3 Hands from Tonight: Just to make sure.......
 

...I still know what the heck I'm doing. I haven't been playing much online lately, and these hands (and the way I played them) seemed a little marginal to me. So I thought I'd post them to see if my actions were anywhere close to correct.

All hands are from your standard loose/passive .50/1.00 prima games. For the most part, I don't have any reads on any of the players involved in these hands.

Hand 1

I am on the button with K [img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img]Q [img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img]. UTG, EP, MP, and LP all limp, I raise, SB folds, BB calls, UTG, EP, and MP all call, LP re-raises (I have no reads on this player and only a few hands to work on from PT), all call. 6 players to the flop for 9BB

Flop: 7 [img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img]6 [img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img]5 [img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img]

All check to LP who bets, I......


Hand 2

I am in MP2 with 2 [img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img]2 [img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img]. All fold to me, and I open raise. CO calls 2, BB calls. 3 to the flop for 3BB

Flop: 9 [img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img]3 [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img]A [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img]

Check to me, I bet, CO folds, BB calls. 2 to the turn for 4BB

Turn: T [img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img](9 [img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img]3 [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img]A [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img])

Check to me, I..........


Hand 3:

I am on the button with A [img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img]T [img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img]. EP and LP limp, I limp, SB completes, BB checks. 5 to the flop for 2.5BB

Flop: Q [img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img]8 [img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img]3 [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img]

We all check around.

Turn: T [img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img](Q [img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img]8 [img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img]3 [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img])

SB bets, EP calls, and only I call. 3 to the river for 5.5BB

River:Q [img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img](T [img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img]Q [img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img]8 [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img]3 [img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img])

SB bets, EP calls, I.................


All comments welcome and appreciated.

Joe

Re: 3 Hands from Tonight: Just to make sure.......
 

Hand 1:

Fold. You got no part of this flop and 2 of your 6 pair outs are dirty because they are spades.

Hand 2:

Bet this. It's heads up and you probably still have the best hand although he could have a pair higher than yours from the flop and is playing passively.

Hand 3:

Raise here. He checked the flop through so a queen is unlikely- even more so when a second queen came on the river. I put him on a ten and you have the best kicker with your ten so I raise here. If he 3-bets I probably fold, but maybe an argument could be made for calling it down. I think this one is really read-dependent. If he is a loose aggressive player I think I definitely call it down. If he is passive and 3bets it's an easy fold.

Re: 3 Hands from Tonight: Just to make sure.......
 

Hand 1: Fold.

Hand 2: Don't openraise this preflop at a loose-passive .5/1 game. Limp in if you can expect at least 4 other people to see the flop with you, otherwise muck it.

Hand 3: If you are going to play his hand here, you should raise preflop. I personally lean towards folding this preflop most of the time. Given that you're there, raise the turn.

Re: 3 Hands from Tonight: Just to make sure.......
 

Hand 1, as big as the pot is, you are drawing to 4 top pair outs with buttloads of redraws against you, fold.

Hand 2, I would probably open-limp preflop. That said, I bet the turn. BB looks like he's on a heart draw or something.

Hand 3, I raise the turn and then call down.

Re: 3 Hands from Tonight: Just to make sure.......
 

These are the results to the 3 hands. I'll post them in white. I'm posting them early because threads have a tendency of disappearing in forums during the week, and this thread may be on page 5 in the morning. [img]/images/graemlins/blush.gif[/img]

Hand 1

<font color="white"> Of course I folded! I may be stupid, but I'm not crazy! On a serious note, I folded for 2 reasons: 1. The LP limp/3-bet smelled like aces (he actually had KK with the Ks), and 2. he came out betting this scarry board which led me to think not only a big pair, but a big pair with a spade as well. Since based on my read, I was drawing dead, I thought the fold was right. </font>

Hand 2

<font color="white"> I did bet this turn, although 6 months ago, I would not have raised the flop. When I'm first in after a bunch of folders, this is my play of choice with a variety of hands. But I usually slow down on the turn out of fear of being called down. For some reason, I didn't here. I bet the turn, and he folded. </font>

Hand 3

<font color="white"> I was kicking myself after I wussed out and called the river. I thought my big mistake was not raising the turn. But, in the end, I definitely had to put a raise in somewhere and I didn't. The SB showed J2o and the EP showed T7o. </font>

Thanks to everyone for the comments.


Joe

Re: 3 Hands from Tonight: Just to make sure.......
 

Damn, you beat me to it.

This bit however, I disagree with:
[ QUOTE ]
Hand 3: If you are going to play his hand here, you should raise preflop. I personally lean towards folding this preflop most of the time.

[/ QUOTE ]
I think a call is fine here. You could very easily have the best hand here, but not by much, especially because you are unsuited. You have too much equity to fold, but not enough of an edge to raise.

Re: 3 Hands from Tonight: Just to make sure.......
 

[ QUOTE ]
Hand 2: Don't openraise this preflop at a loose-passive .5/1 game. Limp in if you can expect at least 4 other people to see the flop with you, otherwise muck it.


[/ QUOTE ]

I didn't want to get 4 players in this hand, and I thought this was the best line to take in this hand because I was opening the pot. At best, if everyone calls after me, I'd get 5 players total. I thought the best play was to show some strength and raise, hopefully getting the field down to 2 or 3 total. I felt the preflop raise was the best option because

1. I could possibly thin the field and get it down to 1 or 2 players (and if its just the blinds, I have great position) and..
2. I felt that I actually had the best hand at this point, as odd as it may seem. [img]/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]


[ QUOTE ]
Hand 3: If you are going to play his hand here, you should raise preflop. I personally lean towards folding this preflop most of the time. Given that you're there, raise the turn.

[/ QUOTE ]

I'm not a fan of raising this hand preflop, and I too usually fold this hand. I only played it because I was on the button after limpers. I agree that the turn raise was in order here and I messed up!

Thanks for the comments.

Joe

Re: 3 Hands from Tonight: Just to make sure.......
 

[ QUOTE ]
I think a call is fine here. You could very easily have the best hand here, but not by much, especially because you are unsuited. You have too much equity to fold, but not enough of an edge to raise.

[/ QUOTE ]

I disagree. If you are going to play ATo you have to play it like a big Ace, because it doesn't really have any other value. Raising preflop sets you up to take this down on the flop a large percentage of the time whether or not you flop a hand. In addition, if you pair the Ten, it is much more vulnerable to overcards than a hand like AQ or AK making top pair queens or kings.

Joe, in response to your comment about 22 being the best hand preflop, it is true that you are (slightly) ahead of all other non-pairs before the flop. However, there's a relevant section of Lee Jones' book about "Implicit Collusion"...say you see this flop with 4 players who all have two random, medium or higher cards. Imagine they have, say, QTo, J8s, A9o, and KTo. If the flop contains an 8, 9, T, J, Q, K, or A, you are toast. Also, you suggest that raising may cause 5 people to see the flop, or maybe it will be heads-up. Much more likely is a scenario like 3 or 4 to the flop, which is exactly what you DON'T want with 22. Even if the table is weak-tight as a whole, I hate thie preflop raise.

Re: 3 Hands from Tonight: Just to make sure.......
 

[ QUOTE ]
Also, you suggest that raising may cause 5 people to see the flop, or maybe it will be heads-up. Much more likely is a scenario like 3 or 4 to the flop, which is exactly what you DON'T want with 22.

[/ QUOTE ]

I agree that I definitely don't want 3-4 callers, and I do understand implicit collusion from Lee Jones.

Lately I've been trying to become a little more aggressive in my preflop play. I thought this might be a good spot, although a thin spot, to try.

Thanks again for the comments.

Joe

Re: 3 Hands from Tonight: Just to make sure.......
 

hand 1 - easy fold

hand 2 - dont known what to say. [img]/images/graemlins/confused.gif[/img] [img]/images/graemlins/confused.gif[/img] [img]/images/graemlins/confused.gif[/img] Emm if this is anything like party .5/1 i hate it. You'll be called down to often, but on the other hand it may get your hands paid off. From what i can remember of it, they do anyway.

Hand 3 - i bet the flop. When you get to the river this way would probably just call.