Session Post 1 - My Preflop Play

In trying not to spam the board with new threads, I thought I'd collect all my comments about my preflop play here.

Since Greg's original post neglected to mention that I posted a blind in hand 63, I would be especially interested in hearing what people think of calling the additional bet with a weaker hand but good pot odds and position.



Hand 1: -------------------------------------

Preflop: Hero is BB with Q[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img], 8[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img].
<font color="#666666">4 folds</font>, <font color="#CC3333">MP2 raises</font>, <font color="#666666">1 fold</font>, CO calls, Button calls, SB calls, <font color="#666666">Hero folds</font>.

I was honestly surprised that there's any debate about this one. While we're getting good pot odds, we can't really talk about our "equity" in this hand because the vast majority of the time we're not going to see the river. We're really looking at our odds of flopping a big hand, which differs significantly from our pot equity.

Hand 14: -------------------------------------

Preflop: Hero is CO with 3[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img], A[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img].
<font color="#666666">4 folds</font>, MP2 calls, <font color="#666666">1 fold</font>, Hero calls ...

Whether I raise to isolate or not against a single limper with a small suited ace depends on how loose villain is preflop. Anytime someone has VPIP 50%+ I will raise this for value and to isolate. As we see from previous hands, this table has been on the tight side, and not being certain about having the best hand here, I chose the easy way out and limped.

Hand 42: -------------------------------------

Preflop: Hero is MP2 with J[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img], K[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img].
<font color="#666666">1 fold</font>, UTG+1 calls, <font color="#666666">1 fold</font>, <font color="#CC3333">Hero raises...</font>

Hand 51: -------------------------------------

Preflop: Hero is MP3 with T[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img], K[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img].
<font color="#666666">5 folds</font>, <font color="#CC3333">Hero raises...</font>

Once I am in MP2 or later, especially at a tight table like this, I am in raise or fold mode. Any hand worth coming in with, I will bring in for a raise. This includes some of the more marginal hands that I would normally fold to a raise, limp with limpers ahead, or sometimes even fold with limpers ahead.

Hand 61: -------------------------------------

Preflop: Hero is MP1 with 3[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img], A[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img].
<font color="#666666">6 folds, including Hero</font>

At a loose table (such as the typical Party .5/1) I will limp. Here the table has been tight and reasonably aggressive preflop, and so I mucked. I don't hate calling but suspect it is marginally unprofitable here.

Hand 63: -------------------------------------

Preflop: Hero is CO with 8[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img], 7[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img]. Hero posts a blind of $1.
<font color="#666666">1 fold</font>, UTG+1 calls, <font color="#666666">2 folds</font>, <font color="#CC3333">MP3 raises</font>, Hero (poster) calls, Button calls, SB calls, BB calls, UTG+1 calls.

This was not a misclick! For some reason, Greg's conversion neglected to notice that I had posted in the CO. (This was the first hand of the second table.)

With an unsuited connector, a limper, and a reasonable chance that a few others would cold-call behind me, I figured I could see a multi-way flop with good position for just 1 additional bet. Hence I called. I would also call in the BB with 4+ opponents. I figure that the chance that it will be re-raised behind me or that this table is also tight and everyone else folds is offset by the fact that I have better position than in the BB.