AQ flops middle pair.

[fairness]

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Change that Qh to 6c and your one card away from a calling station, of course they'll fold the river though

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crockett you could be a little easier on the guy, we're trying to help him not discourage him. middle pair is a tough hand to play, give him a break

[jar]

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Change that Qh to 6c and your one card away from a calling station, of course they'll fold the river though

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crockett you could be a little easier on the guy, we're trying to help him not discourage him. middle pair is a tough hand to play, give him a break

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No, that's just what I needed. I've flopped back and forth between calling down too much and too little. This is the one area where I still have trouble with results oriented thinking. Months ago, soon after I started playing online, I folded trip queens when two players woke up and bet/raised in front of me when the 3rd flush card hit on the river. I would have won a 26BB pot. That one still haunts me a little.

After reading Ed Millers post about not folding top pair for one bet, I started calling down more, and was amazed at the pots I would win. I've let my call down standards slip a little to far. I thought that was true, but I won this particular hand. That's why I posted it, I thought in retrospect that the call-down was marginal, but I did win the pot. I find knowing when to call down and when not to much easier in live games than I do online.

[droolie]

You're an optimist. You can't regularly assume you're ahead on the flop when you have middle pair and there's already been a bet and a raise before you.

My read would have me behind on every street on this hand.

I fold this pre-flop unless I'm dealing with a maniac in which case I three bet.

I fold this flop. If you think you're ahead and decide to stay in you have to raise. Calling gives you no information and no chance of a free card on the turn. Raising will tell you if there's a good chance you're behind a K. It also may get all the others to fold getting you heads up with UTG+1 which increases your winning chances. You have a draw rich board that is highly likely to have hit everybody in some way. Make them pay three bets or get out.

Turn: again raise or fold. If you thought you were ahead on the flop why not raise here when a blank hits? I can possibly see waiting for the turn to raise but you go from thinking you're ahead to calling down? It doesn't make any sense. You're asking for someone to draw out on you without making them pay.

You line is frighteningly "calling station"-ish. Many of us depend on players calling down with middle pair for our rent money. don't be that guy! Next time you're on the flop and tempted to call down when you think you're ahead hit "raise" instead. It will tell you if you're likely ahead (or behind) and will possibly save you some BB's on the turn and river by buying free cards or causing others to fold when they would have sucked out on you.