Slowplay trips? You make the call ...

[RichSaneSwindler]

This hand was interesting ... I think I misplayed it pretty badly. Thoughts/dialogue really appreciated.


PokerStars No-Limit Hold'em, $1 BB (9 handed) converter

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

BB ($$303.95)
UTG ($$114.10)
<font color="C00000">Hero ($$215.55)</font>
MP1 ($$140)
MP2 ($$320.20)
MP3 ($$333.50)
<font color="C00000">CO ($$243.65)</font>
Button ($$252.95)
SB ($$277.65)

Preflop: Hero is UTG+1 with J[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img], J[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img].
UTG calls $2, Hero calls $2, MP1 calls $2, <font color="666666">2 folds</font>, CO calls $2, <font color="666666">2 folds</font>, BB checks,

Flop: ($12) 7[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img], A[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img], J[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] <font color="blue">(5 players)</font>
BB checks, UTG checks, Hero checks, <font color="CC3333">MP1 bets $8</font>, CO calls $8, BB folds, UTG folds, Hero calls $8.

Turn: ($36) 2[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img] <font color="blue">(3 players)</font>
Hero checks, MP1 checks, CO checks.

River: ($36) 6[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img] <font color="blue">(3 players)</font>
<font color="CC3333">Hero bets $12</font>, MP1 folds, <font color="CC3333">CO raises to $36</font>, Hero calls $24.

Final Pot: $108
<font color="green">Main Pot: $108, between Hero and CO.</font>

[coltrane]

Pre-Flop:
Alright, limping with jacks in EP is okay (depends on the table), raising would've been alright too.

Flop:
Bam, you hit your set and there's an ace out there and it's a rainbow flop with multi-way players. Now you're glad you limped with those hooks. After your check and then a bet and a call, I might've raised here. Not to bet them out of the hand, but to get more money in there. You're probably not gonna get action from anyone who doesn't have an ace or a draw or better.

Turn:
This to me was your biggest mistake. You have to bet here. It's too fancy to try and check (even though you smooth-called on the flop). Again, not to bet them out of the hand, but to get money in there. And now there are two diamonds on the board and there are two other callers, you can't give free cards. If you check and they check, you're not gonna get it all in on the river unless you're beat. This is why I would've raised the flop and come out firing on fourth street. To me, that's what you gotta do in EP.

River:
Interesting that the first time you actually bet is the first time that you might be behind in the hand. Your call is okay I suppose.

I just think in general, you didn't get enough money in when you were ahead and instead you put more money in when you might've been behind. I think a lot of players (myself included) end up doing that because of trying to be too fancy/deceptive. I'm starting to try to increase my profits by taking lead of my strong hands and still not betting people out of the pot.

-Sunny

[tubbyspencer]

This post is non-responsive, but here goes:

Wow - I don't like playing at a table where EVERYONE has more than the max buy-in. Several People at your table have 2 or 3 or more times the max buy in. (I believe the PS $1 max buy in is $100 - in fact I just checked.)

To me that would signal that the fish have already lost their money at this table and left.

Just my 2 cents.

[RichSaneSwindler]

tubs,

not non responsive at all ... in fact, I think you make an important point and appreciate it. Keep it coming!!

-RSS

[tewall]

There's many ways to play a hand, and I think the way you played it was reasonable for the most part. I'll go in reverse order.

River bet. If there had been two diamonds on the flop, betting the river would be a bad idea. You'd want to check-call to give someone a chance to bluff at the flush (or to give yourself a chance to fold if your read told you you were beat). However, there was only 1 diamond on the flop, so you'd have to be very unlucky for someone to have backdoored a flush on you, so betting looks fine.

Turn check. I assume you planned to check/raise. Sure hope so. I think that's a reasonable line of play. It depends on the opponent, but having smooth-called the flop, it's reasonable to assume the raiser will continue betting. It looks bad when it doesn't work.

Bet check/call. I don't like this play. I like betting the best. You're likely to get action from an Ace, and most people won't put you on a set if you come out betting (because most people check).

Once you checked and got a bet and a call, now's the perfect time to raise. If you're afraid they'll all fold, just min-raise, but raise something. Get some money in there.

[turnipmonster]

so my goal in this hand, after the flop, is to get all my money in the middle. or at least as much of it as I can.

thinking out loud:

a stop and go (i.e. calling the flop, and betting the turn) can be an effective thing sometimes. it looks weird, like you're trying to buy it. maybe someone will raise you!

I am not a big fan of checking the flop out of position here, I'd much rather lead out. with a super strong hand I lead hoping to get raised. if I want to trap, I'd rather do it with more money in the pot, so hopefully I'll get raised.

with two callers, a checkraise may get some good action here. you don't have to checkraise huge since there's not a draw heavy board really. I hate to suggest min raising, but you want to build a pot here with two players drawing very thin.

on the river, the big question is what had would cutoff call the flop, take a free card on the turn and then raise the river? KdQd is a possibility, as is QT/KT etc. would he really pick up a great draw in position and not bet it on the turn though? the other possibility is he rivered two pair with Axs.

I'm going to say that running diamonds is pretty unlikely, and the CO is bluff raising you because your bet looks weak.

--turnipmonster

[gergery]

Personally, I prefer limping with JJ so ok there.

I checkraise the flop. With 5 limpers someone is very likely to have an ace and I want A5-AQ to bet it so I check. But after a raise and a call the pot is $28 – if you raise another $8 or so do you really think they’ll fold after putting money in to start with? From their perspective they’re getting 4:1 on their money +implied odds. That’s $16 you are giving up. And if they are good, are they likely to bet in enough on the turn/river to make up for that $16, since its 3-way with 2 callers already? I don’t figure them to bluff on the turn with this board. You may also not have the best hand if a K,Q, T which is 30% of the time and people are likely to be calling with KQ, KT, QT.

On the turn, I definitely bet. There is now a flush draw and maybe even a low straight draw out, still a potential gutshot out, and a decent chance that a medium ace or QJ kind of hand will call since you just called the turn. Since you are almost certain to have the best hand right now, you are giving infinite odds for other hands to beat you, and there are a lot of cards that can make you nervous. More importantly, you are giving up the chance to get more money in now – for that to be correct you must think this action will generate even more betting/calling by your opponents on the river, which is probably unlikely since there would be more $ in the pot to fight for.

On the river, I have to think you are up against an A9s type of hand and are beat. If you are lucky, maybe its A3 or your slowplay paid off and its 66.

-G

[Prevaricator]

The BB is actually $2, the converter just makes a mistake when its fed a PokerStars NL game. The players only have one and a half times the buyin, but your point still stands.