setting a bear trap

djoyce003 · #1 06-13-2005, 09:34 AM

Villain in this hand has overplayed a few hands, and i've seen him push top pair, queen kicker, or top pair top kicker a few times in the face of a preflop raiser. I was patiently waiting until I got a hand I thought I could catch him doing this with. thoughts and comments on all streets are appreciated.

Party Poker No-Limit Hold'em, $ BB (6 max, 6 handed) converter

Button ($22.15)
SB ($365.65)
BB ($88.3)
UTG ($244)
Hero ($201.05)
CO ($77.45)

Preflop: Hero is MP with A[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img], A[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img]. SB posts a blind of $0.5.
1 fold, Hero raises to $4, 2 folds, SB (poster) calls $3.50, 1 fold.

Flop: ($9) Q[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img], 4[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img], 2[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] (2 players)
SB checks, Hero bets $8, SB raises to $16, Hero calls $8.

Turn: ($41) 5[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img] (2 players)
SB calls $345.65 (All-In), Hero calls $181.05 (All-In).

River: ($567.70) Q[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img] (2 players, 2 all-in)

Final Pot: $567.70

gulebjorn · #2 06-13-2005, 09:49 AM

Phew, you sure do have some confidence in your reads. You're calling a huge overbet on that turn.

I suppose your read was correct and he took the pot with KQ or something like that? However, I'd be very scared of a set or A3 when he pushes. That, after all, is the way these super-agressive players make their money: they get paid off on their monster hands because they get called when they bet them big.

Anyway, if he showed you trip Q's, I wouldn't feel too bad since you earned a whole bunch of sklansky bucks on that one. But I still think I'd fold on the turn and try to trap him with a bigger hand than an overpair.

xorbie · #3 06-13-2005, 09:55 AM

Hard to judge just from the info you gave us. Has he been playing it the same way (flop raise, then push)? Has he been playing back at you? Have you been overly tight? Has he min check raised before?

djoyce003 · #4 06-13-2005, 10:04 AM

I've seen him open push the flop before with top pair marginal kicker a couple of times, and i've also seen him push on the turn as well with similar hands or TPTK, once an open turn push, once a checkraise all in. I don't recall seeing him checkraise the flop, i'm sure he did but it didn't impress me enough to take notice. I did feel relatively confident that he wouldn't checkraise a set here, he would slowplay that since he wouldn't think i'd draw out on him, which is why I felt he was pushing on some of those hands.

I wouldn't say that i'm overly tight, but I'm definitely more willing to lay down a good hand than the average party donk. I've folded a medium pair to some agression a few times, but usually it's in the face of multi-way action and I was pretty sure I was beat all those times. I'm not sure i'd give this guy credit for noticing why i'm folding, and he's probably thinking i'm just weak/tight.

xorbie · #5 06-13-2005, 10:09 AM

In that case I certainly think this is a pretty reasonable play.

djoyce003 · #6 06-13-2005, 12:32 PM

Alright. Just wanted confirmation that belief in your reads is ok. I was actually wrong here, and he'd sucked out on the turn with a 45 offsuit that he called my raise with. I sucked out on him on the river though so the ending was happy. I still feel like overall I had a good read on the guy and I followed it, he had just hit an improbable two pair on the turn...couldn't really see the 5 helping him and thought he was getting frisky with top pair. I got away with one here for a nice pot.