QQ 5/10

[gavrilo]

This is a hand I observed at 5/10NL but has been modified a bit to my liking.
You are new to the table and have $1,000 and you have no reads on any players.
You find QQ in mid to late position and open raise to $40,
1 caller($1,000) behind you and the Button($1,000) makes it $110, you call, coldcaller folds. Headsup, $275 pot to the flop of:
T52r

Your plan for the rest of the hand is?

[SpiderMnkE]

This seems like a very bad spot to be in with no read. You could easily get pushed off the hand by some aggro... or be dominated by a strong player. I'm not happy here. Does everyone call the reraise?

What reraise hands do we typically beat... AKs.. maybe JJ. Yikes... I have no idea what I'd do here.

[Zag]

I am very confidant when I say, "I don't know."

I think it is rare to have absolutely no reads on the players. Since I am in middle position, I must have played 3 hands, at least, and the button has to have played those three hands. I will assume that he just quietly folded his blinds, and this is the first pot that I have entered, as well -- this is still some sort of read.

Assuming that I have plenty of cash to rebuy, I think I am headed all in, here. When I have close decisions in the first circuit of play, I choose to err on the side of loose and slightly over-aggressive. This sets the first impression of me for everyone else on the table, and it means that they will push their marginal hands against me, but won't bluff me.

Therefore, I bet out, and I'll take back the "I don't know." Unless I'm feeling mousey that day, in which case I check-fold.

Let's do the math. Assume that he would have to hold JJ, AK, AQs or better, for the reraise.

AA 6 ways
KK 6 ways
QQ 1 way
JJ 6 ways
AK 16 ways
AQs 2 ways

12 hands dominate me, 8 hands I dominate, 16 hands I am way ahead (now). Of course, the ones where I am ahead will likely fold, but all the ones ahead of me will likely call or raise, so the odds aren't quite as good as they look.

In reality, I think the button would raise with even more hands than these, and I am ahead of most of the hands that we add in. With any luck (but not the sort I have), he has ATs.

[Unarmed]

Had the exact same situation last night but with JJ and the flop came K-rag-rag. I bet slightly > pot and Villain folded. I'm pretty much an autobetter when I raise PF (doesn't matter if I've been reraised) and it seems to work for me. Zag's reasoning illustrates why. (most people seem to love AK just a little too much PF) However, if I'm playing a bunch of 2+2ers that are not going to reraise PF without KK or AA its obviously a different story. I'd probably fold PF [img]/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]

[gavrilo]

I agree with you and Zag that this should be bet into.

In the actual hand, QQ checked, Button bet $110, QQ called, turn brought a Jack, QQ checked and Button bet $200 and QQ checkraised all-in here.
Now QQ here was new to the table but I have no idea on their past encounters or the likes.

[Roman]

playing qq like this will get you broke.

[Matt Flynn]

- best option is if you can read your opponent well, you check, decide if he has it, fold if he does and check-raise if he doesn't.

- if your opponent is really loose with reraises, he may have you beat but you're willing to go all in with him. check-raise.

- check fold. this is the best strategy if your opponent plays well and you cannot read him.

- finally, you can lead into him for $200. this is reasonable if he'd reraise with AQ and medium pocket pairs and will lay them down. that way you get the AK/AQ/possibly KQ/bulls*it reraise hands/99/88/77 and maybe JJ/QQ if he thinks you're really tight in that situation. if you can't get away after he calls that bet, don't make it.

matt

[gavrilo]

very good advice here...
When I saw this hand, I thought it was something that would be good for review thus why I posted it.
In the hand, button called the turn checkraise and won the hand with AA

[Zag]

For this pattern: check-call, then check-raise turn, you must think that you are raising for value here, because the flop bet and a turn bet will probably make the other player pot-committed. I am not so convinced you are ahead, here. I would much rather see you check-raise the flop, because you might get KK, and even AA to lay it down. The down side is that your check-raise just about puts you pot-committed -- you would have to be very confidant of your read and very disciplined to lay it down to a reraise.

Note that anything you beat is likely to check behind on the turn, anyway, so I pretty strongly feel that this pattern you've described is guaranteed to get you all in when you are behind. But it is going to give your opponent the best chances for a suckout if you are ahead.

[JohnG]

With absolutely no knowledge, playing the hand in a vacuum, or in other words talking generally, I would check-fold flop.