Two $50/100 hands.

[LarsVegas]

Online $50/100 fourhanded. In the game is one very aggressive, good player (VAG), one fish at lower limits who is honest between limping a lot of crap and raising his real hands (his raises means quite a lot, even at fourhanded), but who is playing somewhat tighter at this table - and one unknown.

Hand 1:

VAG openraises on the button, I threebet A [img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img]T [img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img] from the small blind. He might have reason to believe I might be a little bit upset from the very previous hand. Big blind folds and VAG calls.

Flop comes: A [img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img]7 [img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img]5 [img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img]. I bet, he raises, I three-bet, he folds.

Hand 2
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I am dealt A [img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img]9 [img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img] in the big blind. Fish openraises under-the-gun. Unknown cold-calls on the button and I call.

Flop: A [img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img]5 [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img]2 [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img]. I check, fish bets, unknown raises and I fold.

Comments?

lars

[jediael]

I'd play hand 1 the same,
Hand 2 I think you should 3-bet the flop and lead the turn. I think you are ahead here quite often.

[drbk2]

Hand 1: Preflop is good. I would lead the flop and call the raise and check call down. I think this is a classic situation where you are way ahead or way behind. Let him bluff at you if you're ahead and minimize your loss if you are way behind.

Hand 2: Preflop is fine. I would lead the flop here. Given that you checked, folding here is horrible, especially since an unknown player is the one dictating the action on the flop. I would cold call the $100. If the fish 3 bets, then you know you have to hit second pair and you can safely check fold the turn if you don't improve.

[Jeff W]

Hand 1: Pre flop is obvious.

After flop, I follow this plan:

Bet and call the flop raise. Check-call the turn unless it is a [img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img] or Ten(Check-raise both). Bet the river.

Hand 2: Well played.

[lil']

Hand 1 - I think you are comfortably ahead here the majority of the time. If he had you outkicked he would have capped preflop. I would have slowplayed this after his flop raise. Your flop 3 bet has a "screw you pay off my nice ace" quality to it when we take into account the little bit of history you detailed, making it easy for him to get away from his hand.

Hand 2 - Do you think the unknown player is aware of how tight the fish is playing?

[Paluka]

I think the fold in the second hand is pretty weird. In a shorthanded game the buttno would 3 bet preflop with a big ace right? And he probably wouldn't raise the flop if he was really big and flopped aces up. Just too much chance you have the best hand here. Are you just worried you are losing to the fish too often, so that the parlay you are ahead of both just too low?

[augie00]

Comment on hand 1:

Whenever I suspect that someone thinks that I am on tilt and I pick up a good hand, I try to disguise it as much as possible. By 3-betting on the flop there you're telling him that this hand, rather than calling down in tilt-induced frusturation, you've got a hand and think it is the best. I would prefer calling down here, raise on the river if you improve or are still confident that you're best.

[TStoneMBD]

coldcalling on the flop represents as much strength, if not more than by 3betting. the only thing coldcalling is good for is becoming a weak passive.

[pfkaok]

[ QUOTE ]
I think the fold in the second hand is pretty weird. In a shorthanded game the buttno would 3 bet preflop with a big ace right? And he probably wouldn't raise the flop if he was really big and flopped aces up. Just too much chance you have the best hand here. Are you just worried you are losing to the fish too often, so that the parlay you are ahead of both just too low?

[/ QUOTE ]

I agree. I think that you're VERY likely ahead of button here, as him having a big hand on this flop seems unlikely after the coldcall, then flop raise. Then for the tight player, you really can't put him on much at this point, other than what you guess to be his PF raising range. Even if he's got a small range, then you're still probably good here a large chunk of the time (50% or more i'd guess)... and if you 3bet, then his action when its 2 bets to him will probably let you know for certain if he's got a big A or not.

[augie00]

[ QUOTE ]
coldcalling on the flop represents as much strength, if not more than by 3betting. the only thing coldcalling is good for is becoming a weak passive.

[/ QUOTE ]

The action is heads up. He's not calling two cold, just the raise.

edit: i do prefer betting out