Don’t wanna tango with you, I’d rather tangle with him.
 

I think I’m gonna bash his head in.

I thought this was an interesting hand. The sub-game was I know you know, but do you know I know you know?

I’m on the button with 5s5c in a seven handed game. The small blind is an excellent player, who has helped my game a great deal, and as a result knows my play very well. The big blind is quite fishy.

The big blind is going to call any raise here, guaranteed. The small blind knows I could very well raise any hand here that is likely to be ahead of two random hands, and will therefore play back at me with a raise or call with a variety of hands. I limp. Do you see why? (Sorry, couldn’t resist). As soon as I do this I realize the small blind is going to narrow down my hands to a small sub-set, and determine I am going to play the flop tough if any rags flop. The small blind now raises, and the big blind calls. I consider raising again, but just call, and keep my plan.

The flop comes down Jc 5h 2d rainbow. Wow, I never accounted for flopping a set, just representing one. The small blind comes out betting, the big blind raises, and now I am at a decision. If I raise, the small blind is going to put me on a set, but if I call, he is likely to fold anyhow. I decide to go after the fish, and raise, the small blind folds, the big blind four-bets(the cap is out the window). I five-bet and he calls.

The turn and river go over-card, check, bet, call, over-card, check bet, call.

Comments on all streets appreciated.


-Huh

Re: Don’t wanna tango with you, I’d rather tangle with him.
 

Gotta reraise the flop. A cold-call is very suspicious on a flop like this. I also like taking several bets on the flop with aggressive fishy players. Before they know it they've spent 2.5 big bets or more on a cheap street and a lot of these guys really slow down to aggressiveness on later streets.

So I like your play postflop.

I see why the preflop limp -- you don't want SB to 3-bet and get it heads up with a tricky player who can get inside your head. However, I don't think he's going to 3-bet you with very many hands because the BB is fishy and he will too frequently call two cold and screw up any isolation attempts. Plus SB is out of position. So I think I still prefer raising preflop, it's a lot easier for him to get involved when the BB is tighter.

Re: Don’t wanna tango with you, I’d rather tangle with him.
 

I like your play on all streets. I assume you got the BB with two pair? I'd like to know who in that game can see inside your head!

Re: Don’t wanna tango with you, I’d rather tangle with him.
 

[ QUOTE ]
I'd like to know who in that game can see inside your head!

[/ QUOTE ]

I'm not at all envious of this person. I'm sure I'd be pretty frightened if I could see inside Huh's head.

Re: Don’t wanna tango with you, I’d rather tangle with him.
 

I like the whole thing, the only thing I'd do differently is smoothcall the flop and then pop the turn because I LOVE that move. Do you see why?

Re: Don’t wanna tango with you, I’d rather tangle with him.
 

I would've raised PF. Sure the SB will reraise you with a wide range of hand here, knowing that you'd open-raise your Button rather liberally, but since you know that his 3-bet doesn't mean much, you can always go ahead and 4-bet HU. If the BB calls, which you say is almost a certainty, I agree that it makes raising here pretty crappy. Folding PF would be dumb. Limping isn't great either because, like you said, the SB could narrow down your hands here quite a bit.

All that said, I like raising better than limping. The SB isn't going to 3-bet you here with ANY hand, or even his top 50% of hands, so there's a good chance you won't even have to face him or a reraise. I know a 3-bet and a BB call would suck, but not as bad as limping and facing a raise, and the blind bet on the flop that would follow.

GoT

Re: Don’t wanna tango with you, I’d rather tangle with him.
 

Preflop call is fine. Sorry, but a pair of 5's is not a hand to reraise (but raise would've been fine). Actually it is a bad hand against 2-3 players.

Flop: Three-bet is good (although I just smooth-called), as you can see by the BB fourbetting. But now, why don't just pretend to be scared and call his fourth bet? If you'd done that, he's likely to bet out the turn again, so you can raise him again.

Generally I think your play is allright, I just think you could have gotten at least a half bet more! [img]/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]

Re: Don’t wanna tango with you, I’d rather tangle with him.
 

I think you should have raised preflop. Whether the SB knows your game or not, you almost certainly have the best hand, and you have position. On the flop, a three bet is fine, but when the BB four bets you, you should just call, planning to raise on the turn for another Big Bet.

Seeing Inside Huh\'s Head
 

Fortunately for all of us, we will soon be able to do just that. I have it on good authority that Huh's self-published autobiography: "Confessions of a Mad Hatter (Or, How I Made Millions!!!!!! in Clown Porn)" will soon hit the street. Here's hoping in sells as many copies as Huh drags in magical pink chips.

I've also heard through the grapevine that Dreamworks has optioned the book for a movie with the working title of "Being Christopher Walken". I can't wait!

BR

Oh, I almost forgot. Fcuk Duke!

Re: Don’t wanna tango with you, I’d rather tangle with him.
 

I think you need Magneto's helmet. [img]/images/graemlins/wink.gif[/img]

[ QUOTE ]

The big blind is going to call any raise here, guaranteed. The small blind knows I could very well raise any hand here that is likely to be ahead of two random hands, and will therefore play back at me with a raise or call with a variety of hands. I limp. Do you see why? (Sorry, couldn’t resist). As soon as I do this I realize the small blind is going to narrow down my hands to a small sub-set, and determine I am going to play the flop tough if any rags flop.


[/ QUOTE ]

I think this is a reason to raise pre-flop. 55 plays pretty well heads' up against a re-steal, and you don't mind if the BB comes along for the three-bet.

By the way, I would re-raise/cap in both situations. Do you see why? [img]/images/graemlins/cool.gif[/img]

-Diplomat

Re: Don’t wanna tango with you, I’d rather tangle with him.
 

depsite all your preflop (over)thinking, it's close between a call, a raise, and even a fold preflop.

as for the flop/turn: you misplay to the tune of one small bet. when you have a fish out of position willing to 3 bet that flop once it gets heads up you need to almost always wait for the turn with your set. you will raise him then and he will call you down so you gain a easy, but significant small bet. key to all of this is the fact that bb is a fish. so he will misplay his hand and not make a laydown.

one more thing: fish tend to scare a bit easier (but again not to the point of laydown) when you pound with flop bets so it wouldnt surprise me if fish would never 5 bet the flop here with his most likely hand (one pair good kicker) and even with some stronger hands that he should 5 bet with like two pair.

Re: Don’t wanna tango with you, I’d rather tangle with him.
 

I tend to just play it fast here. Fish are smart enough to think that with a set you might slow down and then raise the turn so when they actually have a hand like two pair....they might go crazy on the turn thinking you can't possibly have a set, you know?

Re: Don’t wanna tango with you, I’d rather tangle with him.
 

[ QUOTE ]
I think you should have raised preflop. Whether the SB knows your game or not, you almost certainly have the best hand, and you have position. On the flop, a three bet is fine, but when the BB four bets you, you should just call, planning to raise on the turn for another Big Bet.

[/ QUOTE ]

I totally agree.

Results and comments.
 

I didn't raise pre-flop, becuase I thought there was an excellent chance that both blinds would call and play tough after the flop. I thought the limp would be scarier and was planning on betting any flop if check too...I Think I read this in a book somewhere [img]/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img].

As far as going five bets on the flop. Well, I guess it's debatable, but I've seen on several occasions where people get stupid-aggessive in these spots. I've seen aggressive fish go as many as nine bets in this spot, so I just decided to step on the gas and see where it takes me. Five was disappointing, but ahh well, I'd probably do it again.

As far as my book and movie deal go, I'm suprised that no one mentioned the reality show that cinemax is going to do based on my life.

Ahhh well.

-Huh

Re: Results and comments.
 

[ QUOTE ]
I didn't raise pre-flop, becuase I thought there was an excellent chance that both blinds would call and play tough after the flop. I thought the limp would be scarier and was planning on betting any flop if check too...I Think I read this in a book somewhere [img]/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img].

[/ QUOTE ]
good play. i routinely open-limp on button and auto-bet on flop. it works against certain people.

Kenny

Re: Don’t wanna tango with you, I’d rather tangle with him.
 

[ QUOTE ]
I tend to just play it fast here. Fish are smart enough to think that with a set you might slow down and then raise the turn so when they actually have a hand like two pair....they might go crazy on the turn thinking you can't possibly have a set, you know?

[/ QUOTE ]
i would also play fast here. fish or not, turn might bring an over card to J to scare him. with medium-low board, playing set strongly will get you more money most of the time. if A flopped, then the story is somewhat different.

Kenny

Re: Don’t wanna tango with you, I’d rather tangle with him.
 

I think that the clear play (which we all seem to be agreeing on) is that after you 3-bet and he 4-bets, he is extremely likely to lead out on the turn, at which point you raise him again, if he plays back at you, you probably have to slow down and just call him, which is fine if you end up winning. But call the 4th bet on the flop, pop the turn, bet the river.