Haven't posted a hand in a while. Critique?

[reecelights]

Just moved to table 7 hands ago. No reads, except villian has limp/called short stacks 2 of the 7 hands (KQ & KT). I believe I was 11th in chips with about 140 of 785 left. Money starts at 81. Level 8, end of hour 2.

Pretty sure the flop bet is too small, but a) the blinds just went up two hands before, and b) was testing the waters on how big a bet it took to steal at this table

Trying to put more effort into working on my Multi game. Stars $5/0.50. Comments appreciated.

PokerStars No-Limit Hold'em Tourney, Big Blind is t400 (9 handed) FTR converter on zerodivide.cx

CO (t3065)
Button (t5067)
SB (t2595)
BB (t5665)
UTG (t5763)
UTG+1 (t5700)
MP1 (t5241)
Hero (t9933)
MP3 (t14945)

Preflop: Hero is MP2 with K[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img], Q[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img].
<font color="#666666">3 folds</font>, <font color="#CC3333">Hero raises to t900</font>, <font color="#666666">2 folds</font>, Button calls t900, <font color="#666666">2 folds</font>.

Flop: (t2000) J[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img], 6[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img], A[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] <font color="#0000FF">(2 players)</font>
<font color="#CC3333">Hero bets t2100</font>, <font color="#CC3333">Button raises to t4142</font>, Hero calls t2042.

Final Pot: t10284

[Firefly]

Raise more preflop..1200 or so should be fine. I think the flop play is fine, you can't really fold, so make him want to.

I agree with firefly...maybe raise at least 3x BB to steal...but i think the other play is ok.

[M.B.E.]

Preflop I agree with the others, KQ offsuit is not the hand with which to be making smaller-than-standard raises.

On the flop, you don't have to bet; I tend to think that checking is better (with the intention of checkraising).

Unless he has an ace, or KK/QQ/KJ/QJ, or a set or flopped flush, you are a pretty big favourite on the flop with overcards + gutshot + nut flush draw. Suppose your opponent has pocket nines, either with or without a heart. If you think he will fold when you bet, but bet when you check, then checking works better for you. On the other hand, if your opponent has an ace, of which there's a good chance since he called your preflop raise, he's the favourite but he won't fold if you bet and he probably will bet if you check, then there's a chance he would fold to your checkraise.

[schwza]

[ QUOTE ]
Preflop I agree with the others, KQ offsuit is not the hand with which to be making smaller-than-standard raises.

[/ QUOTE ]

i don't think it's a big deal. i always raise 2.5x.

[ QUOTE ]
Suppose your opponent has pocket nines, either with or without a heart. If you think he will fold when you bet, but bet when you check, then checking works better for you.

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that's a pretty big if. i would check behind 99 there with no heart and probably bet-call with a heart.

[ QUOTE ]
On the other hand, if your opponent has an ace, of which there's a good chance since he called your preflop raise, he's the favourite but he won't fold if you bet and he probably will bet if you check, then there's a chance he would fold to your checkraise.

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i would be surprised to see an A fold to a c/r.

i like an open-push, personally. it gets you out the ugly situation of having to play a blank turn, either with 4k effective stacks left or 2k.

[M.B.E.]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Suppose your opponent has pocket nines, either with or without a heart. If you think he will fold when you bet, but bet when you check, then checking works better for you.

[/ QUOTE ]
that's a pretty big if. i would check behind 99 there with no heart and probably bet-call with a heart.

[/ QUOTE ]
Okay, suppose Hero has K[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img]Q[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img] and Villain has 9[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img]9[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img]. Flop comes A[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img]J[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img]6[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] at which point Hero is a 61:39 favourite. Hero checks and Villain checks behind. Now turn is a black deuce which reverses the situation: Villain is now a 61:39 favourite if the cards are turned face-up at that point. However, Hero can still bet the turn and there's no way Villain will call. Thus Hero hasn't given up anything by checking the flop.

[ QUOTE ]
i like an open-push, personally. it gets you out the ugly situation of having to play a blank turn, either with 4k effective stacks left or 2k.

[/ QUOTE ]
I can see that an open-push might make sense for Hero if Villain is expected to fold some aces (e.g. A[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img]5[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img]). Put yourself in Villain's situation with A[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img]5[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img]; would you call or fold to an open-push on that flop? It's not an easy question for Villain and certainly some players in that situation would fold the A[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img]5[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img], but my feeling is that in an online tournament, on these stack sizes, the majority of players in Villain's seat with any ace would call Hero's open-push. I'm not sure; do you agree with that statement? I think if I'm correct that most opponents are going to call with any ace (but fold medium pocket pairs), then checking the flop is a better play for Hero than open-pushing.

Just kind of thinking out loud here, I'm open to persuasion that I'm wrong on this one.

[M.B.E.]

Okay you're right: open-pushing the flop is better than checking.

There's 2625 in the pot and Villain has only 4142 behind. Thus Hero would rather knock Villain out of the pot than get Villain's chips in the pot, unless Hero is a 62:38 favourite or better. But even if Villain has black 99, Hero is just a 61:39 favourite.

[reecelights]

Say I check, and he pushes. Do I call?

Absolutely. You've got the nut flush draw, nut straight draw, and there's always a chance he could be pushing a lower pocket pair just to try and push you off the hand in that case.

Given that you lead the flop, he probably has an ace, two pair, a baby flush, maybe even a set, but you have plenty of outs against almost everything.

[M.B.E.]

[ QUOTE ]
Say I check, and he pushes. Do I call?

[/ QUOTE ]
Yes, absolutely. You could well be a favourite with 14 outs, perhaps even 16. Otherwise you're likely just a small underdog: e.g. A[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img]5[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img] is just a 53:47 favourite over your hand and even if he has AJ for top two pair, he's only a 58:42 favourite. You're only really in trouble if he happened to flop a set or a flush, and even then you have outs.