Am I making a big mistake here?
 

I usually play 4/8 live for the most part. When playing hands, I usually don't try to think along/guess what most of my opponants have(On the river is a different story). My thinking is, 90% of the time, they call with mediocre/bad hands. However, going against better players, I do try to think along with them. There have been so many times when I have tried to think what someone has and have been way off.
For example, I've seen players call 3 bets preflop with 2-5o and then call/check to the river because a 2 is on the board. The way I see it, it will drive me crazy trying to guess along. If I think I am ahead or have good odds, I bet/raise and if I am wrong, so be it. For the most part, I deal with calling stations and that is how I make most of my money.
I do realize that as I go up in limits, I will need to learn this skill. But should I practice it on bad players?

Re: Am I making a big mistake here?
 

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The way I see it, it will drive me crazy trying to guess along. If I think I am ahead or have good odds, I bet/raise and if I am wrong, so be it.

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Ummm....this is reading hands. You'll rarely be able to put your opponent on an exact holding, especially in small stakes limit hold'em. You put them on ranges of hands and act accordingly.

Re: Am I making a big mistake here?
 

OK, I'll give an example as to what I mean. I think i played this hand correctly, what do you think?

Last week, I was BB with K,8o.
4 limp in and I check.
Flop is K [img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img], 8 [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img], 2 [img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img].
I bet, 2 call.
Turn is 7 [img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img], I bet, one calls.
River is 4 [img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img], I bet, player raises, I call.
He turns over pocket 2's.

When he raised me on the river, I thought the 4 may have given him a set. Little did I know I was behind all along.

Re: Am I making a big mistake here?
 

I think its fine.

You lost to a player who completely misplayed their hand, and I think that laying this down on the river would be a total disaster, barring a huge tell or him flipping his cards over in a fit of glee.

The only way you could lay this down is the player who is so LPP is that a river raise means at least a set, and there are players like this out there, but it would take huge disipline, and you'd have to be almost positive he would never raise with a rivered two-pair.

Re: Am I making a big mistake here?
 

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I think its fine.

You lost to a player who completely misplayed their hand, and I think that laying this down on the river would be a total disaster, barring a huge tell or him flipping his cards over in a fit of glee.

The only way you could lay this down is the player who is so LPP is that a river raise means at least a set, and there are players like this out there, but it would take huge disipline, and you'd have to be almost positive he would never raise with a rivered two-pair.

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Couldn't have typed it better.