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I'm new to playing with real money. I've been playing with play money for about a year and finally have some extra cash so I started a real money account. I've played about 600 hands so far and am ahead, but I know that's too few hands to make any real conclusions. I picked up GSHE and have read through the section on limit poker.

One situation where I'm never quite sure what to do is with pocket 8s. These two hands happened 1 hand apart. What's the best way to play these types of situations? Being new I'm not that good at reading other players yet, but the table was playing looser than most table's I've played.

PokerStars 0.05/0.10 Hold'em (9 handed)
http://216.119.70.224/converter/hhconverter.pl

Preflop: Hero is MP3 with 8[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img], 8[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img].
 3 folds , MP2 calls, Hero calls, CO calls, Button raises, SB calls, BB calls, MP2 calls, Hero calls, CO calls.

Flop: (12 SB) 6[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img], 2[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img], 3[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] (6 players)
SB checks, BB bets, MP2 raises, Hero calls, CO calls, Button calls, SB folds, BB calls.

Turn: (11 BB) 5[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img] (5 players)
BB checks, MP2 bets, Hero calls, CO calls, Button folds, BB calls.

River: (15 BB) K[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] (4 players)
BB checks, MP2 bets, Hero calls, CO calls $0.08 (All-In), BB folds.

Final Pot: 17.80 BB

PokerStars 0.05/0.10 Hold'em (6 handed)
http://216.119.70.224/converter/hhconverter.pl

Preflop: Hero is BB with 8[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img], 8[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img].
UTG calls, MP calls, CO calls, 1 fold, SB completes, Hero checks.

Flop: (5 SB) 4[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img], K[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img], 7[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img] (5 players)
SB checks, Hero checks, UTG checks, MP bets, CO folds, SB calls, Hero calls, UTG folds.

Turn: (4 BB) 7[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] (3 players)
SB checks, Hero bets, MP calls, SB folds.

River: (6 BB) 9[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img] (2 players)
Hero bets, MP calls.

Final Pot: 8 BB

Fold both flops.

On hand 1, you are probably behind when it is bet and raised in front of you with a preflop raiser yet to act. Even if you are ahead, you will probably not be ahead by the river. This is almost literally a textbook example of "reverse implied odds." (I seriously think the example hand in either TOP or SSHE involves an overpair of eights getting a bunch of action).

Similar story with hand 2. MP probably has a K. Even if he doesn't your hand will still usually not hold up. The pot is small, so it's not worth calling down. Just let it go.

Hand #1 you need to be more aggressive, PF and on the flop.
Hand #2 you played like a fish quite frankly - check/calling flop with an underpair w/ no draws and donkbetting a paired board - all you did was scare a K into calling you down. Either bet the flop yourself, or in this case find a fold with so many players in the hand. If you somehow have the best hand you're going to get outdrawn and you're rarely going to outdraw anybody with your hand.

Good luck & happy reading

I would personally 3-bet the flop in hand #1 and then see how the rest of the hand plays out. You've gotta believe at least one or both of them is trying to pump their flush draw and another may think their top pair is good. I have to believe you're ahead most of the time in this spot, but I've been wrong once or twice before.

In the first hand, I 3-bet the flop and lead the turn. The BB could easily be betting any pair there, and MP1 could be raising with overcards or a flush draw. Since the flush got there on the river, you should check-call the river.

You need to fold the flop on the second hand, you're almost certainly behind. On the turn, even if MP was betting a 7, you're now beat. On the river, even if MP was betting a flush draw, you're beat.

welcome to the world of real money. since you're just learning (basically), this is the best place to start. don't be discouraged about people's sometimes "rough" answers to your questions- it isn't personal and they're genuinely trying to push you to be better.

when your done GSHE, make sure you get SSH. eat with it, sleep with it, dream of it [img]/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]

the advice on your posted hands is already good, so i'm not commenting on that. i just wanted to encourage you as you begin your new profitable life of a developing 2+2er. [img]/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]

1st hand I would have raised pf, then the hand may play different. If not, and I am bet and raised into, I would fold the flop.

2nd hand I would have led the flop. MP could be betting diamonds, or even middle or low pair. The way you played it, I don't like the turn donk bet. But with him calling it, I think he probably has a K. I would check/fold the river.

[ QUOTE ]
In the first hand, I 3-bet the flop and lead the turn. The BB could easily be betting any pair there, and MP1 could be raising with overcards or a flush draw. Since the flush got there on the river, you should check-call the river.

You need to fold the flop on the second hand, you're almost certainly behind. On the turn, even if MP was betting a 7, you're now beat. On the river, even if MP was betting a flush draw, you're beat.

[/ QUOTE ]

I agree with your play here. Also, as you get more comfortable with your limit play, you can consider raising hand 1 preflop.

Thanks for the advice everyone. I can definitly see where I made mistakes and will try not to make the same mistakes again. I figured my play on the second had was pretty poor. In case anyone's intersted I'll post in white what the results were.

 First hand MP2 had 54 offsuit. That's bad play preflop by him and he got lucky, right?
Second hand MP had KJ spades.