[soah]

2/4 6-max

Very aggressive solid player open-raises to $15 on the button. He could have any sort of playable hand here (76s etc) and will play well postflop. I have KK in the SB. I reraise to $45. I don't think I've reraised from the blinds previously in this session, although I think I've reraised preflop with position a couple times. BB folds. Button reraises to $90. This guy doesn't use the "Call" button too much. He's sort of a "raise or fold" type of guy. I call. Flop is Txx. I check, he bets $100, I go all-in for $321.

If he has QQ, JJ, or AK then I win about $200 on this hand. If he has AA or TT, I lose $400.

Different table...

Donk minraises to $8. I just call with KK because me and the donk have this thing going where he will minraise preflop, I'll call with something, and postflop he will simply grant me access to his bank account and make direct transfers to me... so why scare him off preflop when he is willing to check-call the flop with nine-high and no draw on a flop of overcards? SB with $200 reraises to $30 or so. Donk reraises to $65. Donk typically isn't very aggressive so this worries me. However, just a few hands ago donk slowplayed AA preflop (just calling a minraise) and doubled up a shortstack. I'm not quite sure how the rest of that hand went down. So donk might be tilting a bit, or maybe just doesn't want to slowplay and get stacked again. I don't know.

If I just call the $65 I give two people the chance to outflop me, if I reraise it's hard to get action unless I'm behind, so I either win $100 or lose $400.

Maybe I should have called this thread "reverse implied odds" or something. Because the point I'm illustrating is that it's not just a matter of whether you have the best hand, you have to consider how much you win when it is good compared to how much you lose when it's not good.

It just feels like there must be some major leaks in my game if I am, (to misquote David Sklansky) turning my KK into 72o.

It feels sick to shove your stack in the pot when you're drawing very thin each time you're called... normally this is avoided by not playing marginal hands (AJ etc) but KK isn't a hand I intend to give up easily, nor should it be played for set value. In the past I once posted a hand very similar to the first one here against a similar opponent... I just called on the flop, turn got checked through, and his AK sucked out on the river. So failing to protect my hand on the flop gives my opponent two chances to suckout in a monster pot. And if I call the flop, then on the turn he may still bet QQ... but not AK, maybe not JJ, maybe not QQ... so I'll be getting 5:2 to call a push and I may sometimes have the best hand... it's just sick.

I think the moral of this thread is that I'm going to start putting a lot more pressure on TAGs with position, because these situations suck. =/

PS. This also applies to situations like I raise preflop with a big pair or AK or something, I flop my TPTK/overpair and there are some draws on the board, and I get one caller. When the turn bricks, I either risk giving a free card to a draw, or I make a bet that will only get called by hands that crush me. Is it too late for me to convert to limit hold'em?

End rant.