Moving up to 1/2

[rjc199]

I'm moving up to 1/2 (again) because I'm sleepwalking at 50cent. In 1/2 I've noticed the following situation more often and I don't know how to handle it.

I raise AK in LP after 1 limper and 2 or 3 see the flop including a blind. The flop is rags and the blind bets out. This just seems fishy to me. How can you show strength into a preflop raiser on a rag flop? The problem is I don't feel comfortable to raise with just overcards.

The same thing happens when it is heads up vs. a blind.

How do I handle this situation?

I've been faced with it twice in one session. In the first example I folded because there was another caller and I didn't have any backdoor draws. The 2nd time it happened I was heads up against a guy. He bet and I raised. He called the raise and checked to me on the rag turn. I bet and he folded.

Are these situations common? In tournament play towards the end these kind of plays happen all the time and I have a good idea of how to play them. My question is do I play the same way in these blind battles?

[DeathDonkey]

I see this alot at Party 1/2. It usually means they caught a piece of the flop (any piece) or they have a medium pocket pair. You are almost always behind here.

In the first hand, I would have called (since the raise would be silly with no draw and just overcards and they aren't folding). I would then fold the turn unimproved.

You played the second hand well. Post some specifics (where have I heard that before) and we shall see, but it sounds like you are playing them ok, you just don't hit every flop and these guys are slightly less inclined to "check to the raiser" than the 0.50/1 players IMO.

-DeathDonkey

[rjc199]

Ok, here are the hands. They are different from what I remembered and I think I did play them pretty well.

Hand 1:

Party Poker 1/2 Hold'em (8 handed) converter

Preflop: Hero is CO with A[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img], K[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img].
UTG calls, UTG+1 folds, MP1 folds, MP2 folds, <font color="CC3333">Hero raises</font>, Button folds, SB folds, BB folds, UTG calls.

Flop: (5.50 SB) 8[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img], 2[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img], J[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] <font color="blue">(2 players)</font>
<font color="CC3333">UTG bets</font>, Hero calls.

Turn: (3.75 BB) 9[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] <font color="blue">(2 players)</font>
<font color="CC3333">UTG bets</font>, Hero folds.

Final Pot: 4.75 BB
<font color="green">Main Pot: 3.75 BB, won by UTG.</font>
<font color="green">Pot 2: 1 BB, returned to UTG.</font>


Hand 2:

Party Poker 1/2 Hold'em (10 handed) converter

Preflop: Hero is CO with K[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img], A[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img].
UTG folds, UTG+1 folds, UTG+2 folds, MP1 folds, MP2 folds, MP3 folds, <font color="CC3333">Hero raises</font>, Button folds, SB calls, BB folds.

Flop: (5 SB) 6[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img], 7[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img], Q[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img] <font color="blue">(2 players)</font>
<font color="CC3333">SB bets</font>, <font color="CC3333">Hero raises</font>, SB folds.

Final Pot: 4 BB
<font color="green">Main Pot: 3.50 BB, won by Hero.</font>
<font color="green">Pot 2: 0.50 BB, returned to Hero.</font>

Hand 3:

Party Poker 0.50/1 Hold'em (9 handed) converter

Preflop: Hero is MP2 with K[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img], A[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img]. MP3 posts a blind of $0.50.
UTG folds, UTG+1 folds, MP1 folds, <font color="CC3333">Hero raises</font>, MP3 (poster) calls, CO folds, Button folds, SB folds, BB folds.

Flop: (5.50 SB) 3[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img], J[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img], J[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img] <font color="blue">(2 players)</font>
<font color="CC3333">Hero bets</font>, MP3 calls.

Turn: (3.75 BB) 5[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img] <font color="blue">(2 players)</font>
<font color="CC3333">Hero bets</font>, <font color="CC3333">MP3 raises</font>, Hero folds.

Final Pot: 6.75 BB
<font color="green">Main Pot: 5.75 BB, won by MP3.</font>
<font color="green">Pot 2: 1 BB, returned to MP3.</font>

[DeathDonkey]

This is different than the situation you first gave...raise the flop in Hand 1, you do it in Hand 2 and the situations are pretty similar. Otherwise I like them all.

-DeathDonkey

[kenewbie]

When you have position its better to take advantage of it and raise. It has numerous advantages such as:
- It makes it hard for your opponent to put you on a pair or overcards since you play them the same way.
- You can check behind and get to see all cards for two small bets.
- You get people who "where testing the waters" to occationally fold right there on the flop.

k

[manwhoonlyeats]

Try these:

Posts on playing overcards