Let up or keep pressing

Homer · #1 02-16-2004, 09:54 PM

I'm rusty, so help me out. All of these hands are from 2/4 SH on Poker Stars. No opponent knowledge unless otherwise stated. What is my best decision in each situation and why?

Hand 1

UTG limps, CO raises, I three-bet from button with QQ. BB coldcalls, CO caps, BB and I call. Three to the flop.

Flop - 2d 8s 4s

CO bets, I raise, BB coldcalls, CO calls.

Turn - 8h

Checked to me, I bet, CO calls.

River - Ah

Checked to me. Bet/Check

Hand 2

I raise 99 UTG, button (loose, somewhat aggressive and tricky) coldcalls, blinds call. Four to the flop.

Flop - Kd 7c 2h

I bet, button raises, folded to me. Reraise/Call/Fold

Hand 3

Loose-passive table, 5-handed right now, players behind me almost always coldcall.

I limp UTG with KdTc, all but one limps/completes. Four to the flop.

Flop - Ad Kc Jc

LAG BB bets. Raise/Call/Fold

Hand 4

Still 5-handed with loosies. UTG limps, I raise with 88, button and SB coldcall, UTG calls. Four to the flop.

Flop - Kd 6s 6h

Checked to me, I bet, all call.

Turn - Th

Checked to me. Bet/Check

Hand 5

I open-raise from button with A4c, only SB calls.

Flop - Kh Qh 4h

Checked to me, I bet, SB calls.

Turn - Jc

Checked to me. Bet/Check

Hand 6

CO and button limp, SB completes, I check with 98o.

Flop - Jh 9d 8h

I bet, button raises, I three-bet, button calls.

Turn - Td

I bet, button calls.

River - Tc

Bet/Check-call/Check-fold

Hand 7

I limp UTG with 77, CO-1 raises, BB and I call. Three to the flop.

Flop - 8s 6d 2s

I bet, CO-1 calls, BB calls.

Turn - 9h

I bet, CO-1 calls, BB calls.

River - 3h Bet/Check-call regardless of whether BB calls/Check-call if BB folds, do not overcall

Hand 8

5-handed, all limp to me in BB, I check with JTo.

Flop - Ts 7d 2s

Checked around to auto-betting button, SB calls, I check-raise, button calls, SB now three-bets. Call/Fold

Hand 9

UTG and UTG+1 limp, SB completes, I check in BB with Q3o.

Flop - Qc Jc 6c

Checked to me. Bet/Check-call/Check-fold

Hand 10

UTG (LAG/Bluffer) and UTG+1 (tight, doesn't chase) limp, I limp on puck with QJs, blinds tag along. Five to the flop.

Flop - Jc 8h 8d

UTG bets, UTG+1 calls. Raise/Call

I called.

Turn - Ad

UTG bets, UTG+1 calls. Raise/Call

-- Homer

BigBaitsim (milo) · #2 02-16-2004, 10:09 PM

Hand 1: Bet

Hand 2: Fold

Hand 3: Raise. Fold to re-raise.

Hand 4: Check (although some will bust my chops and you are pretty much giving away the hand)

Hand 5: Will he fold? Arguments are good for both. I'd probably check. He has something that will beat your A-high or he'd have folded.

Hand 6: Check, Call

Hand 7: Check, call one but not both

Hand 8: Fold

Hand 9: Bet, fold to a raise

Hand 10: Did they take your fold button away?

[ QUOTE ]
I'm rusty, so help me out. All of these hands are from 2/4 SH on Poker Stars. No opponent knowledge unless otherwise stated. What is my best decision in each situation and why?

Hand 1

UTG limps, CO raises, I three-bet from button with QQ. BB coldcalls, CO caps, BB and I call. Three to the flop.

Flop - 2d 8s 4s

CO bets, I raise, BB coldcalls, CO calls.

Turn - 8h

Checked to me, I bet, CO calls.

River - Ah

Checked to me. Bet/Check

Hand 2

I raise 99 UTG, button (loose, somewhat aggressive and tricky) coldcalls, blinds call. Four to the flop.

Flop - Kd 7c 2h

I bet, button raises, folded to me. Reraise/Call/Fold

Hand 3

Loose-passive table, 5-handed right now, players behind me almost always coldcall.

I limp UTG with KdTc, all but one limps/completes. Four to the flop.

Flop - Ad Kc Jc

LAG BB bets. Raise/Call/Fold

Hand 4

Still 5-handed with loosies. UTG limps, I raise with 88, button and SB coldcall, UTG calls. Four to the flop.

Flop - Kd 6s 6h

Checked to me, I bet, all call.

Turn - Th

Checked to me. Bet/Check

Hand 5

I open-raise from button with A4c, only SB calls.

Flop - Kh Qh 4h

Checked to me, I bet, SB calls.

Turn - Jc

Checked to me. Bet/Check

Hand 6

CO and button limp, SB completes, I check with 98o.

Flop - Jh 9d 8h

I bet, button raises, I three-bet, button calls.

Turn - Td

I bet, button calls.

River - Tc

Bet/Check-call/Check-fold

Hand 7

I limp UTG with 77, CO-1 raises, BB and I call. Three to the flop.

Flop - 8s 6d 2s

I bet, CO-1 calls, BB calls.

Turn - 9h

I bet, CO-1 calls, BB calls.

River - 3h Bet/Check-call regardless of whether BB calls/Check-call if BB folds, do not overcall

Hand 8

5-handed, all limp to me in BB, I check with JTo.

Flop - Ts 7d 2s

Checked around to auto-betting button, SB calls, I check-raise, button calls, SB now three-bets. Call/Fold

Hand 9

UTG and UTG+1 limp, SB completes, I check in BB with Q3o.

Flop - Qc Jc 6c

Checked to me. Bet/Check-call/Check-fold

Hand 10

UTG (LAG/Bluffer) and UTG+1 (tight, doesn't chase) limp, I limp on puck with QJs, blinds tag along. Five to the flop.

Flop - Jc 8h 8d

UTG bets, UTG+1 calls. Raise/Call

I called.

Turn - Ad

UTG bets, UTG+1 calls. Raise/Call

-- Homer

[/ QUOTE ]

BottlesOf · #3 02-16-2004, 10:16 PM

I'll take a shot.

Hand 1: I check/call. AK, AQ, he's not laying down KK... and I think a c/r on the river here is possible if he hit his hand, even for a fishy.

Hand 2: I fold. Maybe this guy is capable of raising a worse hand, but I think it's -EV to find out.

Hand 3: I found out today that I'm a lousy SH player, but I don't like this limp. Since BB is a LAG, I'd raise and proceed cautiously--I feel like another ace is out there.

Hand 4: I fire another one out there, but I'd be hating life.

Hand 5: Definitely bet.

Hand 6: I check/call. He looks like a busted flush draw or a Jack. I don't think his bet if checked to means your beat.

Hand 7: Why are you acting before the BB?

Hand 8: Is your J a spade? Bizzare play from the SB. I honestly don't know what is right. Getting 11:1 I probably call.

Hand 9: check/fold.

Hand 10: There has to be some opportunity to fold.

Homer · #4 02-16-2004, 10:18 PM

Hand 3: Raise. Fold to re-raise.

Would you really fold to a re-raise from a LAG, getting 9:1 with up to 10 outs?

Hand 10: Did they take your fold button away?

Would you have folded at some point? I don't think folding on the flop is an option, as the lead bettor is a notorious bluffer who could have all sorts of junk. What concerned me was the UTG+1 caller. I decided to call and see what happened on the turn. If UTG bet again and UTG+1 raised, I could get away cheaply. If UTG only called, I could decide whether to raise or call. I think I should have raised the turn and folded to a three-bet from UTG (even though he was a bluffer, he wouldn't three-bet a turn raise without at least trips). If UTG+1 only called, I could either bet or check behind on the river. Additionally, my turn raise might serve to get UTG+1 to fold a hand that is chopping with mine for fear that I have an Ace. I feel that this is a much better use of two bets than is calling a single bet on the turn and river. But anyway, back to my original question: Would you have folded for a single bet at any point in this hand?

-- Homer

BottlesOf · #5 02-16-2004, 10:25 PM

I'm an idiot.

I bet here.

Edit: The more I look over the hand, the less I'm sure of this. I think I check, and call, but not an overcall.

Brian · #6 02-16-2004, 10:33 PM

Hi Homer,

Hand #1: Call me wussy but I am checking behind on this River.

Hand #2: I'd call down. From the read you have on him, he doesn't need a King to raise the Flop, so I think folding isn't an option. Planning to check-call down will save you money when you are behind, and he'll probably bet your hand for you if you're ahead. So that seems like a good option, and is generally my default line of play when I am out of position against an aggressive player.

Hand #3: Fold.

Hand #4: Bet.

Hand #5: Bet and take the free showdown. Easy laydown if you're check-raised.

Hand #6: Rough. Real rough. I think I would check-call. He probably won't bet a Jack for value on this board, so that is a plus to check-calling. I am not comfortable check-folding in a pot of this size when he could have a Flush draw.

Hand #7: Pretty sure I'd bet this one. I do not want to check and be put in the uncomfortable position of overcalling with 3rd pair, and I am fairly sure you won't get raised. Also, players tend to call down with Ace-high in these games so there is definitely value in your bet.

Hand #8: Call, re-evaluate on the Turn.

Hand #9: Bet, you can't afford to give free cards here.

Hand #10: This is the hardest hand of all 10 I think. I'll wait to see others answers before I respond. I can see arguments for any way of playing this.

-Brian

Homer · #7 02-16-2004, 10:38 PM

I'll take a shot.

Good, you got rid of the other part. [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

Hand 1: I check/call. AK, AQ, he's not laying down KK... and I think a c/r on the river here is possible if he hit his hand, even for a fishy.

Note that I was the button here and my opponent checked the river.

Hand 2: I fold. Maybe this guy is capable of raising a worse hand, but I think it's -EV to find out.

You're probably right in most instances. I suppose this was a bad hand to post because it is so opponent dependent. Also, it is not a situation you would play the same all of the time even against a specific opponent. In this instance, I re-raised and led the turn. My opponent folded (I hope he had TT [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]). In most cases, I would probably pack it in after being raised, though, even against this opponent.

Hand 3: I found out today that I'm a lousy SH player, but I don't like this limp. Since BB is a LAG, I'd raise and proceed cautiously--I feel like another ace is out there.

I don't like it either. I knew I'd be able to see the flop for a single bet, as the only aggressive player was in the BB, and even he would not raise from that position without a fairly decent hand. Regardless, though, I think KTo was pushing it. KJo is probably a play, though. I'm still debating what play was best on the flop.

Hand 4: I fire another one out there, but I'd be hating life.

I decided to pack it in. Given that everyone called my flop bet, I decided that the chances of someone having a K or 6, or having turned a T, were too great. And even if I am ahead, there are still overcards and draws that can get there on the river. Basically, I thought that I was likely behind and if I was ahead I could still lose. If the pot were a little larger, I would have fired one more time.

Hand 5: Definitely bet.

I checked behind and folded to a single bet when a heart came on the river. I would have folded even if my opponent had bet a blank. With three overcards and three hearts on board, I felt that I was likely behind, and if not, could easily lose on the river. The fact that I might have had up to 6 outs pushed me even harder to check behind.

Hand 6: I check/call. He looks like a busted flush draw or a Jack. I don't think his bet if checked to means your beat.

I couldn't decide whether to bet or check-call. If I bet, he may fold the best hand (a Jack or a 9 + OC), but if I check, he may check behind with a better hand, such as a Jack, 9 + OC, or trip T's. I finally decided that no one at this limit will fold a better hand, even at Poker Stars, but they might check behind with a worse hand given that PStars players tend to be less aggressive than those at other sites (i.e. - Party). Anyway, I checked and he checked behind with KK.

Hand 7: Why are you acting before the BB?

I wasn't. If I'm shown as acting first, you can assume that it has been checked to me because I triple preview before submitting my posts. [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

Hand 8: Is your J a spade? Bizzare play from the SB. I honestly don't know what is right. Getting 11:1 I probably call.

No spades. I called and folded when a blank came on the turn. I believe I should have folded immediately to the three-bet, as the chances of my opponent having a set are too great for me to be chasing getting only 11:1. If it had been a raised pot preflop and these actions took place on the flop, I'd lean towards calling one more bet and seeing the turn.

Hand 9: check/fold.

Twas what I did.

Hand 10: There has to be some opportunity to fold.

Why? Remember, the bettor was a LAG.

-- Homer

Homer · #8 02-16-2004, 10:41 PM

I bet here.

Edit: The more I look over the hand, the less I'm sure of this. I think I check, and call, but not an overcall.

I certainly would have called if BB did not, because it's fairly obvious that CO-1 is on overcards. A call from BB most likely means that he has my sevens beaten, but at that point I'm getting around 10:1 and am closing the action, and it's not a typical overcall because there's no way CO-1 has me beaten. I really only have a single player to beat. I checked and am pretty sure I would have called, but CO-1 checked it through, as I had hoped.

-- Homer

BigBaitsim (milo) · #9 02-16-2004, 10:52 PM

Hand 3: You are correct. I'd still raise, but would fall into check-call mode if re-raised.

Hand 10: UTG scares me not, but you described UTG+1 as "tight, doesn't chase." If he is calling a board with Jc 8h 8d Ad, chances are pretty good he can beat your hand. I think you have only 2 really clean outs. If the Q hits, you still stand a decent chance of losing. A caveat, I am not a Real Poker Player, just a country shrink who plays a bit online and pretends a lot. This is like the Blind leading the Actually-I-see-pretty-well-but-my-glasses-just-need-a-quick-cleaning, so feel free to blow off the "advice."

Homer · #10 02-16-2004, 10:55 PM

Hand #1: Call me wussy but I am checking behind on this River.

I won't, because that's what I did. I didn't have enough of a read on my opponent to determine whether his "preflop cap + flop bet and call of raise combo" meant AK/AQ or 99/TT/JJ. The more I think about it, though, I think that betting the river is best. Most of these players will bet an Ace on the river if they have AK/AQ, whereas Party players seem much more willing to go for a check-raise.

Hand #2: I'd call down. From the read you have on him, he doesn't need a King to raise the Flop, so I think folding isn't an option. Planning to check-call down will save you money when you are behind, and he'll probably bet your hand for you if you're ahead. So that seems like a good option, and is generally my default line of play when I am out of position against an aggressive player.

I hadn't though of this. It might have been a better idea.

Hand #5: Bet and take the free showdown. Easy laydown if you're check-raised.

At Party, this is the line I would typically take. I felt that these players were a bit tighter and would not semi-coldcall preflop and call a bet on a KQ4m flop without a piece of it. And the J on the turn didn't improve things if he had AT/AJ/JT/T9/etc. I decided that it was so likely I was behind that I shouldn't put even one more bet into the pot. This is something I've had difficulty doing in the past (I would always bet the turn intending to take the free showdown), but am starting to do effectively now on select occasions.

Hand #6: Rough. Real rough. I think I would check-call. He probably won't bet a Jack for value on this board, so that is a plus to check-calling. I am not comfortable check-folding in a pot of this size when he could have a Flush draw.

Pretty much my thoughts -- a better hand will check behind. Also, a better hand won't fold to a bet from me.

Hand #7: Pretty sure I'd bet this one. I do not want to check and be put in the uncomfortable position of overcalling with 3rd pair, and I am fairly sure you won't get raised. Also, players tend to call down with Ace-high in these games so there is definitely value in your bet.

I wouldn't have felt uncomfortable overcalling as I knew I had CO-1 beaten.

Good point about CO-1 calling with Ace-high. Heads-up I would have certainly bet.

Hand #8: Call, re-evaluate on the Turn.

This is what I usually do, but I'm not convinced that in this instance folding immediately isn't best.

Hand #9: Bet, you can't afford to give free cards here.

Small pot (2 BB) + possibly not best hand + easily drawn out on if best + bad position = Check-fold [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

Hand #10: This is the hardest hand of all 10 I think. I'll wait to see others answers before I respond. I can see arguments for any way of playing this.

I agree. However, given that I called the flop bet, I believe I should have raised the turn (see my reply to BottlesOf).

-- Homer