I know I played wrong, but how?

[ngkgb1]

It was a small NLHE tourney near my house. Blinds were 100-200 with 25 ante. It was my third time playing NLHE. I'm on the BB. By the time it go to me, there were about five limpers. I DID NOT RAISE. I think is hould have, right? Anyway, the flop: As kd 9s. I (stupidly i presum) push all in. I get a call with K 9. So I'm on a draw. Needless to say i don't catch the spade, jack or A. AFter replaying the hand a bit, I thought I made two big mistakes: 1. not rasing preflop and allowing crapy hands to enter. 2. Moving all in. I guess i just got a bit excited. Can somebody clue me in on how best this hand should have been played. I think a check should have been made.

[Ed S.]

[King_J]

I think you had KsQs.
You do need to tell me how big stack you and your opponents had. But, a raise preflop isn´t necessary IMO.

[Justaloser]

Actually, I think he held JJ, but I'm probably wrong.

And with either JJ or KQ, he needs to raise from the BB.

[King_J]

[ngkgb1]

I'm the BB with about 2,500 in chips (blinds are 100 and 200), which was a little above average at the time. I got KJ of spades. About 5 callers by the time it go to me. Flop Ace of spades K of diomands, 9 of spades. I go all in and get a call. He turns over K9. I don't catch the spade, the jace, or the Ace. Should I have raised before the flop? Was i wrong for going all-in? I think i probably was. Hope this clarification helps. Thanks to all.

[DABANGER]

My thoughts on this hand. Checking in the big blind with K-Js is fine. You said that you had average chip stack and you get to see the flop for free. K-J, IMHO, is overrated by many players. It gets dominated by several hands and has to be played with caution.

Regarding your play on the flop, you are out of position and there may be four/three players to act behind you (no known whether the small blind is in the pot). When you bet out like this, basically you are on a semi-bluff. You want people to either fold or call. Trying to bluff three/four players is hard and maybe not advisable. Calling hands could be and ace and of course a player with two pair is going to call you. But bottom line is I don't disagree with your play. Normally hand like A-T, A-J (and higher are going to raise pre-flop)so it is natural that you didn't put anyone on an ace. You had a really good chance to win this pot: any spade (9 outs), any jack (2 outs), any ace (3 outs), and the back-door straight draw. Of course, you might have thought that your king was good right there and if not for the nine on the flop it would have been.

Bottom line, IMHO, you made a good play and didn't get there.


Bangtown, USA (pop. 1)

[PuppetMaster]

Gotta disagree with the last guy that you made a god play. To go all-in on a flush draw is a mistake. With that many limpers you are bound to run into an ace. Should have bet the minimum or porbally checked. All-in was premature. And who told you that you should raise with KJ from the BB? Onlyt time you raise with that hand is when trying to steal the blinds or during shorthanded play.
Playing KJ versus KQ, AK, AJ is a death trap.

[DABANGER]

Teddy:

Some questions: where do you play poker? What limits do you play? When do you normally play? I would like to know because I would like you in my game.

As additional information on the play of this hand it also depends on the texture of the game. Are there good players who will respect a huge bet or is it full of knuckle heads who will call with anything? If it is the latter of these two scenarios, then the value of this play is reduced.

Remember, he didn't push all the chips in with just a flush draw. He had a pair of kings too, with a decent kicker. And from preflop action there is reason to believe that there was no ace, (this comes from knowing your opponents and what their raising requirements are). He had the nut flush draw. Hands like K-Q are normally raised also.

This play would have been better if his position wasn't so bad or if there weren't as many players to bluff. If you can't occasionally make this kind of play then you will be a predictable player and people will always know where you are at. I still say good move, bad results.

Bangtown, USA (pop. 1)

[Justaloser]