20-40 -- Thinking about what he's thinking I'm thinking...

The Gift Of Gab · #1 03-30-2003, 02:10 PM

I'm in the BB with 7 [img]/forums/images/icons/club.gif[/img] 6 [img]/forums/images/icons/club.gif[/img] . UTG, a friendly pro, raises. This was a table with mostly poor players that had unfortunately hunkered down tightly into its shell, with an early raise often winning the blinds. Because of this, I felt that UTG had loosened up his EP raising standards significantly. Folded around to the SB, who calls. He's a passive type who mostly calls and bets only when he's sure he's winning. Who calls here? I'm fairly new to mid-limits, and still trying to pin down my blind defense standards. Before this hand, I wasn't sure what UTG thought of me, other than that he seemed to have some respect for my play. I'm quite young - barely old enough to play legally - and fairly aggressive.

Flop: 7 [img]/forums/images/icons/spade.gif[/img] 5 [img]/forums/images/icons/club.gif[/img] 5 [img]/forums/images/icons/heart.gif[/img]

I bet, UTG raises, SB folds. I call.

Turn 7 [img]/forums/images/icons/spade.gif[/img] 5 [img]/forums/images/icons/club.gif[/img] 5 [img]/forums/images/icons/heart.gif[/img] - 6 [img]/forums/images/icons/diamond.gif[/img]

I bet. UTG calls.

River 7 [img]/forums/images/icons/spade.gif[/img] 5 [img]/forums/images/icons/club.gif[/img] 5 [img]/forums/images/icons/heart.gif[/img] - 6 [img]/forums/images/icons/diamond.gif[/img] - 2 [img]/forums/images/icons/spade.gif[/img]

I check, UTG bets, I think for a second and fold.

Comments? My thoughts and results to come.

Piers · #2 03-30-2003, 05:22 PM

Pre Flop: 76s is an easy call in the big blind.

Flop: Even if his UTG raise is tight your still ahead about two thirds of the time here, I would reraise so as to make him pay the most to draw to his overcards. I assume Pro means tight aggressive not rock.

Turn: Agree with bet.

River: His failure to raise the turn suggests he likely only has overcards. So you can either make a value bet or try to induce a bet from him by checking. Which would depend on your feel for the situation.

Needless to say your fold was gruesome. If you are going to play this way your best off folding the 76s pre flop.

Ulysses · #3 03-30-2003, 05:37 PM

Why not 3-bet the flop? I think it would make the rest of the hand easier to play and I like it better than calling and betting out on the turn. If he has an overpair, the six didn't change anything. Once he calls your turn bet, I'd check the river and call his bet, as I want to show down my hand, but don't want to call a river raise.

I'm a little confused by your play in this hand. What was your thinking on each street?

Diplomat · #4 03-30-2003, 06:13 PM

Hey Gab,

Pre-flop, that's fine.

Flop: It depends on your opponent, but I would probably checkraise the flop here. If I get three-bet, I know I'm probably against an overpair and don't have to go much farther. If I checkraise and get called, I would bet out on the turn. Then if I get raised on the turn I would either call and check/fold the river unless I improved, or give up right there. If I get called on the turn I would bet the river almost %100 of the time.

I'm not sure if that makes sense, but opponents at my card room tend to play overpairs in this type of a situation in that way -- either three-betting a flop checkraise or raising the turn. Of course you might have a play put on you here and there, and of course I deviate against more observant opponents from time to time, but most of the time this pattern works for me.

Given the action to the river, you almost have to call the river. I also do not really understand the bet on the turn, but I might be missing something.

Interesting post.

-Diplomat

elysium · #5 03-30-2003, 06:32 PM

hi gift,
what are you doing? you're playing these guys? you're going to get slaughtered. who told you play these guys? 76s? what?

well, i'm putting you on AA, KK, QQ, and AKs. fold everything else and stop gambling so foolishly.

leon · #6 03-30-2003, 07:03 PM

I have one question.

"Even if his UTG raise is tight your still ahead about two thirds of the time here, I would reraise so as to make him pay the most to draw to his overcards."

How do you figure you're ahead 2/3 of the time here? And you're making him pay to draw to his overcards b/c you're ahead with what are likely UNDERcards?

Leon

mikelow · #7 03-30-2003, 09:48 PM

Without delving into psychology, I think you should have called the river. What made an offsuit deuce a fold?

I like your check on the river, but you need to call the river.

**MR.MANHATTAN** · #8 03-30-2003, 10:37 PM

w/o looking at results ,that is a pitiful fold,win or lose. terrible...

Rick Nebiolo · #9 03-31-2003, 03:32 AM

Gab,

Even though the typical UTG raiser?s hand doesn?t dominate your small suited connectors I believe your pre flop call is a small loser with two opponents. You won?t hit enough decent made hands, have no overlay on draws, and it is relatively hard to semi-bluff or bluff through two opponents when one of them is a pre-flop raiser. If you had at least one more or even one less opponent the call looks a lot better to me.

Your flop and turn play are fine. I?d bet the river. A big ace calls but usually doesn?t bet. An over-pair would usually be frozen into just calling by the board. Only a very tricky and aggressive player raises with a hand that doesn?t beat yours so you can probably fold if raised. The main disadvantage of betting is it folds some king high hands that might bluff off the river.

Given you checked the river call and expect to lose most of the time but not more than eight times out of nine.

Regards,

Rick

PokerPrince · #10 03-31-2003, 11:32 AM

I read the first few lines and stopped. Fold preflop. Not close.

PokerPrince