Playing your monsters

[theredpill5]

Hi. Yesterday, I hit a few nut hands and was wondering if I getting full value out of them.

I have Q[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img] J[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img] in MP

Flop: T[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img] 9[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img] 2[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img] Rainbow

Turn: K[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img] (this puts two diamonds on the board)

I have the nuts at this point. Also, one opponent is already all-in since he only had $10 on him. The last opponent who is in LP still has $20 remaining.

Pot = $20

I have $40 remaining.

I chose to push my $40 all-in and opponent folded. I figured if he had two pair or was on a flush . I didn't want to give him even slightly good odds to see the river. The river was a heart so no flush was possible. I just wondered how someone else would play it. Take your chances that he doesn't have two diamonds. He lead the betting and I put him on a pair of tens or 9's so I figured if he does have a diamond, he only has one. If I bet $5 here, he probably would call. What would you do ? Take your chances and try to get maximum value or go for the sure win and push him out of the hand. Straight is a good hand but also vulnerable. I think Lee Jones stresses playing your straights fast. Thanks

[SoCalPat]

Bet the pot. That would give your opponent 2-1 to call, and there isn't a hand out there he could have that would give him proper odds to call.

BTW, Jones didn't write about no-limit. He also wrote about playing straights fast with a lot of opponents left in the hand. You can afford to be a little more lenient with your nut straight here, seeing as what Jones said has no application here whatsoever.

[warlockjd]

Pot it.

Generally fast play your monstsers. Fastplayed flopped quads, 2 boats and 2 top sets and got paid off on all today $100 NL 6 max.

Sloplaying generally stupid at SSNL. But your overbet is a bit much

[kongo_totte]

If this is full ring, fold pre-flop.

What level is this? If the pot is $20 there should have been som action on earlier streets, which would be interesting info. Please give the full hand history.

[theredpill5]

It was on one of those sites that doesn't give hand histories. Fold Q J o preflop ? There was no raise. Geez, awfully tight don't you think ? These were really bad players and with really bad players , I play more hands because they will pay you off big like they did with this hand.

Ok, Question # 2

QQ
.25/.50 NL Full ring. (full ring is all I play BTW)

I raised preflop to $2 in EP. Guy next to me who hadn't been playing a lot of hands and hadn't done anything stupid minimum raises me. I call and see the flop. Flop is rags , I check and he bets $6.50 which I believe was the pot size or he might have overbet the pot a little. I folded thinking he had AA. Am I folding this too much ? With QQ and JJ , I just have no idea when I'm beat. It's getting to be a small problem small stakes. The problem is that some of these players have no concept of a good hand and mediocre hand. For example, in another game someone raised to 4x blind and got reraised then another guy reraised the reraise. Guy who raised first showed JJ , guy who reraised showed A Q , and last guy showed KK. The first guy who reraised showed A Q , I mean WTF. I'm just thinking that the guy could have had a drawing hand like A K and been value betting on the flop. I folded just because I felt that in the long run , in this situation, I will lose more than I make by playing this to the river. More often than not I will be beat by a better hand when I have QQ . Now with KK , I think it is different. What do you think ?

It was .25/.50 NL with $50 max buy-in. I had $50 and he had $30. The fact that he bought in for a smaller amount made me question his skill but I sat there and he didn't really play many hands so I folded.

[Kaz The Original]

In mostly loose games I play QQ like I play AA or KK. Still, laying down hands without a read is probably one of the best things you can be doing.

Treat them like they play good until they prove you otherwise.