Pocket Ks vs A-high board

Wingnut · #1 05-17-2004, 04:17 PM

One of my big leaks is holding on to pocket pairs until the end, even with overcards on the board. Is this a good way to plug the leak, or do I still have more work to do?

I just sat down at the table this orbit, but it seems on the tight-ish side and mostly passive.

Party Poker 0.50/1 Hold'em (8 handed) converter

Preflop: Hero is UTG+1 with K[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img], K[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img].
UTG folds, Hero raises, MP1 calls, MP2 folds, CO calls, Button folds, SB folds, BB folds.

Flop: (7.50 SB) 9[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img], A[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img], J[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img] (3 players) 
Hero bets, MP1 calls, CO raises, Hero 3-bets, MP1 calls, CO caps, Hero calls, MP1 calls.

I 3-bet to defend against the semi-bluff/free card play. My plan all along when I 3-bet was to A) call a cap and check/fold the turn unimproved or B) if not capped lead the turn and fold to a raise (if a brick hit). Is that a good course of action, or still too loose/fishy?

Turn: (9.75 BB) 6[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img] (3 players) 
Hero checks, MP1 checks, CO bets, Hero folds, MP1 calls $1 (All-In).

River: (11.75 BB) T[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img] (2 players, 1 all-in) 

Final Pot: 11.75 BB
Main Pot: 11.75 BB, between MP1 and CO. > Pot won by MP1 (11.75 BB).

Results in white below: 
MP1 shows 8h 7c (straight, jack high).
CO shows As 9c (two pair, aces and nines).
Outcome: MP1 wins 11.75 BB. 

Thanks,
-David

DoctorDrew · #2 05-17-2004, 04:25 PM

I don't have a problem with this play. I think we could have some dissention about the flop 3bet, but most of that would be from knowing that CO would cap. I think he has you beat here and since it is only 1 more bet to see the turn, I would call. And contrary to some of the interesting conversation around here, no matter how big the pot is, folding UI on the turn is a good play.

Raiser · #3 05-17-2004, 04:30 PM

Hmm, I probably wouldn't have 3-bet the flop here. You asked him if he has a good hand (by leading out) and he responded by raising. I'd call see what the turn brings.

fluff · #4 05-17-2004, 04:49 PM

I probably would've played it just about the same.

Wingnut · #5 05-17-2004, 05:12 PM

[ QUOTE ]
You asked him if he has a good hand (by leading out) and he responded by raising.

[/ QUOTE ]

That's not quite how I saw it. He cold-called PF, but lots of people at Party do that, especially with two suited cards, so I had no reason to put him on specifically Ax. I bet out because I felt I was best, and his raise told me possibly otherwise. The cap convinced me that I was not best.

I felt that if I just called the raise and checked unimproved, I could just as easily have been giving a flush draw a free shot at the river, a mistake I try to never let myself make. By giving CO the opportunity to cap, I think I get a lot more information than calling the raise.

If it were a known, sophisticated opponent that could give me the stop-and-go treatment (call the 3-bet, raise the turn), then I'd probably be more apt to stop-and-go myself (call the raise, bet out the turn). I haven't seen a lot of stop-and-go sophistication on Party, but I have seen a lot of raising with draws (but never capping unless the field was HUGE).

A post from a long time ago stuck in my mind (well, the content but not the specifics) the gist of which was basically "How do I defend against a possible semi-bluff". There was no definitive answer given in that thread (most said "that's why it's so powerful - the only way to be 'sure' is to take big risks on either side, by either re-raising or giving a free card"). At the time this really felt like one of those situations.