77 HU vs. a TAG

[pokerjunky]

Villain is taggish with light standards for opening from late positions.

Party Poker 5/10 Hold'em (10 handed) converter

Preflop: Hero is Button with 7[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img], 7[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img].
<font color="#666666">5 folds</font>, <font color="#CC3333">MP3 raises</font>, <font color="#CC3333">Hero 3-bets</font>, <font color="#666666">2 folds</font>, MP3 calls.

Flop: (7.40 SB) 3[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img], Q[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img], 5[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img] <font color="#0000FF">(3 players)</font>
MP3 checks, <font color="#CC3333">Hero bets</font>, <font color="#CC3333">MP3 raises</font>, Hero calls.

Turn: (5.70 BB) Q[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] <font color="#0000FF">(3 players)</font>
<font color="#CC3333">MP3 bets</font>, <font color="#CC3333">Hero raises(intending to fold to a 3-bet)</font>, MP3 calls.

River: (9.70 BB) 6[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img] <font color="#0000FF">(3 players)</font>
MP3 checks, Hero checks.

Final Pot: 9.70 BB

Well, I'm comfortable with the river check through. But that is the only street I am comfortable with.

I was wondering what your intention was after calling the flop? Was it to bluff any turn? I think when you are check/raised on this flop, you are too often behind to call. I just fold.

I think you played this hand very well. When the tag checkraises this flop, there are still many hands he can have that you are ahead of, your hand is still too strong to consider folding. On the turn I like your raise since you charge him the maximum when he is drawing, it would be better to just call the turn if you know that the tag would bet a busted draw on the river, but since hes a tag, hes probably smart enough to give up at the river knowing youre not folding, so raising the turn charges him the most when youre ahead, and if youre 3 bet, i definitely think you can confidently lay down. On the river there is no reason to bet since the tag either has you beat or a busted draw. So like I said, you played this hand very well, and If there is any street that is arguable it would be preflop. Even though the tag may be raising lightly, if hes tricky and smart postflop, this raise will end up being -ev in my opinion, and against a player like this, you put yourself in a win small lose big proposition, if your ahead many times the tag will give up early, if your behind you end up losing a few extra bets, and there are still spots where a good tag can potentially outplay you off the best hand. The time I would make this 3 bet preflop would be when I feel I have a good read on how my opponent plays, and I feel I have good control over him, I dont usually feel this way against a good tag. Either way Postflop is prefect, and preflop is slightly -ev in my opinion, but thats still debatable cuz I admit it is very close.

[Richard Berg]

This is a great flop for us. Folding is out of the question.

Could you please elaborate on why this is a good flop? Aren't queens in a large part of MP3's raising range? Thanks.

[pokerjunky]

[ QUOTE ]
Well, I'm comfortable with the river check through. But that is the only street I am comfortable with.

I was wondering what your intention was after calling the flop? Was it to bluff any turn? I think when you are check/raised on this flop, you are too often behind to call. I just fold.

[/ QUOTE ]

I TAG will checkraise a wide variety of hands here that don't contain a queen, so I called to see the turn. If the turn contained a diamond, ace, or a king I would have folded.

I haven't seen much Party 5/10. That answers my question. Thanks. NH.

[BWebb]

I like it. On the river, the obvious flush draw missed plus there are very few worse hands that will call and I don't think any better hand is folding (88-1010) so I like the check.

[limitholdemshark]

u did fine.i liked ur turn raise.anytime u plan on calling the river concider a raise on the turn.as far as the river check it was ok however u could have bet out in case ur opp.had pocket 88 tru 10s and can lay down a good hand.u did represent a queen in ur hand so u may want 2 follow thru!i guess it depends on how ur opp.percieves u and what kind of read u have on ur opp.

[sweetjazz]

[ QUOTE ]
u did fine.i liked ur turn raise.anytime u plan on calling the river concider a raise on the turn.as far as the river check it was ok however u could have bet out in case ur opp.had pocket 88 tru 10s and can lay down a good hand.u did represent a queen in ur hand so u may want 2 follow thru!i guess it depends on how ur opp.percieves u and what kind of read u have on ur opp.

[/ QUOTE ]

If the opponent held 88 -- JJ and was going to release it because he believed you had a Q, wouldn't he drop it to the turn raise (since he lacks the odds to draw to his two-outer). The only way calling the turn but folding the river makes sense is if the player is a very good thinking player and has a read on you that you will (1) sometimes make a free showdown play (2) only bet the river when you actually have trips or a big PP and (3) never raise the turn and bet the river on a semibluff/continuation bluff with two big diamonds. It's hard to have that good of a read on an opponent.

Thus, betting the river is not a good play, even if we believe our opponent is a player capable of laying down higher medium PPs.