2 hands that caused some funny looks at the table

[bernie]

posting 2 hands. dont have time to make 2 posts.
these 2 hands i thought were pretty basic. until i saw the faces on the others when they saw what i had. mild table discussion ensued on both.

passive table, tight raising standards for most

i limp QJ in MP...4 or 5 to the flop.

flop 9 8 3 rain

BB bets out, i raise, all fold to BB.

turn 8

both check

river T

check, i bet, he looks miffed and calls.

pretty basic to me, given the table texture. if they would be more likely to call, i may have played the flop differently

hand 2

the table is just now briefly shorthanded (5 or 6) [img]/forums/images/icons/grin.gif[/img] , a few different players, lots of callers. ive played maybe 2 hands in 1.5 hours. but no problems getting action.

i get 77 UTG and raise. all but 1 call 5 to the flop

flop 9 6 5 rain

i bet, everyone calls

turn 3

i bet everyone calls, maybe lose 1

i say pair the board to the dealer. interesting look from the gal next to me at this point.

river 3

(thank god!) i bet, 2 callers, im good.

another gal, only one that folded preflop, mentions she wouldve won. 'you only had 7s !?!' along with a couple others mumbling and commenting on my holding.

nothing real special, i thought, but was suprised at how the table reacted at showdown. hmmm. it was a nice table.

2 rare winners in a 9 hour losing session. brutality level was high in this session. real high.

god, poker is fun. hahaha

b

[Schmed]

Well I posted a qj hand that I limped with and it was about 5-0 that said I should have raised preflop. Raise or fold was what I was told...........I would have limped like you in this hand.... [img]/forums/images/icons/grin.gif[/img] I really like the raise on the flop. You bought the button and gained control.

Do you often raise UTG with 7's?? I have a problem on how to play pairs like that. I'm not sure if raising is the right thing or limping. My rule of thumb is late position I raise with pairs 7 or higher and early they have to be 10 or higher. Am I giving up something with that strategy??

[Luke]

Keep in mind the game was shorthanded when he raised with the 77.

[rigoletto]

1) Well played - allthough I thhink a preflop raise is in order considering the described table texture.

2) You are basically making semibluff bets into 3-4 opponents on 3 streets - I hope that's not a habbit Bernie! What on earth did they call with?

[Jeffro]

Schmed in you hand I think you opened limped with this hand, changes after you have this many limpers.

[rigoletto]

Turn: BB bets out, i raise, all fold to BB.

Seems to me that he openlimped - bold and brave!

[bernie]

table rexture plays a large part in whether ill raise with QJ. this texture was pretty passive, and some played way too far postflop, so no need to raise. but because the game was that passive preflop, i limped. this was an offsuit hand (not sure if i put it in the post) and i wasnt getting anyone out. BUT, i could see the flop cheap. also, post flop, if any signifigant action, theyd fold. that's where it got a little tighter. 1 bet theyd call, 2 they ran a little.

the raise was also to try and clear up any outs that may beat me, should i hit a pair.

the pkt pair hand:

key piece of info was 'shorthanded'. when the game goes shorthanded, ill start raising alot to see how they play s.h.. sometimes theyll play tight. if they all start calling alot, then ill limp alot more and play em off the flop. especially if theyre calling alot postflop

that said, in a full game, i will raise this once in awhile. though usually i want a little higher. like 99. i raise with alot of stuff, but here's an idea. if you do raise with 77 and hit your set, they arent going to put you on it right away. especially if theyd 'only' raise with premiums.

another thing this can tell you is how your opponents may be percieving you. youre hand is ok, but youll see the action youll be getting. jsut a side benefit to watch for when pulling a play like this in a full game. primarily if youve been folding alot. which doesnt mean that theyll think your a tight player and fold. you could fold 5 hours str8 and raise your rockets and get 7 callers. only 1 way to test it, sometimes

dont get carried away with it. be careful. there are other spots to look for.

but it's also fun to try once in awhile. if you hit your hand, youll get some good looks from the rocks who think youre nuts for doing that.

your strategy is fine. but when you get on a table where you know everyone and have played alot with them, you may be forced to try different things.

experiment a little. but it is preferrable to limp and get in cheap when playing in EP.

hope this helps a little...

b

[bernie]

"1) Well played - allthough I thhink a preflop raise is in order considering the described table texture"

not sure it would have gotten anyone out. they were playing to the flop, then tightening a little. but it might have worked. it could go either way.

"2) You are basically making semibluff bets into 3-4 opponents on 3 streets - I hope that's not a habbit Bernie! What on earth did they call with? "

the way they were calling, i figured i had the best hand. especially when they called the turn. which is why i wanted the board to pair. there werent too many safe cards for me. any overcard could take it. i figured if the board paired, itd be likely they didnt have it. though they couldve, but i had a feeling they were chasing overcards. 1 guy wanted me to hit my set so he could hit a str8. but the others just mucked.

if another overcard hit, then i have a problem, but when the cards stay low, my hand is looking good.

b

[SoCalPat]

Hey Bernie,

If you had an open-ended straight draw instead of a gutshot, do you still raise with your overcards or do you just call to keep bettors in?