Two $5/$10 NL hands......

[snowbank]

1. I have $800. 5 handed. I'm first to act and I raise to $30 with AKo. One caller.($500 stack) Flop is K-J-8, all clubs. What's your move?

I bet, got called, and the turn was a 10. What's your move on the turn?

2. AKo, I have $450. I'm raised to $25 pre-flop($1500 stack), I call. Flop is Q-5-8, rainbow. He bets $30, I call. Turn is a J. He bets $40, I call. River is a 10. He bet's $80. I raise all-in, he folds. What would you have raised? Was this too much?

[whitelime]

1) Do you have the Ac? I think either situation you have to check the turn, but especially if you have the Ac b/c a raise could drive you out of the pot where you have a draw to the nuts. I can't think of too many hands that would call you on the flop and fold on the turn. Without the Ac, I'm probably folding to a reasonable bet on the turn.

2. I think you played this terribly on every betting round. First, I don't like calling preflop raises with AKo. I would either re-raise or fold. The reason for this is if you call a raise, you won't get much action from hands like QQ-TT when you flop an A or K unless they hit a set and you're in bad shape. If they have AA or KK and it hits, you are in awful shape. My plan if I reraise is to make a pot size bet on the flop and represent AA or KK so they will fold if they hold a smaller pair. If someone holds QQ or JJ there and the flop is rags, they will have a tough time calling a pot size bet on the flop.

Flop: I think this is an easy fold. Calling bets with a missed AK is one of the worst mistakes you can make in NL hold'em.

Turn: I don't like this call either. The only way you are getting paid if you hit your broadway is if he holds someone like 9x which is very unlikely given the way he played his hand.

River: I'd probably raise to maybe $200. The only time I might all-in is if I think my opponent has a 9.

[snowbank]

I forgot to mention that hand # 2 was 3 handed, and my opponent had ben trying to bully and bluff a lot. He would raise a lot pre-flop, and come out betting a lot after the flop.

[TStoneMBD]

did you have position on the player in hand 1? i think you need to fire another shell here and if youre in position be done with the hand if he fights back. if youre out of position you still need to fire the turn, but if he calls you have to check the river or make a blocking bet. its tough to determine how to play the river without descriptions. as for hand 2, when i first read it i thought your call down was terrible, but saw in your reply that he was bullying. i can see calling this flop, but raising is a viable option as well. i would also prefer reraising AK pf in sh. after the turn however, i think this is a pretty clear muck, there are far too many cards out there and you have to think villain must have a pair.

[snowbank]

after the turn however, i think this is a pretty clear muck, there are far too many cards out there and you have to think villain must have a pair.

My thought was that an A,K or 10 would win it for me, and the implied odds would be worth it if I hit, because he had been firing almost every time.

[Cornell Fiji]

1 - There are many correct ways to play this hand bet smallish (you might be trapping you might have a big hand, 1/2 pot) and fold if he raises, if he calls bet 1/2 pot again as a blocking bet and pray he doesnt raise. Or bet pot and if he calls check and be done with it

2- pf. I dispise the comment by the first person who replied saying this is raise or fold, this is terrible advice (do you see why? -ds )

Flop, no problem with the call 3 handed against a bully although I dont mind a raise because you have position. A call is better if you are planning on raising the turn (I think that this is the optimal play)

Turn. He bet $40!!! He doesnt like his hand or is traping but you have to raise here (110 more?) to try to take the hand down. I think that a call is equally bad as a fold but is slightly better if you were planning on betting a river blank.

River - PERFECT!!! I LOVE IT! He has been saying all along that he doesnt like his hand, 30 on the flop 40 on the turn... you are NOT going to get called by a reraise but this overbet would have been called by a 9 or maybe even 2 pair (you wouldnt bet all in with the straight, strong means weak.) Don't you dare be results oriented here, he was going to fold to any raise that you made. This is a PERFECT play!

Summary:
Pf: Raise and call are equal plays
Flop: Only call if you are going to raise the turn (if not raise here or fold, i perfer raise)
Turn: Raise big to end the hand
River: Perfect


-Steve

[MindGamez]

Hand 1
Id bet about 3/4 pot on the turn. If he come over the top, you can fold. If he calls, i'd be ready to give it up on the river. A guy is calling you down on a monotone flop and 3 broadway cards on the board... most likey he beats only a pair.

Hand 2
I'd definately reraise preflop here against the loose dude. If i thought the loose dude was on a steal, i woulda called the flop bet and raised the turn. Sometimes calling can show more strength that raising can, and against the LAGs you have to make it obvious that their mid pair is beat, if you want them to fold.

[snowbank]

I dispise the comment by the first person who replied saying this is raise or fold, this is terrible advice

Yes, I was going to say something to them about that. I probably should have raised that, but my intention against them was to call and check if a A or K fell. I felt that they would fire with nothing, and I could maximize my profit if one fell, rather than having them be worried if one fell. I probably should have raised though, but that was my reasoning at the time.

Turn. He bet $40!!! He doesnt like his hand or is traping but you have to raise here (110 more?) to try to take the hand down.

Due to the loose nature of this player, I think he would have called this with 2nd pair. I don't like raising to $110 with A high here. If he calls and I don't hit the river I'm screwed. If I call and hit the river he's screwed.