Defending the blind

[TakeMeToTheRiver]

I have just started playing short handed games online -- I play mostly live and mostly in the 10/20 range.

Six-handed 3/6 game on Full Tilt -- I don't have the hand history or stats but villain has been somewhat aggressive but not way out of line over about 35 hands at the table.

Hero is BB with Q [img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img] T [img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img]

Three folds to button. Button raises. SB folds. Hero re-raises. Button calls.

Flop (6.5SB): T [img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img] A [img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img] A [img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img]

Hero checks. Button bets. Hero raises. Button calls.

Turn (approx. 5BB): 3 [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img]

Hero bets, Button raises, Hero calls.

River (9BB): 6 [img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img]

Hero checks, Button bets, Hero....

[SoSo]

wow fold the turn.

[waffle]

i'd call PF, c/c flop and turn. then i'd either b/f or c/c river, not sure.

the way you played it, i feel ok about folding to the turn raise.

[JimNashe]

I'm definitely folding the turn after he raises you. You reraised him preflop, and check-raised him when two aces came out on the flop.

The way it was played out up to the point where he raised your turn bet, I don't see him having anything you beat very often (there's always the chance he's bluffing but it gets ever slimmer the further into this hand you get).

[TakeMeToTheRiver]

[ QUOTE ]
i'd call PF, c/c flop and turn. then i'd either b/f or c/c river, not sure.

the way you played it, i feel ok about folding to the turn raise.

[/ QUOTE ]

My thinking -- and recall that my thinking is influenced quite a bit by my live play. Also my live play is in games that are fairly aggressive:

Preflop -- Opening on the button, he can be raising with almost any two and my QTs is best at least half the time.

Flop -- When he calls my check-raise on the flop, I felt pretty certain that I was good. In my brief tenure at small stakes short-handed, most players three-bet many hands that beat me here. The only hands that don't three bet me are hands I can beat and real monsters -- mostly big Aces in this case.

Turn: Wow. He raised me. So I give a litte more weight to the monster theory. Also, I know that if I call here I will be c/c on the river as well -- so its 2BB to win 9BB (4.5:1). How often would a player make a move here with a hand I beat? At least 20% of the time? Playing live, the answer is certainly yes, more than 20% of the time.

In a full ring game, I would certainly have given an unknown more credit for an Ace. Did I over-adjust my game to short-handed play?

[waffle]

pf, your play may be better than mine.

i'm less apt to believe a flop 3bet than a turn raise. i mean, let's go over the hand:

villian raises, you 3bet, he calls.

you check, villian bets, you raise, he calls.

you bet, villian raises.

either

a.) he's bluffing and somehow expects you to fold after you've put in a ton of action

or

b.) he's getting extra value out of a good hand

or

c.) he's a maniac/idiot and likes to hit raise.

i think B is most likely here. just out of experience. whenever i check raise the flop, get called and then popped on the turn, i'm usually hosed and it's not a play. it could be a semi-bruff/free-showdown raise from a tough player but i don't think this is the case here.