Folded three winners last night in fair size pots

[skp]

Poker is a funny game. I just went through a streak where I won 21 out of 25 10-20 sessions over about 7 weeks. My 4 losses combined were only for $410. On most nights, I felt that I brought my "A" game to the table and was seeing things very clearly and reading hands and people very well.

Obviously, I also hit a few flops...

...But things have a funny way of evening out. 3 straight losing sessions (albeit fairly small) and several poorly played hands later, I am now starting to wonder whether I know what the hell I am doing.

Anyway, here are three hands that I mucked last night in a 10-20 kill game. All were winners. All are leading me to question my judgment but perhaps, I am being results-oriented...you decide.

Hand No. 1

55 in the sb. 3 limpers. Late position raise. I call. bb (an excellent player) 3 bets. All call

Flop: 442 rainbow

I check (?)

bb bets. Everyone calls.

turn: 4

I check. bb bets. Loose aggressive player in MP raises. All fold to me. I fold. bb just calls...my heart sinks at this point...

river: 9

bb checkcalls. Loose aggressive takes it down with J2 offsuit. Presumably, he limped in preflop because he had won the previous pot and had a leg up to get the kill button. Believe it or not, there are guys in my casino who play any two cards once they have a leg up on the kill. They think it's good to get the kill button.

Anyway, do you think I played it way too timid (i.e. on the flop), way too loose preflop, way too "pot odds blind" on the turn etc etc

Hand No. 2

Ak in the sb. 3 betted preflop with 5 or 6 way action. The excellent player UTG is in the hand with a raise and a loose goose somewhere down stream had 3 bet.

Flop: J95

There is a bet and a raise. I fold. bb calls.

Turn: K

bb bets and gets called by both players

River is a blank. He gets paid off in both spots and takes it down with KsQs.

Hand No. 3

TT UTG. I limp. A player two to my left raises. Bunch of coldcallers. Both blinds call. 7 or 8 way action.

Flop: QQ3

PFR bets. Button and both blinds call. I am now closing the betting and call (?)

Turn: 8h putting two hearts on the board

sb bets. bb calls. I fold. PFR calls.

River: low heart

Everyone checks.

sb wins with A3.

WTF?

[astroglide]

fwiw, i do believe i would have been at the end on all 3

[J_V]

Being there at the end in the AK hand is very bad poker.

[astroglide]

there are 20 small bets in the bot

[J_V]

And you have to pay a double bet for a hand that is likely to not have six outs and may not hold up if it hits. In fact when you hit the A or K i'd venture to say you'd only win around half of the time. Just something you might want to consider. Some other high limit players agreed with me, doesn't mean I'm right, just not way off.

[astroglide]

even if somebody guaranteeably has pocket kings, you have odds to call just to catch an ace. i don't think you're way off either, but i certainly don't think calling 'is bad poker'

[Ulysses]

Hand 1: Pre-flop, I get stuck just like you. On the flop, you're probably either ahead or behind. I like to bet, so that's probably what I'd do. But you didn't. So, now, it's back on you. If you think you're ahead, raise. If you think you're behind, fold. If you're not sure, but want to keep playing, raise.

So the turn doesn't change anything. If you think you're ahead, bet. If you think you're behind, fold to one bet - two is an easy fold.

Hand 2: Maybe I 4-bet pre-flop, maybe I don't. Depends a lot on what that will do to the field. Anyway, now you're in a big field with two overcards and you decide to check. I probably bet, but checking is fine. Of course, the reason you check is so you can get away from this missed flop as cheaply as possible. Two back to you. Easy fold.

Hand 3: I'd raise before the flop here. Clear out some crap Queens and Kings. I'd bet out on this flop and let some joker protect my hand. If you liked the hand enough to call on the flop, why didn't you like it enough to call on the turn?

[skp]

On the 55 hand:

"If you think you're behind, fold. If you're not sure, but want to keep playing, raise."

I think that this is sound advice. bb may well have 3 bet me with AK in order to clear the field but it's less likely that he would bet the turn with no pair given my flop checkraise and his consequential assumption that the pot has now become too big for me to fold my probable medium pocket pair. Also, if he clears the field, it helps me a lot if in fact he only has high cards. Basic stuff but you tend to forget it now and then.

[Ginogino]

skp:
All three situations you describe involve hands close enough to marginal that you or I would play them differently on different days. When you're playing your best, poker seems like a conversation. You know what each player is saying when he/she bets (though you know that what they are saying might be a lie), and you are getting worthwhile cards often enough that you are an active participant in the conversation.

And then there's the other situation. You're running bad, and your opponents' bets all seem to come from left field. You've no idea what they have or where your hand fits in, or what they're saying about what they have. Go take a nice long walk.

For what it's worth, note how in each of the three hands you played as passively as possible. That's my reaction as well, and we're both wrong to do it. If on a given day you can't understand your opponents' betting and, as a result, you wuss along (limp... limp... fold) you are playing badly and you should stop. Right away. It's a good reason to have a second game you can play (if you aren't living near a casino, and feel the obligation to play once you've driven hundreds of miles to get there).

Gino

[M.B.E.]

<font color="purple">For what it's worth, note how in each of the three hands you played as passively as possible. That's my reaction as well, and we're both wrong to do it. If on a given day you can't understand your opponents' betting and, as a result, you wuss along (limp... limp... fold) you are playing badly and you should stop. </font color>

I disagree. In certain situations passive play is best. That will often be the case when you're against a bunch of loose players in multiway pots, and you have a decent but not great hand.