two early hands from the blinds

[45suited]

Consecutive hands from the blinds. I have no doubt that I played the first hand correctly. The 2nd felt a little weak, but people love to play aces... I don't like playing hands early unless I can play them strongly. I check / folded top pair on the flop (multi-way action) both hands. Pretty sure that my play was correct, but I'm interested in comments. Anyone play either of these hands differently?

HAND 1

Seat 5 is the button
Total number of players : 9
Seat 6: Turat69 ( $440 )
Seat 7: HERO ( $770 )
Seat 5: greyhoundman ( $1730 )
Seat 8: cdawg89 ( $1680 )
Seat 2: Ms_Leading ( $1075 )
Seat 1: RandallG34 ( $355 )
Seat 4: ame3smith ( $545 )
Seat 3: dingodogg666 ( $805 )
Seat 9: lindab1956 ( $600 )

Blinds(15/30)
** Dealing down cards **
Dealt to HERO [ Qd 9s ]
cdawg89 calls [30].
lindab1956 folds.
RandallG34 folds.
Ms_Leading calls [30].
dingodogg666 folds.
ame3smith folds.
greyhoundman calls [30].
Turat69 folds.
HERO checks.

** Dealing Flop ** [ 6c, Td, Qs ]
HERO checks.
cdawg89 bets [30].
Ms_Leading raises [125].
greyhoundman folds.
HERO folds.
cdawg89 calls [95].

** Dealing Turn ** [ Ac ]
cdawg89 checks.
Ms_Leading checks.

** Dealing River ** [ Ks ]
cdawg89 bets [100].
Ms_Leading calls [100].

cdawg89 shows [ Kh, Jh ] a straight, ten to ace.
Ms_Leading doesn't show [ Qh, 8h ] a pair of queens.
cdawg89 wins 585 chips from the main pot with a straight, ten to ace.

HAND 2


Seat 6 is the button
Total number of players : 9
Seat 6: Turat69 ( $425 )
Seat 7: HERO ( $740 )
Seat 5: greyhoundman ( $1700 )
Seat 8: cdawg89 ( $2010 )
Seat 2: Ms_Leading ( $820 )
Seat 1: RandallG34 ( $355 )
Seat 4: ame3smith ( $545 )
Seat 3: dingodogg666 ( $805 )
Seat 9: lindab1956 ( $600 )

Blinds(15/30)
** Dealing down cards **
Dealt to HERO [ 7d Ad ]
lindab1956 calls [30].
RandallG34 folds.
Ms_Leading calls [30].
dingodogg666 folds.
ame3smith calls [30].
greyhoundman calls [30].
Turat69 folds.
HERO calls [15].
cdawg89 checks.

** Dealing Flop ** [ As, 2h, 3h ]
HERO checks.
cdawg89 checks.
lindab1956 bets [30].
Ms_Leading folds.
ame3smith calls [30].
greyhoundman raises [60].
HERO folds.
cdawg89 folds.
lindab1956 calls [30].
ame3smith calls [30].

** Dealing Turn ** [ Kc ]
lindab1956 checks.
ame3smith bets [30].
greyhoundman raises [60].
lindab1956 folds.
ame3smith calls [30].

** Dealing River ** [ Jc ]
ame3smith checks.
greyhoundman checks.
ame3smith shows [ Ac, 5d ] a pair of aces.
greyhoundman doesn't show [ Kd, 4h ] a pair of kings.
ame3smith wins 480 chips from the main pot with a pair of aces.

[Unarmed]

Well played on both hands.
Your Q is dominated the bulk of the time in the first one so easy laydown. On the second one you may have the best hand but the river is a looooong way away and you're OOP with a vulnerable hand in a multiway pot on a co-ordinated board. Yuck.

[Dr_Jeckyl_00]

Both are the types of hands (weak hands from blinds) that have gotten me in trouble. But why play from the blinds if you are going to just check and fold top pair? Are you hoping for 2 pair/set, otherwise fold? If that is the case it probably cost you more money in the long run to complete and play these hands. Why not take a shot w/ top pair if the board is not dangerous (however, it is dangerous in your examples)? I know you're not completing from SB as antes go up. The problem is the board has draws (both hands), so people are going to chase and that will cost you a lot of chips w/ weak top pair, which may be behind now and may end up losing if draws hit. So by playing these hands you will probably cost yourself a lot of chips, if not the game... good folds!

[lorinda]

[ QUOTE ]
Both are the types of hands (weak hands from blinds) that have gotten me in trouble. But why play from the blinds if you are going to just check and fold top pair?

[/ QUOTE ]

There doesn't have to be a bet and a raise after you check.

Sometimes everyone will check and your A7 will look a lot better.

Lori

[45suited]

[ QUOTE ]
There doesn't have to be a bet and a raise after you check.

Sometimes everyone will check and your A7 will look a lot better.

[/ QUOTE ]

Exactly.

[Dr_Jeckyl_00]

[ QUOTE ]

[ QUOTE ]
Both are the types of hands (weak hands from blinds) that have gotten me in trouble. But why play from the blinds if you are going to just check and fold top pair?

[/ QUOTE ]

There doesn't have to be a bet and a raise after you check.

Sometimes everyone will check and your A7 will look a lot better.

Lori

[/ QUOTE ]

So how do you play the turn? You have just given a free card... and again you don't necessarily know where you stand...

[tigerite]

It depends. But not much is going to overtake a pair of aces here unless it's very obvious (a 4, 5 or heart).. this makes the turn very, very easy to play.

[Isura]

I like both hands.

[schwza]

if you had put a chip in either pot after a bet and a raise, it would have been horrible. leading out on either flop is an option, but i like checking better on both.

[bluefeet]

I play the two OP hands the exact same way.

[1500chip Stars early tourney comment]:

Deep-stacked, L1/2, many are seeing flops with literally any two.

If there were not so many to the flop (2 or 3 say), and IF the bet looks probe'ish (1/2 or less) - I'll check/call with TP, if it looks likely we'll be HU to turn (or if we are already). I'll generally check/call again on a weak turn bet (vs. leading). If the river hasn't gotten rediculously scary, I'll usually throw out a small block/value bet here.

Very rarely will I check/raise with a very small kicker (except later in the tourney of course where the blinds/stacks dictate otherwise). I find that the chips it takes to invest properly, given those occasions where you have to lay it down...make the check/call more profitable in the end.