10/20 NL hand
 

10/20

I have BB with
J [img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img] Q [img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img]

A consistent winning player limps 1st in from MP. Button raises minimum to $40. I call in the BB, MP calls as well.
Pot size: $120

Flop:
T [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] 9 [img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img] K [img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img]

I check, MP bets $120. Button folds, I raise to $360. MP calls.
Pot size: $840

Turn:
5 [img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img]

I check, and MP bets out $400. After some deliberation, I raise him all-in for ~$1200 more.

Thoughts?

Re: 10/20 NL hand
 

Don't call pre-flop.

After that, though, it was fine. He probably has slick, with the As, maybe 99 or 1010.

Re: 10/20 NL hand
 

Bet out on the flop. Either a cheap pokey looking bet or a nice fat overbet.

Re: 10/20 NL hand
 

[ QUOTE ]
Either a cheap pokey looking bet

[/ QUOTE ]

Wouldn't a pokey bet be giving a flush draw proper odds to draw?

Re: 10/20 NL hand
 

Hi jcaesar,
You played this one very well, as long as you felt it was likely that your opponent would bet the turn if you checked. You want him to bet, and if you're beaten, you must live with it. His bet size is excellent, by the way, as it looks like a bet that doesn't mind being called. Calling pre-flop is automatic.

Re: 10/20 NL hand
 

Hi Lucky,
[ QUOTE ]
Don't call pre-flop.

[/ QUOTE ]
Be serious. This is an excellent spot to play QJs. You get to have a pot-building raise, and since someone else made it, you give away nothing about your hand. I would never, ever fold this pre-flop for $20 when one player in the pot has about $2000 in front of him.
[ QUOTE ]
He probably has slick, with the As, maybe 99 or 1010.

[/ QUOTE ]
He probably DOESN'T have slick, as this would be a re-raising hand to many strong players. But a medium pair is a good guess. The obvious danger is that Axs is also a likely candidate to be played this way.

Re: 10/20 NL hand
 

pre-flop - easy call.

flop - really dislike going for the check-raise here. i would lead out here almost all the time as there is a player between you and the PFR. It is also a possiblity the flop doesnt get bet.

turn - i really like your check-raise here. you have no spade and most opponents can't pass up this bet when checked to, trying to protect their hand or represent a bigger hand.

Re: 10/20 NL hand
 

[ QUOTE ]
flop - really dislike going for the check-raise here. i would lead out here almost all the time as there is a player between you and the PFR. It is also a possiblity the flop doesnt get bet.

[/ QUOTE ]

Nero, between the type of players that were in, I knew almost 100% that the flop would be bet. Mainly, my play here was to trap the button, who I knew would bet automatically if we both checked to him as the PFR. I had this read on him because he obviously had an inflated ego from catching a nice run of cards and a tilted player that pushed his buy-in from $2000 to a ridiculous stack of $16,000). Previously, he had been betting hands like 37o and J3o from position at any sign of weakness from those to act before him.

Re: 10/20 NL hand
 

[ QUOTE ]
turn - i really like your check-raise here. you have no spade and most opponents can't pass up this bet when checked to, trying to protect their hand or represent a bigger hand.

[/ QUOTE ]

Sorry for the double post, but why do you like the checkraise with my lack of spade outs? Seems to me it would've been better if I had a chance to improve to a better hand on the river.

Re: Results
 

MP called my all-in raise rather quickly with 8 [img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img] T [img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img]

Given this knowledge, does this change anything about what you guys think?

I feel as though I should've bet the scare card and folded to a raise. If he had called my bet on the turn, it would've been a tough call on the river. Considering, however, that the river was a 4th [img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img], it appears that I would've been able to save myself some money in that situation.