$30/60 UB: QQ in action pot

[LarsVegas]

9-handed UB $30/60, a pretty familiar quite wild game.

Therefore it's slightly disappointing to see a solid player open-raise UTG and an unknown player 3bet in MP as I look down at Q [img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img]Q [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] in the big blind. Still, I cap. Both players call, three to the flop for 12.5 small bets.

Flop: 8 [img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img] 8 [img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img]3 [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img]. I bet, UTG calls, MP raises, I 3bet, UTG calls, MP calls.

Turn: K [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img]. I bet, UTG calls, MP folds.

River: 2 [img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img]. I bet, UTG raises, I call.

Plenty of questionable plays on my part in this hand I think.

Results to follow.

Lars

[Ian J]

Man this one's close. I think I like your play throughout, but I'm having some trouble narrowing down UTG's range. His play is consistent with a few hands.

1st there's 88. The more I looked at this hand the more I thought this to be possible. He's just calling calling all the way trying to keep both of you around. Once MP drops on the turn he puts his river raise in.

Ax [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] is another distinct possibility. He only needs to get you to fold the river if he correctly puts you on JJ-QQ 1 in about 7 times to turn a profit here. So if he's really thinking and believes you to be thinking, this is very possible.

AK is a possibility also. He calls the turn hoping that MP will still come with his 99-JJ.

All in all, I don't think you can make a laydown here after he just calls the turn and you end up HU on the river. When you consider the way he played his hand and how unlikely it is for him to have 99-JJ here, a river check call is the best play. Obviously if he was a bit donkish, then bet the river and call a raise.

[tomahawk]

I play it the same, but I think I would check/call the river. Maybe i'm too scared, but I really can't make this value bet. The thing is there's a pretty good chance that your beat here, and if he really is solid I think you have to fold to the river raise, and I can't do that at all.

The hands that you extract value from with the riverbet are 99-JJ, and I think he's gonna bet these when you check often enough that you will make up for maybe half of the lost value of it being checked down. Add to that the times that you get raised and are beat, and I really feel the river bet is -EV. Of course you could get raised and be good, but it seems like this will happen very rarely.

[tomahawk]

[ QUOTE ]
Ax [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] is another distinct possibility.

[/ QUOTE ]

How many solid players raises UTG with this, call when its capped back threeways, and call a threebet with no part of the flop?

[Subfallen]

Why not call pre-flop to see if UTG caps? Anyways, when you cap, your hand range is extremely narrow, probably AA-KK-QQ-AKs, so it's pretty hard to imagine he's bluffing the river.

[jayheaps]

like everything but the river bet. he either has a draw or has you killed. i think he will bet with a much wider range of hands than he will call with.

[Ian J]

I was thinking specifically about AQh or AJh, but you make a very good point about the call of the flop 3 bet.

[DeeJ]

I'd read this as UTG holding AK and going for overcalls at the turn, so I'd be check-calling the river.

edit: He may also be holding KK and, fearing you have Aces, gets there on the turn anyhoos.

[hockey1]

Tough. What do folks think about checking the turn? I think hero's behind more often than not, so check-calling down saves a BB. And if he isn't behind, then a check may induce a bet from a player that might've folded (e.g., any smaller PP) if hero bets out when that K hits.

[catlover]

Preflop: fine. But keep in mind that when you make this play, you are representing JJ-AA, AKs, or AK. Maybe TT or AQs.

Flop: I like the lead. But when MP raises, you should start to get concerned. MP knows what you are representing, and he is still raising you. This means you are probably in trouble.

That said, I still think your reraise is OK. You are probably behind here, but you might still be ahead. If you are ahead, it is very important to try to knock out UTG. For this reason I think your raise is OK.

The turn comes. It's a king. At this point you need to realize that your hand is now in the weaker end of the range you are representing. All your earlier aggression did not push out your opponents. Likely hands for them include AA, KK, and AK, all of which now beat you. You need to check. What you do next depends on the action behind, but basically you will be deciding whether or not to make crying calls -- and leaning towards probably making them, unless it is bet and raised behind you.