Trouble in Paradise !!! Part II: 9 hands

[MarkD]

1,2,3 - seem fairly straightforward and correct.

4 - easy muck pre-flop. Wouldn't consider any other play here pre-flop, I believe 3 betting to be horrible, sorry. Your flop raise is fine, but when reraised I think you should slow WAY down. I think you should be considering folding the turn when he 3 bets you on the flop. I got the opinion you were playing this A9 as if you had AK.


Limper preflop is ok. I might fold when it comes back to me for 2 bets but I don't think it's a big mistake here. On the flop I think he should smooth call your raise and check raise you on the turn with his two pair, but reraising you is good too. Turn he was too passive (you don't have AA, 55, or a 4). Having not checkraised the turn limper should check raise the river here IMO. Betting isn't too wrong though, just not as good (he never got extra bets on any of the big bet rounds and he should have been able to since he should have put you on an AK / AQ).

Preflop raiser - his preflop play is fine. He was a chump on all other betting rounds. Calling station. Horrible. Should be able to muck it on the flop or at least the turn. Nope he's overcalling on the river.

5. I would fold a lot of posting hands against a raise. Say the guy posted and got 72o is he going to call? no. You played fine though.

6. Seems straight forward to me. No point betting the river. You seem to bet a lot though, are your opponents calling you down a lot? If so, that's good but you should consider taking some free cards if they are calling you with bottom pair and crap and beating you on the river.

7. Good.

8. It isn't wrong. He was getting over 12-1 on his call on the flop and it's an easy call on the turn. Dunno what you can do here, but if I had been you I think this might have been a flop I'd consider checking so that I could raise an opponent on the turn when they bet into me.

9. First call is ok, second call is a mistake. You should muck when it comes back two more to you.

You lost 5.50 (6-0.5 post) on hand 4 that you should not have. You lost another $1 on hand 9 you shouldn't have. I don't think there is anything you can do about hand 8, just bad luck - but because you raise preflop he was getting correct odds to call the flop (assuming hitting a Q would be good for him). If I was him I might have called (especially if I closed the action) and then run you over.

[BB King's]

*****

[rigoletto]

I'm betting top/pair/kicker in to a runner/runner-flush-board. Isn't that pretty standard ?

First of all: don't play things because 'it is standard'. Think about your opponents play! I'll give you that in this situation you could have a value bet on the river against a weaker A or a callstation with a J. But on this river you have a flush and a straight hitting, also you could be up against J9 or A9. I think more hands that beat you will call (or raise) than hands you beat. It's close, so I wont say you where wrong for betting - just don't do it by default as your answer suggested you are.

[BB King's]

*********

[BB King's]

I can somewhat see your point.

If he has a small diamond, he'll bet again on the river and you'll raise. Maybe he just check/call the river !?!

[BB King's]

Thanks for your analysis of the 9 hands. It more or less confirms my own thougts and it's in line with the other posters. Nice job !

9. First call is ok, second call is a mistake. You should muck when it comes back two more to you.

You lost 5.50 (6-0.5 post) on hand 4 that you should not have. You lost another $1 on hand 9 you shouldn't have.

Of course you are right - I didn't look good in hand 4 and 9. But to say my total EV-mistake is 6.5 is kinda unfair.

In hand 9 I would say my first call is a 0.10 mistake - second call is a 0.30 mistake. Analysis of hand 4 is beyond me.

Coming up soon ... some suited hands ...

[XlgJoe]

Actually on hand 9, I don't think you were wrong to call when it came back around to you. You were getting slightly better than 7:1 odds to hit your set.

[Homer]

Hand 1 - Routine

Hand 2 - I wouldn't raise on the flop unless I was fairly confident that my opponent would go into a shell after I raised. Against many opponents, you will be reraised and bet into on the turn, because it is obvious that you are looking for a free card. By the way, this is why you should raise the flop if you actually flopped a flush. You will be three-bet, can call, then raise your opponent's turn bet. I would have called on the turn after making my flush. If you raise you will either be reraised by a bigger flush or cause a hand without a diamond to fold, most of the time. I would definitely prefer to call the turn and raise the river (actually I would probably just call the river with the Q).

Hand 3 - Routine.

Hand 4 - I would have folded or called here. There is a good chance you are dominated. If you want to see the flop see it as cheaply as is possible. Three-betting will not get it heads-up between you and CO-1 since there were two limpers before he raised. It would be different if CO-1 had open-raised, in which case a reraise could definitely bet correct. On the flop I would fold to the limper's reraise, or maybe call if I had odds to spike a nine. You may already be up against AA, and if not, you are certainly dominated and drawing to three outs. I don't see the sense in capping it at all. Your turn and river play are fine.

Hand 5 - What's wrong with the poster folding? You played the hand fine.

Hand 6 - Fine

Hand 7 - Fine if the blinds are tight

Hand 8 - Oh well, at least he didn't raise you on the river!

Hand 9 - Fine

[eMarkM]

1) fine
2) well played
3) routine
4) bad raise, probabale fold. Axo is probably the most overplayed hand in HE and is very -EV. You out kicked the other A in this hand and he got lucky to two pair, but often you're dominated here and paying off a better kicker. When you're reraised on the flop your hand is no good and it's a pretty clear fold.
5)Good raise and flop bet
6)Fine. I will often play this the same HU when the opponent doesn't play back at me and hope my nut nothing holds up.
7)Fine, pair is slight favorite if overcards call in blinds.
8)Took a beat
9)When it comes back two bets to you, fold.

Most of these are routine and many you win. I'm sure there were more interesting hands then these in your poor session. Post more where you take the worst of it and think you really misplayed or didn't know what to do.

[Homer]

I disagree with those who say to muck when it is two bets back to you in Hand 9 (when you have 33). Most likely you will be putting 2 bets into a 14.5 bet pot, so you'll be getting 7:1 on your call. Plus, since the pot has grown so large, there will be a lot of action if you make a set.

-- Homer