with a whimper, not a yell - advice sought

Apoc · #1 08-09-2004, 02:14 PM

A hand I played at lunch today, UB 1/2 NL

I've got $200, see AA in MP after two limpers and raise it up to $11. Folded to the SB ($250) who calls, and BB and limpers fold. Headsup to the flop...

K98 rainbow (pot of ~$28)

Checked to me, I bet $15 and get checkraised to $30. I call, planning to raise the turn. About $85 in the pot to the turn.

Turn comes Q (K 9 8)

SB bets pot (which is a little more than half what I have left) -- for some reason, a little voice is telling me about monsters hiding in the closet and so I flat call, making myself slightly sick as I click the button.

River comes Q (Q K 9 8)

SB puts me all in and I call.

I'll save the results for later, but I would appreciate advice on the play of this hand. Reraise flop, push on the turn, fold on the river? Not a lot of background on the SB, except he had a large-ish stack and hadn't gotten out of line as far as I had seen in my three orbits at the table. And a larger question with those familiar with the NL games on UB -- I'm having some serious issues with this 1/2 game on UB despite holding my own reasonably well at the .50/1. Are the games really that different, or am I just hallucinating as my stack goes poof everytime I try to move up to this level?

schwza · #2 08-09-2004, 02:23 PM

i'd bet the full pot on the flop. there are a lot of pairs and straight draws that will be out, and you don't want to give a cheap draw.

i'd reraise the flop, for largely the same reasons. if you're getting check-raised by T9 or KQ, you don't want to give a free card. and it's unlikely you're behind right now except to 88 and 99. i'd make it about 90 and plan on calling a push.

i'd push the turn. if you're ahead, the villain certainly has outs, most likely with some sort of pair+gutshot. you're going to have to call a bet on the end if you're behind, so give him a chance to fold now.

on the river, i'd call for sure. as i read it, there are 3 units in the pot after the turn and you have 1 left, so i'd call getting 4:1 and hope to get shown AK, KJ, JJ, TT, etc.

Apoc · #3 08-09-2004, 05:51 PM

SB had QJs and was apparently trying some semi-bluff checkraise on the flop against the pre-flop raiser and caught trips on the river. Undoubtedly, I would have been able to move him off the hand on the flop if I had been more aggressive -- I will file that in the "Reasons not to slowplay" folder.

Thanks for the reply, schwza!
Apoc