3 handed - yay!

Villian in the SB is one lucky SOB. He bought in for 5 big bets and worked his way up to 35 big bets with...

Bah... That's not important.

Lets begin again. This is 3 handed now but SB villain had been around for 50 hands, most of which had been about 5 handed, and had VPIP close to 90% with close to 0% raise. Yep. Post flop fairly agressive and found it difficult to ever put him on any kind of hand.

BB villian is about 80% VPIP (I'm serious) but lacks the luck of SB villian. He's not important here.

So, all streets - opinions please. Check my spelling. I'm learning SH - only played a few hundered hands...

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Party Poker 0.50/1 Hold'em (6 max, 3 handed)
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Preflop: Hero is Button with A[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img], J[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img].
<font color="red">Hero raises</font>, SB calls, BB calls.

Clearly there's no problem with preflop.

Flop: (6 SB) J[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img], Q[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img], 3[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] (3 players)
<font color="red">SB bets</font>, BB calls, Hero calls.

Is a raise better here?

Turn: (4.50 BB) K[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img] (3 players)
SB checks, BB checks, Hero checks.

Now I'm worried about 2 overcards so check it through.

River: (4.50 BB) A[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img] (3 players)
<font color="red">SB bets</font>, BB folds, Hero somethings...

raise - and fold to a reraise. if he had a T wouldn't he have bet the turn? and a flush is a long shot. he will with a 99% certainty put you on nothing less than a str8 because to him you're coming out of nowhere with your river raise. I think betting the river is betting for value.

[ QUOTE ]
raise - and fold to a reraise. if he had a T wouldn't he have bet the turn?

[/ QUOTE ]

That possibility didn't even enter my mind. Do you really have enough equity to bet with a ten here? I'd have thought not.

after all he called your raise from sb preflop. if he's got a T he probably has KT, QT, JT ot T9, then a bet is an absolute on the turn (3 additional outs to the 8 for openended str8 draw plus the fact that he already may have the best hand). AT or TT he would have reraised preflop I think. T8 and lower he would have fold preflop.

Yep good point. I'm not thinking like that in my play. But in this case I'm not sure he would have folded ANYTHING. Seriously this guy had 90% VPIP.

Ok, you got a point there too.

Hero calls...I'm guessing your two pair is good here 1 in 5 times to justify the call.

I cannot see raising and folding to a reraise. If you raise, you risk two bets to win the 5.5 in the pot. If you raise and he's some numnuts who thinks his aces and threes are a great hand and reraises you fold without seeing a showdown? I don't think this is the best play.

Yes, sometimes the villian will have a ten, other times he will have hit the runner runner flush, and sometimes you'll call and win the pot wondering what on earth caused this person to bet. Remember we are not playing against rocket scientists at this level (well, if they are, they can't be good ones). You have two pair which will win a certain percentage of the time. My personal guess is that it will win 1 in 5 times to make it worth a call.

yeah, maybe I was analyzing to much [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

I think you're ahead on the flop, so I'd raise. You need to punish guys like this who play too many hands when you pick up a good hand and hit. The Q isn't enough of an excuse to slow down in my mind. The raise also gives you the free card option, if you want it, though you got that anyway, so go figure. I also like raising the river and calling a re-raise. Not ideal, but I think too often SB has a weak pair (or two-pair) that he's betting now after your show of weakness on the turn.

Strategy at this table is pretty basic: play decent hands and bet/raise for value. I think you're playing these guys a little too cautiously.

[kidcolin]

It's 3 handed. You need to play marginal hands a lot more strongly.

Raise the flop. You're good here way too often. It gives you control of the hand, and can set up showing down for 1.5 big bets postflop if the board gets ugly.

Bet the turn. A free card stinks on this board.

River I'm not sure. I think I like a raise.