Too agressive? Too loose?

[incognito]

Online $1/$2. I'm in the big blind and pick up A [img]/forums/images/icons/heart.gif[/img] 8 [img]/forums/images/icons/heart.gif[/img]. A middle position player has posted.

Folded to the poster who checks, the three players behind him limp and the small blind completes. Looking at four sure callers, I raise. Too much with A8s? The first three call, but the small blind folds. Oops.

The flop comes 9 [img]/forums/images/icons/heart.gif[/img] T [img]/forums/images/icons/club.gif[/img] J [img]/forums/images/icons/club.gif[/img]. Not really the flop I was looking for, but I have an open-ended draw to a one card straight. I bet out because if any of my opponents are paying attention, they think I have a big pair or big suited connectors here and they just might fold. Thoughts on the bet?

Anyway, the poster calls, second guy (cutoff) raises, third guy (button) calls two cold. I call, the poster calls. I'm thinking the cutoff has top pair; he's savvy enough to encourage callers if he had a flush draw. I assume the button has a flush draw. The poster could have anything.

The turn comes 7 [img]/forums/images/icons/diamond.gif[/img]. The only card I would rather have seen is the 7 [img]/forums/images/icons/heart.gif[/img], so I'm pretty happy. I could probably count on the cutoff to bet, but I'm hoping he'll raise again, so I bet out. Only the cutoff calls. I guess the button didn't have the flush draw.

The river comes 5 [img]/forums/images/icons/diamond.gif[/img]. I bet, the cutoff calls. My hand is good, but he shows QJo.

Comments? I was actually pretty happy with the way I played this hand, but that could just be because I won. What do you think?

[leon]

I don't really like the way the hand was played.

Preflop I'm happy I see the flop for free. You're out of position with an ok-at-best drawing hand. Save the money for when you have the same hand with the same number of limpers, with you on the button.

I'd be scared as HELL about this flop. You almost certainly don't have the best hand, you could be drawing dead, AND there are a ton of redraws out there which can murder you even if you get there. I certainly don't want to bet out in this situation. Every limper and their mothers liked this flop. On top of that, you have a draw to the idiot end of the straight which can easily be no good if, say, someone has JK.

I'd check the flop. And I'd probably fold for one bet if I had to act soon after any action. Certainly fold to more than one bet. The reasoning that since you raised preflop, they will put you on big suited or big pairs and fold is wrong b/c-

a) most of your opponents won't think this way, esp a low limit online game
b) your raise preflop is giving them odds to chase all sorts of hands
c) every limper and their mother liked this flop

Given you made it to (and on) the turn, I like the bet but not b/c you want the cutoff to raise. You bet b/c the straight is obvious and you're unlikely to get a check raise in. A lot of people will check this through. In addition, you bet b/c there are still all those draws I mentioned, and you don't give free cards to them. If the cutoff raised I'd be scared as hell. A turn raise is the last thing I want to see here, unless he's the type to raise two pair here.

If you were head-up on the turn and had represented a big pair the whole way, then I might like a check raise. Say the board was 4678 and you had A5, for example. Here there's more chance of success b/c your opponent isn't putting you on a 5, and you're not giving any other opponents free cards.

Finally, the river bet is good. No resistance, no indication you're beat, many hands that can call you, fire away.

Leon

[Bob T.]

I think that you probably should have checked preflop, and then check folded the flop, when you didn't really get much of a coordinated flop.

Given that you raised preflop, you probably played the hand correctly from that point on.