Am I playing this wrong?

[dennischambers]

I play in a weekly home game (.25-.50 blind no limit) and I have lately had some awful problems with getting drawn out on. I am not sure if I am playing my hand correctly and just getting sucked out on, or if I should play my hand differently to avoid getting sucked out on. Here are two examples that have happened to me in the last two weeks:
#1: three handed game, button folds, i raise with k-7 (very loose game) and big blind calls my raise. flop is king 5 5. I bet about 5 dollars (we both have about 30 bucks), he calls. (There is no point slowplaying big hands in this game because people will call with draws or even less.) the turn is a 9. i bet about 10 dollars, he calls. the river is an ace, i bet 10 more, he calls. i turn over my two pair, he turns over queen 10, giving him a straight. he called a big bet on the flop with nothing, and a bigger bet on the turn wtih just a gutshot straight draw.

example #2: 7 handed game. i have a massive chip lead (about 80 bucks, next biggest stack is probably 30). i have k7 and raise 3 dollars in late position, a big raise for this table, hoping to steal the pot. i get maybe 3 callers, the blinds and an early position guy. the flop is king 7 5 rainbow. i bet five dollars, everyone folds but the big blind who calls. (by the way, this is the same guy from example #1.) the turn is a second diamond, i dont remember which. i suspect he might have picked up a flush draw, so i bet 10 dollars to bet him off his draw. he quickly calls. the river is another diamond, i check and he checks it behind me and turns over his flush.

to me, his play is completely illogical. he never had the odds to call me in any instance. when i asked him his thought process afterwards, he said "i thought you were bluffing", ignoring the fact that at the time HE COULDNT EVEN BEAT A BLUFF.
any comments/suggestions? am i just getting unlucky?

[dennischambers]

I'm sorry but I am wondering why nobody is responding. Is it just because I have never posted here before, or because my question is stupid, or because I'm asking it incorrectly? I would really appreciate some help/comments.
thanks

[krazyace5]

The way you post the first hand he should not have a straight.

I don't think raising K7 preflop is a good choice.

The only thing I can say is this guy will pay you off in the long run. He plays terrible and got lucky drawing out on you, nothing you can do but punish him the next time.

Good luck

[ML4L]

Hey Dennis,

Hope this doesn't come off the wrong way (I'd hate to drive away a new poster), but nobody responded because it sounds like you're whining about bad beats.

You remark that your opponent never had the correct odds on any street to draw, yet drew anyway and hit. It sounds like you already know that you played fine and just got unlucky...

ML4L

[EVIL]

If you are betting large enough so that you are giving drawing hands bad odds to call, then you actually prefer that they call. In that case, you shouldn't mind being sucked out on once in a while, because this means your opponents are playing their draws badly (calling when they should fold), and their occasional suckouts will reinforce this bad play. Streaks of suckouts will occur naturally due to random chance.


You didn't mention the size of your preflop raise in Hand #1 nor the size of the pot on later streets, so I can't really say anything about that hand, other than K7 being a trash hand.


Hand #2:

I think you should've made a bigger bet on the flop, like more in the $10-$12 range (about the size of the pot). Since your opponents seem to be bad and call too often, you want to really punish them for their loose calls by betting aggressively for value. Also, there is a possible OESD on the flop, and by betting only $5 into a $12 pot the OESD is possibly getting good enough implied odds to at least see another card. On the turn the pot is about $22. I would bet more like $20, or more if you think your opponent will call more with the flush draw, so as to offer your opponent very bad odds. Remember, when offering draws bad odds you want them to call, not fold. If you bet $20 in this situation, a flush draw would only be getting about 2:1, so would need to collect on average more than $40 from you if he hits on the river to justify his call on the turn. Since your opponent seems passive, this would be easy to avoid. Also, his stack may not be big enough for that to be feasible, in which case your turn bet would make it impossible for the flush draw to call profitably.

[PokerSlut]

[ QUOTE ]

I don't think raising K7 preflop is a good choice.

[/ QUOTE ]
In a three-handed game it's not that bad, depending on position and such.

[tdomeski]

In the first hand you said the board was K 5 5 9 A, and he had Q-10 for the straight. . . that is why no one is responding.

[alphamale1]

In those instances you have played fine once you hit.
But I understand one of your players comments.
He thought you were bluffing. If players see you raising with K7off they will start calling you and not giving you credit for having anything. If you were bluffing alot on flop and later and caught during this session then their play is understandable.

[limon]

why did you ask him his thought process? my advice is grab him another beer, keep your mouth shut about "thought processees" and enjoy plenty of big wins as long as hes got money. oh, and raise the stakes when you get 3 handed with him.

[tewall]

[ QUOTE ]
or if I should play my hand differently to avoid getting sucked out on.

[/ QUOTE ]

This is the wrong way of thinking. You *want* to get sucked out on. Well, you want them to try. You want them to call, not fold. That's important to understand.

You want to be the maximum they will call, as that makes their odds worse. It appears to me in general you will still get called if you bet more, so bet more.