, and would really like to hear your thoughts. Other options would have been to bet the flop; to bet the turn; or checkraise the turn and 5-bet the river. Thoughts? Other ideas?

-Diplomat

Re: 45s 200-400 hand
 

Note that the only opponent I called loose aggressive was the only player to fold the flop. If the button had been loose aggressive, I think a turn checkraise becomes worse.

-Diplomat

Re: 45s 200-400 hand
 

I'll post some more thoughts in a bit, but one thing I definitely did consider was whether or not I could get the button to fold; I thought he'd fold many but his very best hands here.

-Diplomat

Re: 45s 200-400 hand
 

Since I checkraised the turn, I think 4 bets (or more) are fine on the river.

-Diplomat

Re: 45s 200-400 hand
 

sometimes 3 bet preflop. calling is fine/standard. folding would be atrocious.

flop: i wouldve checkraised the flop. if you are calling the flop w/ an eye to checkraising the turn no matter what that is fine too.

turn: good.

river: perfect.

Re: 45s 200-400 hand
 

[ QUOTE ]
sometimes 3 bet preflop. calling is fine/standard. folding would be atrocious.

flop: i wouldve checkraised the flop. if you are calling the flop w/ an eye to checkraising the turn no matter what that is fine too.

turn: good.

river: perfect.

[/ QUOTE ]

3 betting preflop is horrible.

Re: 45s 200-400 hand
 

[ QUOTE ]
Note that the only opponent I called loose aggressive was the only player to fold the flop. If the button had been loose aggressive, I think a turn checkraise becomes worse.

-Diplomat

[/ QUOTE ]

I didn't note that. I like it now.
-James

Re: 45s 200-400 hand
 

"3 betting preflop is horrible."

no it's not. doing it at least once in awhile, especially when the preflop raiser is a clown, reraising here is a good idea. it adds significant deception to your game/image and may even set up a play on that precise hand since preflop raiser is possibly raising light and callers may be coming in light knowing that. since youre calling anyway, a good player can 3 bet here and loses very little EV wise when you factor in meta hand considerations.

if you reraise 54s here all the time you are a fool of course but if you never reraise 54s here you are missing out on something good.

Re: 45s 200-400 hand
 

[ QUOTE ]
"3 betting preflop is horrible."

no it's not. doing it at least once in awhile, especially when the preflop raiser is a clown, reraising here is a good idea. it adds significant deception to your game/image and may even set up a play on that precise hand since preflop raiser is possibly raising light and callers may be coming in light knowing that. since youre calling anyway, a good player can 3 bet here and loses very little EV wise when you factor in meta hand considerations.

if you reraise 54s here all the time you are a fool of course but if you never reraise 54s here you are missing out on something good.

[/ QUOTE ]

Out of position with a hand that it that rarely makes it to a showdown seems like a bad time to make an image play.

Re: 45s 200-400 hand
 

[ QUOTE ]
Out of position with a hand that it that rarely makes it to a showdown seems like a bad time to make an image play.

[/ QUOTE ] I would imagine that the counter-argument is that this is exactly why it's an effective image play (should it get shown down). If you open-raise in early position with 87s occassionally, I would expect that observant high-limit players wouldn't be terribly impressed; instead they would say "meh, obvious image play". But if this gets shown down, people will really take notice.

None of this is to say that I would ever make this reraise. I'm just to trying to guess why it might make sense on rare occassion against observant high-limit players. If the opponents are as clueless as many of the people in my local mid-limit games, then I would hate the reraise. I make virtually no "image plays" in my $20/40 game because just my normal game involves enough plays that suprise my opponents and change their image of me since they don't understand the game that well. I remember recently raising A8s in the cutoff after a very weak player had limped early and everyone else had folded. The big blind called as well and we saw an 889 flop three-handed. Long story short, at the showdown, the big blind is staring at my hand and shaking his head saying "I just didn't think he would raise with that".