Seeking Feedback on three hands

[Zoe's Echo]

I have been involved in three hands lately that have led to some questions that I would like others feedback on.

These are a mix of tournament and life hands but I am moreover interested in NL/PL play guidance.

Hand 1: PL HE - On Button with As Kd I am second deepest at table at roughly 3,000. Four limpers in at 30/60 limit I make it 380 to go getting one caller from UTG. Flop comes 3 [img]/forums/images/icons/diamond.gif[/img] T [img]/forums/images/icons/diamond.gif[/img] A [img]/forums/images/icons/diamond.gif[/img] . Checked to me and I bet pot and get raised back 450 over my bet by UTG all-in. Two questions with top pair nut redraw: is this a call that should be made if the stacks are deeper? say we each have another 2,000 back? Given the fact that a free card diamond is more my friend then enemy is it appropriate to check? I have been thinking about this and cannot decide if this thinking is results oriented - I have lost three big hands recently two with flopped sets - losing to flopped flushes. Should I be more cautious on these flush boards. I have tended to play them faster heads up when I don't have a redraw. Is this foolish thinking heads up?

Hand 2: NL HE - short stacked $900 at table with average stack of $3,000. 2nd UTG limp for $30 - I reraise to $200 almost 7x from BB with QQ. Didn't know the player but I was thinking middle pair 66 to TT. Flop 232 - I was going to bet the pot of $400 but seeing that it was almost 60% of my stack I bet all-in. I could see getting called by a lot of smaller pairs (only two bigger in this case). I truly feared only 22 or 33 but really thought these hands unlikely given the 7x raise. Question: Smaller bet on flop? The problem for me with this is a smaller bet may incite an all-in raise from the smaller pair and I didn't want to put myself in position to get bluffed out. Any thoughts or suggestions?

Hand3: HE NL $0.5/$1.0 - Limp in UTG with KK as there had been a ton of late raising at the table namely by the button in this hand. My stack is approx. $50 3rd largest at table. I had not limped with a large pair for the hour or so that I had been there always opened raised. Folded to button who makes it $2 to go out of his/her $20 stack. Blinds fold and I make it $10 to go (knowing this player from prior play there was at least an 80% chance of having an A in this hand and I wanted them to pay for the 3 outs). Of course I get a call. Preflop - $21.50 in pot I have $40 back they have $8 back. Flop comes 5 [img]/forums/images/icons/heart.gif[/img] 6 [img]/forums/images/icons/heart.gif[/img] T [img]/forums/images/icons/heart.gif[/img] - I bet $8.50 w/o K hearts. My reasoning was that they are calling raising with any major heart. Question: Without the K hearts is this play too agressive - again if I bet small say $2 I am screaming monster or weak and if they have the A [img]/forums/images/icons/heart.gif[/img] I am going to be all-in to their stack anyway? If I check and get all-in raised do I call or lay it down?

Thanks for any assistance that you can offer in the above hands.

Good Luck!

[Greg (FossilMan)]

For future reference, I recommend limiting yourself to one hand per post. Just make three separate posts in a case like this.

Hand 1: This is not a hand to lay down under the large majority of circumstances, deep money or not. If the money is shallow, you have pot odds to draw to the nut flush. If money is deep, it is there for you to get paid off after making the nut flush. About the only time you could lay this down is when the opponent makes a huge overbet, and you know that this almost certainly means they have a made but vulnerable flush. In that case, you're about a 2:1 dog to win, maybe a bit less, but possibly only getting 3:2 or less on the call.

As to how you should play it in general, that depends too much on the opponent for there to be any play that is generally correct.

Hand 2: There should be no fear of getting bluffed out on your part. If there is ANY chance that this opponent has less than QQ when he bets or raises, you cannot fold on this flop. So don't worry about that, just don't fold. As for how much to bet postflop, given these stack sizes bet more like half the pot, i.e., 200. That's enough that if he calls with AK (the worst possible hand from your perspective), it will be a mistake. Then bet the rest on the turn.

Hand 3: Again, given the stack sizes, there should be no laying down on your part. So, how best to play it? I would tend to just bet him all-in on the flop. If he has a flush, you were destined to lose anyway (barring miracle runner-runner full houses), and if he has a flush draw, you're a 2:1 favorite to win the pot anyway. However, since you do not have the Kh, bet all-in and hopefully he will fold hands like QdJh, or 4d4h, or other hands that are only 2:1 dogs. Since he will think you could have both a higher made hand AND a higher heart draw, he will often fold these hands that might be drawing dead, although he should obviously call with them if he could see your cards.

If he does call with these, you're still the favorite, so +EV money is still going into your stack.

Later, Greg Raymer (FossilMan)

[Zoe's Echo]

Thanks Greg,

I reached pretty much the same conclusion in each hand. I'll share with you the results.

Hand 1: UTG called 360 more than his limp with J7d - the dreaded suited three gapper catches perfect again. Obviously I know since I called the small reraise.

Hand 2: You are correct as I should have bet smaller on the flop however with the early limper holding 33 I was doomed since they would have raised all in - hard to give a 2 or 33 in this hand.

Hand 3: To the wonders of all wonders my KK was picked off by the dreaded AKh who flopped the nuts. Another 2:1 favorite picked clean.

When it rains it really pours lately - makes me wonder if they will ever turn back. +EV is a concept that seems to have left the building.

Thanks again for taking the time to respond

Good Luck!