Another 2p2 table hand

[deuces09]

Lost most of what I won 3 hands later when Mr. Flynn had a higher set than mine (owie!) but this was my most interesting hand of the night.

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Party Poker No-Limit Hold'em, $ BB (10 handed) converter

saw flop|<font color="C00000">saw showdown</font>

MP2 ($24.25)
MP3 ($46.88)
CO ($16.5)
Button ($45.45)
SB ($25)
BB ($98.44)
deuces09 ($34.1)
UTG+1 ($46.6)
UTG+2 ($127.05)
MP1 ($22.75)

Preflop: deuces09 is UTG with 8[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img], 8[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img]. SB posts a blind of $0.25.
<font color="CC3333">deuces09 raises to $2</font>, UTG+1 folds, UTG+2 calls $2, MP1 folds, MP2 folds, MP3 folds, CO folds, Button folds, SB (poster) folds, BB folds.

Flop: ($4.75) 3[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img], 7[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img], 7[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img] <font color="blue">(2 players)</font>
<font color="CC3333">deuces09 bets $4</font>, UTG+2 calls $4.

Turn: ($12.75) T[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] <font color="blue">(2 players)</font>
<font color="CC3333">deuces09 bets $5</font>, <font color="CC3333">UTG+2 raises to $10</font>, deuces09 calls $5.

River: ($32.75) K[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img] <font color="blue">(2 players)</font>
<font color="CC3333">deuces09 bets $10</font>, UTG+2 folds.

Final Pot: $42.75
<font color="green">Main Pot: $32.75, won by deuces09.</font>
<font color="green">Pot 2: $10, returned to deuces09.</font>

UTG+2 shows 99

Please evaluate, and I'll give my thought process later...

[Matt Flynn]

hi deuces,

in general you do not want to raise utg with 88. when the stacks are really deep or when you need to disguise your holdings a bit more, then fine.

flop fine. turn i would check. he had to have something. he'll probably bluff if he doesn't.

river betting small into a big pot with a bet that screams trips was a nice bet.

matt

[BobboFitos]

[ QUOTE ]
river betting small into a big pot with a bet that screams trips was a nice bet.

matt

[/ QUOTE ]

Matt - why does his bet on the river scream of trips? What hand with a 7 could you possibly put UTG raiser on? It's not quads.

If anything I'd put him on AK [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] trying to get some value on the river. Since there were many ways for the 99 to lose, and not really beating enough hands to warrant the call, I like that fold. I don't like his river bet though, because aside from 99, what better hands fold?

[BobboFitos]

Oops - maybe it would fold a ten, as well, but I can't really put preflop cold caller on a hand with a ten that would call the flop bet, either. Would he call a raise with AT? And then call the flop thinking Ace high was good? I dont know, aside from that river bet working in that EXACT situation, I dont think it's a winning play.

[deuces09]

Here was my thought process; Pre-flop I put opponent on a medium pocket pair or high cards, either way my opponent had position on me. The table was playing very tight, and I felt an UTG raise of 4x would take the blinds right there, but I got a caller. This was a mistake on my part.

After the flop, I was relatively sure I was either very behind or a slight favorite.

I chose not to check on fourth street because I knew my opponent had a hand, but I felt that making a small bet with respect to the pot could give me more information.

The min-raise on 4th street told me he was either slowplaying QQ/JJ/TT or protecting 99 or a PP below 7. I figured the latter, as my opponent usually was the enforcer with the chips, and had not made a tricky play in a while. I figured if my opponent had the goods at this point, he'd have jammed a much larger raise.

The river card gave me two scenarios: either I'm ahead of a small pocket pair, or I'm behind a medium pocket pair. I felt like he had JJ at this point.

I had the image of a player who was slowplaying the nuts, half-potting bets when I more or less was going to win the pot. So I bet $10 of my remaining $20, with the intent of saying "I'm betting less because I'm trying to illicit a call". Thankfully, it worked.

Not my best played hand, certainly one of the more interesting ones though.

[Matt Flynn]

Bobbo,

i was working at it as a higher stakes game would typically play. typical party 25 may play quite differently.

here $10 is a good amount. value bet, trips bet, blocking bet, bluff can all fit nicely into that size. however, the way the hand was played from an opponent's perspective he most likely had trips. but he didn't want to stand a big bet. so he threw a blocker/bluff that looked like trips. nice river play.

matt

[Zag]

I don't remember the hand -- perhaps it was after I left.

Anyway, I hate the raise UTG with 88. This is not so much a hand you want to steal the blind with, but one you want to see the flop cheaply, hit a set, and break someone. With your stack at 78 BBs, you can limp and stil call a single raise, but if you raise, you can't really call a reraise -- it will be too high a percentage of your stack. You want the preflop money to be well less than 10% of your stack.

Anyway, I don't hate your play from there. The call of the min raise on the turn is a little worrisome, but given your read, and your belief that you could push him off on the river (which was obviously warranted), I like it ok. It is certainly something you should do sometimes, though, I think, a smaller percentage than just folding to the turn raise.

How could UTG+2 have shown his hand if he folded? Or did he just tell you?

[bunky9590]

the way it shook down went well. Preflop I wouldn't pop it with 88 though.

The river bet was the perfect amount NOT to get raised, and about the miniumum that villain would fold. Looks like the villain semibluffed the turn though. If the villain is going to semi bluff the turn it needs to be bigger, you wouldn't have seen the river.

With calling the raise you have to lay out the blocking bet on the river or risk getting bluffed out.

ni han.

[BobboFitos]

[ QUOTE ]
Bobbo,

i was working at it as a higher stakes game would typically play. typical party 25 may play quite differently.

here $10 is a good amount. value bet, trips bet, blocking bet, bluff can all fit nicely into that size. however, the way the hand was played from an opponent's perspective he most likely had trips. but he didn't want to stand a big bet. so he threw a blocker/bluff that looked like trips. nice river play.

matt

[/ QUOTE ]


Matt... Espcially in a higher-stakes game, what hand could UTG +2 give UTG raiser credit for having trips?

Although the river bet does scream trips, it logically doesn't make sense - If I am UTG, I am not going to raise with A7s, 78s, 67s,... I most likely will fold all hands with a 7, unless I have specifically 77. Thus how can the river bet be trips? (Unless UTG +2 thought UTG played quite loosely, and WOULD play a 7 UTG)

[deuces09]

To answer your question Bobbo, I was playing loose preflop with suited connectors and other various suited cards to take stabs at stealing the blinds and the whatnot.

Someone mentioned earlier that the game was playing much like a $400 buy in NL game, and I have to agree. It was rare to see more than 2 players to a flop, assuming a flop was coming.

I took advantage of that by making most of my money preflop. I need work on my postflop game though, as the betting got big once the board cards came around, and I played a little too scared.