I didn't have time to read all of your examples (cause I'm at work and supposed to be, you know, working...), but I have a few comments for you. I'm not the greatest limit player, so take this advice with a grain of salt.
[ QUOTE ]
I've won when taking shots at 2/4, enough to consider abandoning 1/2 and moving up. I hesitate to do this, however, since "If you can't beat 1/2 you can't beat 2/4."
[/ QUOTE ]
If you can afford to play 2/4, have success at it, and will drop down if you lose to much, don't postpone moving up because "you can't beat 1/2". There's not a huge difference between the 2 limits, but there is a difference, and it's possible your game is better suited for 2/4. I skipped 1/2 (cause I had the bankroll) and never missed it.
[ QUOTE ]
Hand 1. SB is 67/13, Button is 45/12.
PokerStars 1/2 Hold'em (8 handed)
FTR converter on zerodivide.cx
Preflop: Hero is UTG with K[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img], A[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img].
<font color="#CC3333">Hero raises</font>, <font color="#666666">
4 folds</font>, Button calls, SB calls, <font color="#666666">
1 fold</font>.
Flop: (7 SB) K[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img], 2[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img], 5[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img] <font color="#0000FF">(3 players)</font>
SB checks, <font color="#CC3333">Hero bets</font>, Button calls, SB calls.
Turn: (5 BB) 5[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] <font color="#0000FF">(3 players)</font>
<font color="#CC3333">SB bets</font>, <font color="#CC3333">Hero raises</font>, Button calls, SB calls.
River: (11 BB) A[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img] <font color="#0000FF">(3 players)</font>
SB checks, <font color="#CC3333">Hero bets</font>, <font color="#CC3333">Button raises</font>, SB calls, Hero calls.
Final Pot: 17 BB
Flop: Great for me, but I would have continuation bet anyway.
Turn: Did the SB hit his flush or trips? I raise to find out.
[/ QUOTE ]
Are you going to fold to a 3 bet? If not, just call. If button doesn't raise, you have a reasonable chance to get to showdown for 1 more bet (the same one you spent raising here). If button raises and small blind calls, TPTK is probably no good.
[ QUOTE ]
River: Maybe it was the button who is slowplaying, or did he just hit his weak ace? If I posted this in Micro Limits I'm sure the advice would be to "reraise the donk!" but maybe the constant hammering has turned me into Lee Jones, so I just call to see his flush as cheaply as possible.
[/ QUOTE ]
The river is tough. Re-raising would be a definite mistake. Overcalling is a mistake against decent opponents. Against these players, you probably need to call the raise.
[ QUOTE ]
Hand 2. Villain is 42/0.
PokerStars 1/2 Hold'em (10 handed)
FTR converter on zerodivide.cx
Preflop: Hero is CO with A[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img], 2[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img].
UTG calls, <font color="#666666">
3 folds</font>, MP2 calls, <font color="#666666">
1 fold</font>, Hero calls, Button calls, SB completes, BB checks.
Flop: (6 SB) Q[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img], K[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img], A[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img] <font color="#0000FF">(6 players)</font>
SB checks, BB checks, UTG checks, MP2 checks, <font color="#CC3333">Hero bets</font>, Button calls, SB folds, BB calls, UTG calls, MP2 folds.
Turn: (5 BB) 2[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img] <font color="#0000FF">(4 players)</font>
BB checks, UTG checks, <font color="#CC3333">Hero bets</font>, Button calls, BB folds, <font color="#CC3333">UTG raises</font>, <font color="#CC3333">Hero 3-bets</font>, Button folds, <font color="#CC3333">UTG caps</font>, Hero calls.
River: (14 BB) 4[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img] <font color="#0000FF">(2 players)</font>
<font color="#CC3333">UTG bets</font>, <font color="#CC3333">Hero raises</font>, UTG calls.
Final Pot: 16.75 BB
Maybe I should have raised preflop to get my PFR up
[/ QUOTE ]
I cringed when I read this. Never do anything to adjust your stats. You do not work on your stats. You work on your game. The stats take care of themselves. Raising weak suited aces here is usually a bad idea.
[ QUOTE ]
If I flop an ace I'm not going to win a kicker war, so I call.
[/ QUOTE ]
Yes, you are playing for 2 pair or better.
[ QUOTE ]
Flop: My first instinct is to open-fold since I know I'm beat by any ace, but that's not the 2+2 way. So I evaluate the hand. I have a backdoor nut flush draw, a backdoor nut straight draw. I already have top pair, but no kicker. If the board pairs, however, then nobody's kicker matters. So I bet to see what shakes out. UTG raises. When donks flop a flush, straight, or trips, they always wait for the turn to raise. Always. But that's MUBS, right? Maybe he was just has an ace, I paired my kicker and he didn't, so I 3-bet.
Turn: All my backdoor draws are gone, but I now have two pair. I'll beat any two pair unless someone has aces and something other than deuces. So I bet again.
River: Has to be a blank. Surely nobody was drawing to a gutshot wheel on this board. UTG bets. Do I call to see the showdown as cheaply as possible, or do I take the 2+2 way and raise? I raise. He calls. Maybe I was right about his ace. He'd 3-bet the straight, right?
[/ QUOTE ]
I think betting the flop is OK, the raise on the turn isn't bad, but I wouldn't raise the river after UTG capped the turn (if he is 42/0 I assume he's not the most aggressive player in the world postflop).
One last thing (before I get back to work), try not to let thoughts like "what will the posters on the message board think" interfere with your decisions at the table. Make the decisions that seem best to you at the time. Post the hands later, and if someone disagrees with your play, try to understand why so that next time you have a similar decision your own thinking about the situation will be different (rather than just thinking "someone said I should raise in this situation so I'll raise in this situation").
Good luck.