Help me Make a Read (Live 5/10 Hand)
 

500 max buyin. Great game. Loose, mildly aggressive but with four or five guys who love to call a lot. So I'm playing pretty tight, have won some pots with good hands and am getting respect.

Villain is an older gentleman who must be a regular and who knows what he's doing. He knows the dealers and plays well postflop, at least for this game. He hasn't been involved in a big pot in the hour he's been there. He starts the hand w/ ~ 450. I have ~1400.

Limpfest to me in the BB. I check with 9 [img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img] 9[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img]. Six way flop, $60 in the pot.

Flop 522 rainbow. I bet $50. There's no way I bet this into six people without at least a 5 because I'll get called. Villain knows this.

Donkey to my left calls, Villain makes it $200. Donkey insta-prepares-to-fold. Folded to me.

I'm pretty sure the old guy isn't overplaying a 5. He either thinks he has me beat or he's making a play. He was the third or fourth limper but a big pair isn't entirely out of the question b/c he seems like that tricky kind of old guy. My first thought is JJ-66, A2. He looks real comfortable.

Re: Help me Make a Read (Live 5/10 Hand)
 

ask him if he has it. go all in. either now or on any turn. it will balance itself.

Re: Help me Make a Read (Live 5/10 Hand)
 

looks like A2 is good here.

next time consider....
-raising preflop
-checking flop

Re: Help me Make a Read (Live 5/10 Hand)
 

you led 2nd out of six in an unraised pot on a 522 board.

im not psyched about this. and have to agree with flawless on this.

Re: Help me Make a Read (Live 5/10 Hand)
 

[ QUOTE ]
looks like A2 is good here.

next time consider....
-raising preflop
-checking flop

[/ QUOTE ]

Questions, not rebuttals:

1. Do I still want to raise preflop if I know

- most of the time I raise I get called in two or three places (That this one ended up headsup was rare)

- if I flop K93 there's a decent chance I'm getting called down by K7, who (probably!) doesn't call the raise.

I would raise 99 much more often if I expected a raise would get me heads up or if I was in position. Is this wrong?

2. Check the flop, then what? How does checking get me more information than betting?

Edit: Even while understanding it's a likely holding I can't for the life of me figure out why someone would raise A2 on this board. At most people have two turn outs or he's stone dead to 55and there are plenty of ways for someone to make a second best hand. Donkey with his KJ for example. Of course I suppose the fact that it doesn't make sense to raise A2 is a reason to raise A2, and he wants to get all his chips in. Still. If he just calls there is probably another caller behind him and someone makes top pair on the turn pretty often. Don't think this was a game where representing a weaker hand with a strong bet when you actually have a stronger hand is really necessary or profitable. Just thinking out loud. JJ and TT raising, that I understand.

Re: Help me Make a Read (Live 5/10 Hand)
 

[ QUOTE ]
ask him if he has it. go all in. either now or on any turn. it will balance itself.

[/ QUOTE ]

Seriously?

Re: Help me Make a Read (Live 5/10 Hand)
 

Yeah - asking if he has it is key.

Also, after the hand, when you lose, say "I put you on Ace King".

Re: Help me Make a Read (Live 5/10 Hand)
 

[ QUOTE ]
Yeah - asking if he has it is key.

Also, after the hand, when you lose, say "I put you on Ace King".

[/ QUOTE ]

Funny. (really)

Am I getting one-liners from good players because this is an easy hand? It was the toughest decision I had to make all night. Every time I play i hope I'll get in at least one tough spot that I can learn from. I thought this was it.

Re: Help me Make a Read (Live 5/10 Hand)
 

Ignoring the lead out on the flop...

Where is the villain in this hand? Would he really limp in late pos. with TT or above?

Also, with a raindow board, I don't think he would raise that big with a 2. I think he puts you on a 5 or 3-4 or something like that. I'd expect to see 6-6 through 8-8 here...it doesn't seem like he wants a call.

Does the "donkey" really look like he's going to fold? I've seen this fake-fold only to call in similar situations then see that player raise all-in or something annoying like that..

Re: Help me Make a Read (Live 5/10 Hand)
 

Sorry, I was mocking Chuddo's ridiculous post, which appears to be serious, although he'll probably say it was a joke later.

For this hand, not raising PF is OK too - so is raising, just a table dynamics type of decision. And I have no problem with your bet on the flop - especially w a bunch of limpers, you'll get calls from 44,66,77,88 some overcards and make money - so occassionally you run into a bigger hand, but this is almost always a pretty good flop for 99. As the hand played out, I fold. Does he raise there w 77? I would doubt it. If he's making a move, oh well.