Am I half-pot betting too often?
 

I feel like a played this a little too scared and should have bet bigger on the flop to take it down. How often is my straight on the river good here? I'm thinking 1 in 10 times.

PokerStars No-Limit Hold'em, $1.00 BB (5 handed) converter

Hero ($80)
UTG ($78.80)
MP ($294.75)
Button ($161.55)
SB : (Villain)/ ($18)

Preflop: Hero is BB with 3[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img], A[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img].
<font color="#666666">1 fold</font>, MP calls $1, Button calls $1, SB : (Villain) completes, Hero checks.

Flop: ($4) 4[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img], 7[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img], 3[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] <font color="#0000FF">(4 players)</font>
Villain checks, <font color="#CC3333">Hero bets $2</font>, MP folds, Button calls $2, Villain calls $2.

Turn: ($10) 5[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img] <font color="#0000FF">(3 players)</font>
Villain checks, <font color="#CC3333">Hero bets $4</font>, Button calls $4, Villain calls $4.

River: ($22) 2[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] <font color="#0000FF">(3 players)</font>
Villain checks, Hero checks, Button checks.

Final Pot: $22



Another hadn I need help with...

PokerStars No-Limit Hold'em, $1.00 BB (6 handed) converter

Hero ($73.05)
UTG ($94)
MP ($73.80)
CO ($302.90)
Button : (Villain)/ ($152.15)
SB ($49.35)

Preflop: Hero is BB with K[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img], A[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img].
<font color="#666666">3 folds</font>, <font color="#CC3333">Button : (Villain)/ raises to $2</font>, <font color="#666666">1 fold</font>, <font color="#CC3333">Hero raises to $6</font>, <font color="#CC3333">Button : (Villain)/ raises to $10</font>, Hero calls $4.

Flop: ($20.50) 6[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img], Q[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img], 7[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img] <font color="#0000FF">(2 players)</font>
<font color="#CC3333">Hero bets $10</font>, <font color="#CC3333">Villain raises to $20</font>, Hero folds.

Final Pot: $50.50

I am getting killed in this game at the moment, can't bluff any pots and no real hands so far.

Re: Am I half-pot betting too often?
 

I like a bigger bet on the flop and checking the turn.

Re: Am I half-pot betting too often?
 

On the second hand the guy showed AQ after I folded, and I now hate him forever. Couldn't have got him off it though preflop, he's donktastic and sitll mauling me atm. Totally card dead.

Re: Am I half-pot betting too often?
 

Hand 1 I'm most likely check/folding this flop. Three villains in the hand, you are OOP to two of them, you have bottom pair with backdoor straigh and flush draws. I can't see a good reason to bet here, especially half the pot. If you want to bet i would bet full pot.

Hand two I would have most likely just called villains min raise preflop, especially if villain is loose as you said he was. No reason to bloat the pot OOP again here. As played, if you want to bet the flop, bet full pot as I think it gives you much more FE.

Re: Am I half-pot betting too often?
 

[ QUOTE ]
I like a bigger bet on the flop and checking the turn.

[/ QUOTE ]

Edit: I mistakened your hand and misread it. I thought you had a pair+NFD. c/f is good for hand 1.

Re: Am I half-pot betting too often?
 

I think you're straight is good better then 10% of the time. Though it will often be split. But I see no point in betting it... you'll only be called by anyone who's tying you or has you beat.

I would also bet more. That $4 bet is asking someone to take it away from you.

Hand 2-
I think you're just spewing chips. When he 3 bets you, he likely has a decent pocket pair. Personally, I hate playing AK out of position. 2/3 or the time you're going to miss the flop completely... then you have nothing. If you were shortstacked, then I might advocate getting all in preflop only because AK wants to see all 5 cards.

This is a good hand to show the importance of position.

second: that 1/2 pot bet screams weakness. If I was him I'd raise you with anything. And considering his 3 bet pf, you can't call with a raise. If you know you're going to fold to a reraise, then check-fold. But, if you decide to represent an overpair, then make a real bet.

But, unless I have a read that a player will make this laydown... I don't often bluff a winning player who's 3 bet me preflop.

Re: Am I half-pot betting too often?
 

Hand #1 is a c/f the flop for sure. You have 3rd pair, 3 others in the hand with you, 2 hearts on the board, plus some straight possibilities out there. That is a clear c/f.

Hand #2 is also a c/f as played.

Half-pot may be standard for you in certain circumstances. But, it's often going to be seen as weakness from villians and you'll get played back at alot just because of that bet size, making villian's actions not as easy to discern if you had bet 2/3 to full pot.

Re: Am I half-pot betting too often?
 

[ QUOTE ]
especially if villain is loose as you said he was

[/ QUOTE ]

I must need glasses. I keep reading his post and don't see where he said the villain is loose. He didn't offer really any description. Nor did he mention if the villain had ever 3 bet before and what, if any, meaning to place on that.

Re: Am I half-pot betting too often?
 

For the first hand my image was tight, and I was pretty sure I could take it down. The weak calls had me convinced I was up against draws the way the table had been playing.

Hand 2 the Villain is irrational, very limpy preflop (found that out later though) played almost at random, but reraises post flop tended to be big, he would call down with almost any 2, but a reraise was quite something, so I knew I was behind.


Results: Hand 1 I was ahead til the river, flush beat me, but he obviously had great odds especially wiht overs, I played hand 1 absolutely terribly.

Hand 2 the non-sensical player showed AQ

I ended up losing 1 buy-in then winning it back +$30 more off the 2 hand's villain. Quite possibly the strangest players I'd ever seen. When he got AA or KK he would min riase preflop and min bet ever street to the river, also got caught on some nice 6 high bluffs on the river.

Re: Am I half-pot betting too often?
 

hand 1 is ok...I wouldn't want to be going nuts with that hand but I don't want to give free cards either. Your straight is at least splitting WAY more than 10% of the time, i'd guess half or more.

hand 2 - dude that flop bet is HOORRRRRRRRRRRRRRIBLLLE. To quote bill walton. Lay it down big man. You gotta just check fold...what reraising hands are you possibly ahead of.