Is this play too aggressive?

[CrisBrown]

Hi w-raedy,

First, I agree with the posters who said you should've raised more pre-flop. AK is only about a 2:1 favorite over a lower suited connector; you're letting too many people have the right odds to chase you.

Second:

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(1) I was playing a $10+1 and therefore was willing to play a little looser than normal.

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Why would you play looser in what stands to be a looser, more wild-and-crazy game? Go ahead and play tight poker, and bet for value rather than bluffs or semi-bluffs. The weak players will pay off your made hands and made draws, and you're probably going to have to show down a best hand to win a pot.

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(2) I figured there was a good chance he was betting a flush draw.

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You hold two hearts. There are two hearts on board. That makes it much less likely that your opponent is also on a flush draw. What's more, if he is on a flush draw, he is holding two of your outs. That makes his hand weaker, unless you decide that his flush draw is as naked as yours is. If he has even bottom pair, you're in trouble, because he's holding almost 1/4 of your outs in his hand. If he has <font color="red">9</font> [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] <font color="red">8</font> [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img], you're in even worse shape. Now you're down to five outs -- <font color="red">6</font> [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] or <font color="red">J</font> [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] make him a straight flush -- and he has a non-flush straight draw to go with his straight flush draw.

So ... what this comes down to is a "read" that, despite your being able to see four of the nine hearts, he is on a naked heart flush draw, with no pair, and not 98. That's not a "read." That's a "wish."

Cris

[w_raedy99]

Cris,

Thank you very much for your post. Although it is rather direct, I think you are exactly right. I was more "wishing" for a certain thing than being realistic and that is obviously going to lead me down the wrong path.

I agree with everyone about raising pre-flop, I usually do play much more aggressive pre-flop. In the early rounds with small blinds I will not usually raise when there is only around 25-45 in the pot and that is all I will win if I raise, however in this case with that many people in the pot I definitely should've been stronger on the raise.

I also agree with your comment about playing my usual tight game at the lower levels but part of the reason I am playing at the lower level as well is because I am trying to work on my post-flop play and trying to gauge how to play against what I consider really bad players (I see a lot in the B&amp;M tourney I play at too). Perhaps this is a bad strategy and instead I should be refining my game playing against better players but this is my current reasoning.

Again I consider this to be one of my poor hands but wanted to critique as to just how poor [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

Will

[CrisBrown]

Hi Will,

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Thank you very much for your post. Although it is rather direct, I think you are exactly right. I was more "wishing" for a certain thing than being realistic and that is obviously going to lead me down the wrong path.

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I'm sorry for my directness, as that can easily be abrasive, and thank you for taking it in the spirit in which it was intended. And yes, playing wishes rather than reads will definitely get you in trouble. This goes back to an thread last week about betting where the only hand you can beat is a total bluff. One of the marks of weaker players is that they readjust their reads to what they can beat ... betting a wish. Don't let yourself fall into this habit. [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

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I also agree with your comment about playing my usual tight game at the lower levels but part of the reason I am playing at the lower level as well is because I am trying to work on my post-flop play and trying to gauge how to play against what I consider really bad players (I see a lot in the B&amp;M tourney I play at too). Perhaps this is a bad strategy and instead I should be refining my game playing against better players but this is my current reasoning.

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Post-flop play against bad players ... well, that depends on which version of "bad" they are.

The first kind is Meek Mike. He's squeaky-tight post-flop, i.e.: he see a lot of flops, but he'll bail if he doesn't hit. A lot of the time a semi-bluff or bluff bet is a good idea. If he missed, as he usually will have, he's going to fold to the person who "hit" (i.e.: the person who bet).

However, there's a corrolary: if Meek Mike calls on the flop, he's hit something, every time. Now you have to abandon the bluffs and semi-bluffs, and only give action on a hand that can stand action all the way to the river. If you have a hand that's not likely to improve much, and is only marginally likely to be the best hand, it is usually better to try to show it down as cheaply as you can. If it's good, fine. If it's not, you haven't poured a whole lot into an ill-timed bluff.

The other common kind of bad post-flop player is Charlie Chaser. He'll call any kind of draw, often even gutshots and backdoors. He's the enternal optimist: "Well, it could get better!" Against this kind of player, you bluff and semi-bluff less, if at all, because he's not going to fold any hand that "looks possible." The corrolary here is that you can bet your made hands -- even marginal ones -- for value. If an obvious draw hits, you can get away from it without paying off his implied odds. Otherwise, you can usually take the pot with any improved (two pair or better) hand.

The problem with trying to "practice against bad players" is that you really don't need to. The basic adjustments for bad players are fairly easy and reliable. Read what kind of bad player(s) you're facing -- in this particular pot -- and make your adjustments accordingly.

Cris

[ddubois]

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If he has <font color="red">9</font> [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] <font color="red">8</font> [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img], you're in even worse shape. Now you're down to five outs

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Huh? If opponent has 98s, hero is ahead 2:1 and doesn't need "outs" -- he just needs to avoid villan's outs.