$200 NL, getting tricky/stupid with suited connectors.

[The Deuce]

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

CO ($354.9)
Button ($257.45)
SB ($65.72)
Hero ($175.2)
UTG ($211.65)
MP :#A500AF(Villain)/ ($190.43)

Preflop: Hero is BB with 8[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img], 9[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img]. SB posts a blind of $1.
<font color="#666666">1 fold</font>, <font color="#CC3333">MP :#A500AF(Villain)/ raises to $7</font>, <font color="#666666">3 folds</font>, Hero calls $5.

Flop: ($15) 2[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img], 8[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img], 9[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img] <font color="#0000FF">(2 players)</font>
Hero checks, <font color="#CC3333">Villain bets $13</font>, <font color="#CC3333">Hero raises to $26</font>, Villain calls $13.

Turn: ($67) J[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] <font color="#0000FF">(2 players)</font>
<font color="#CC3333">Hero bets
$50</font>, Villain raises all-in $157.43</font>, Hero calls all-in $92.

River: ($349.4) T[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img] <font color="#0000FF">(2 players)</font>

Final Pot: $349.4

Comments on all streets welcome, although "Fold preflop" has doubltess crossed everyone's mind.

[unlucky513]

don't check the flop. if you really wanna check/raise, make it a real one, none of this mini raise crap.

[The Deuce]

Bah. I realize there's a draw out there, I don't care. The check-min-raise is intended to induce a push or reraise from AA, KK, QQ, maybe JJ or TT if he's that kind of guy. I'd spent some time at the table and was confident that he had one of these hands, or AK. If I just lead out, he raises and I push, he'll undoubtedly fold those hands and I'll make less money- besides, that line's just plain boring. Do you think check-raising a larger amount would be better for achieving the desired effect?

[TheWorstPlayer]

Fold preflop. Flop play worst possible option other than folding. Ni han.

[The Deuce]

That's helpful.

If I can confidently put him on AA-TT or AK, AK (particularly AK of diamonds) is the only hand that I particularly want out of there. You think there's no merit to trying to induce a re-raise here? If you think there are better ways to go about that, or that I'm unlikely to get it, that's one thing, but I think this line has definite advantages over just leading out (assuming the added variance gained by allowing Villain to draw to two outs isn't too traumatizing for us.) If you have a stronger case for another line, please share it. I don't mean to sound defensive, but short little lessons in fundamentals aren't that helpful to most of us.

[TheWorstPlayer]

Well, it sounds like your thinking is heading in the right direction. Not to sound like a total ass (hehe) but you should really be able to think about your goals for the hand and then to decide which line is the most likely to achieve your goals. It will help your game more if you think about it more yourself (and post your thinking to help everyone else and so that people can discuss it).

[pmuir10]

if your gonna post a hand, then not take anyones advice, i dont understand why you bothered posting it in the first place... wasnt it to get advice?

anyways i think the minraise tells AA-TT that you have a big hand (set maybe) and are trying to milk them..at least thats usually what i notice when ppl minraise me..esp a check minraise.. why would a person check minraise here with anything other than (twopair/set).. i think its obvious what you have

looks like you might have run into JJ here with an outside chance of AA/KK

[The Deuce]

Fair enough.

I think trying to blast him off the pot with a larger check-raise represents enough strength that he'll be far more likely to lay it down, or to approach the rest of the hand more cautiously. I think leading out and calling his raise with the intent to check-raise on the turn also has its merits, the only problem being that he may find himself with some more outs depending on what falls, and if another diamond hits I can't be positive that I'm not looking at the nuts. The check-min-raising line I think demands a re-raise from Villain, because he doesn't want the draw in either (it's not inconceivable for me to have JT of diamonds, or something like AJ of diamonds, depending on how he views me). If he faces another reraise, he still might have trouble laying it down because he's committed much of his stack to the pot, and there is still the possibility that I'm on a draw. Plus, if he's sitting there with AA or KK, he may also put me on QQ, JJ, TT. In any case, I think simply trying to end the hand on the flop is far too simple. I'm not playing a hand like 98s in this situation without aiming for anything less than Villain's whole stack.

Does anyone fold the turn?

[The Deuce]

It's not that I'm not taking anyone's advice, I'd just like to have a deeper discussion of the hand. Thanks for your comments. I think that while the check-min-raise may set off warning bells in his head, he is likely to re-raise me in order to be sure, and that's what I'm after. A lot of people seem to have a great deal of trouble folding AA regardless of how loud the bells are ringing. Do you think a larger check-raise would be more deceptive?

[rydazzle]

Personally, I think your check-raise was a good amount - about the size of the total pot (pot=28, your raise=26). Anything more is a gross overbet (which may induce a call for being so strange). If your goal was to increase the volitility of this guy with your check raise, I like the play.

The play pre-flop was a bit suspect, your stack's M=~60 so these kinds of plays are ok once in a while I guess, however, you need a big pay-off to make them profitable from just a call let alone a raise. Do you make this play a lot, i.e. do you like to call a raise with SCs and small PPs in this spot? Did you consider your position after the flop? I'd like to hear your thoughts here, maybe I can learn something.

It almost worked out, I am assuming he sucked out on you with that T though...