I'm new here(and to poker), I could use some advice on this hand

[AlphaN3rd]

Hi everyone, I'm new here and pretty new to poker.

I've played some online holdem before, but I was playing too high for my bankroll and went bust after about 800 hands. I've decided to give it another try, and this time to be smarter about it. So yesterday I started reading SSH, and deposited $90 into Interpoker. I'm playing at .25/.50 for now, and I've had some good luck so far. I do realize however, that my success is mostly attrivuted to luck, and that I really need to improve if I expect to play profitably. Here's a hand involving a very large pot that I think I could have played better, I'd greatly appreciate it if you'd analyze it for me. I also appologize for the poor formating which I had to do it by hand.




Inter Poker .25/.50, 10-handed

I don't have much of a read on anyone, but the table is loose and pretty passive. I did notice that PokHerBum is pretty lose and not very aggressive, but I had only observed a few hands.

Preflop: Hero is BB with A[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img] Q[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img]

Midnight posts small blind, Hero posts big blind, killerkc, calls, Gutten calls, PokHerBum calls, Branny raises, Midnight folds, hero calls, killerkc calls, Gutten calls, PokHerBum calls

Flop(5 players, 10.6 SB): T[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] Q[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img] A[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img]
hero checks, killerkc bets, Gutten calls, PokHerBum raises, Branny calls, hero calls, killerkc raises, Gutten calls, PokHerBum raises, Branny calls, hero calls, killerkc calls, Gutten calls

Turn5 players, 15.3BB) T[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] Q[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img] A[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] 4[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img]
hero bets, killerkc raises, Gutten calls, PokHerBum raises, Branny calls, hero calls, killerkc raises, Gutten calls, PokHerBum calls, Branny calls, hero calls

River(5 players, 41.3BB): T[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] Q[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img] A[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] 4[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img] 6[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img]
hero bets, killerkc folds, Gutten calls, PokHerBum raises, Branny folds, hero calls, Gutten calls



On the flop I have top two pair, only a set or KJ is ahead of me, so I decide that I probably have the best hand. I check, knowing that someone will bet, but since it got raised, I decided to only call.

On the turn, it's unlikely the 4d helped anyone. I think I have the best hand, but I do fear that set or straight so I bet/call.

It's the river. If any of them were on a flush draw, they missed it, but after all of this raising I strongly suspect PokHerBum may have that straight or a set. The pot is large and my hand isn't too bad so I call.



Should I have been more aggresive? Should I have folded at some point? I'd like to hear everyone's opinion, and I'll post the results later. Thanks [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]