$60-$120 Hand

[Jim Brier]

I wimped out and just called. I was thinking that with a top pair of kings or a pair of aces, the preflop raiser would have 3-bet on the flop, so it looked to me like he was slowing a set of kings or nines. The under-the-gun player called. The river was a blank and it got checked around. I won as the preflop raiser had pocket aces and the under-the-gun player hand Kh-Jh.

[2005]

I'm wondering if it's possible that the UTG player has a set of 6's. I'm not sure if he's the type to limp with little pairs up front, but why isn't this a possibility. He raises the flop when Jim comes out betting and calls a 3-bet perhaps fearing a set of 9's. We don't know the UTG's action on the flop after the stranger raises, so is it possible that UTG is just hanging around, taking his hand to the river and hoping it's good?? Just another opinion I guess. I wouldn't put too much stock in it b/c my hand reading skills need some definite development.

Gavin

[PokerBabe(aka)]

Hi Jim- I too would have checked the turn. Obviously, no one is laying down a hand at that point and you must be concerned that MP player has a set. The real mystery to me is UTG's play after you 3 bet the flop. He continues with the hand with a J kicker and a backdoor flush draw? Yikes. You describe him as a solid player, but to me, his play is horrendous. Babe

[mikelow]

So there were even fewer cards to beat you--eleven. I know it sounds you are being hard on yourself, but poker is tough. Missing two to four big bets on this hand is tough to swallow.

One of the problems (especially in the bigger limits) is that you can get "frightened" by the action and overestimate what people have. I suffer from this malady as well. BTW, how are your top section $$ results?

[PokerBabe(aka)]

He seems to have made a pretty good point about not calling the pre-flop raise.

Babe:

I share your view with regard to the play.

It is puzzling how the "solid players" can get out of the line in the way they play certain hands.

Regards,

Centurion

[Jim Brier]

Hi Rick!

In one of David Sklansky's books, he has you in the big blind with Ks-9s and has you calling an under-the-gun preflop raise from a "tough" player. It was a heads-up situation. I figure the call cannot be too far wrong.

[Jim Brier]

(n/t)

[Jim Brier]

One mitigating factor. Had I 3-bet the turn, then the under-the-gun player might have folded, so maybe my call only costs me one bet at the river.

Most of my win for the year has come from the $60-$120 and $80-$160 games. But these games are dying out, probably because of the stock market as well as a host of other factors.