- This topic has 4 replies, 4 voices, and was last updated 7 years, 3 months ago by
.
-
Posts
-
I recently played this hand at 1/2 at Maryland Live and wanted some opinions. The Big Blind is the villian in this hand, and I am the effective stack with $450. Is there a spot I can reasonably fold this hand? Is this just a cooler? Let me know what you guys think! Thanks!
Preflop: There are three limps, I am on the button with 64hh and limp off of a $450 stack. The big blind raises to $12, the limpers call and I call. Pot is $60. I could fold this hand preflop, however I think 64hh is ok to play on the button with 220bb effective.
Flop: 357 all spades. We flop the nut straight on a monotone board. PFR checks, both limpers check, I bet $25, the big blind raises to $75, the limpers fold, I call. Pot is $210.
I think his check raise range would be sets, overpairs with a Spade such as AA KK or QQ with a spade, and hands like two broadway cards with a spade like AK-A10 with a spade, KQ-K10 with a spade, and possibly QJ-Q10 with a spade. The flushes he could raise preflop and check the flop with would be weaker flushes, like 89ss-J9ss. No two pairs or straights since he raised preflop.
Turn: 10 of diamonds. Board is 3s5s7s10d. Big blind bets $100, I call. The pot is $410.
I think he would continue betting with all of his value hands he raised the flop with, which I identified as sets, overpairs with one spade, and weaker flushes. He would possibly slow down and check the overpairs, but he could easily still bet them. I also think he would continue bluffing with all of his Ace of spades hands.
River: 2 of hearts. Big blind bets $100 again. I call.
I still think he would continue betting with almost all of his value hands. The overpairs would probably check back the river, however he would still bet all sets. If he was bluffing before, he would not give up on the river, although he did bet very small instead of putting me all in.
He shows AJss for the flopped nuts.
Two things. First, I think that all of his made flushes are in his flop check-raise range. His check on the flop is a slow-play. If the action after had gone bet-fold-fold, he may have only called. But with two people left to act after him, both having shown weakness twice, he springs his trap on you. Second, an I-missed-my-draw double barrel bluff on the end would probably have been more than 1/4 pot. The bet smells like what it is, an I-don’t-want-you-checking-behind value bet.
I try to test my analysis on these problems by not looking at the results until after I figure out the meanings of the action. What I typed above was without seeing villian’s hand. I was able to discount villian’s bluffs because this is a 1/2 game, and the player that will semi-bluff a turn and bluff a river small into an opponent that has bet out and called a check-raise is very rare. The most exploitable mistake 1/2 players make, and the one that the regs make their bread and butter on, is calling to much. You had shown plenty of strength during the hand to make villian believe that you would call a small river bet.
To answer your question of when could you fold, I would say to his check-raise. Even if his hand was as weak as an overpair with a spade, he still has plenty of equity against your made straight and has shown that he intends to keep betting. Any spade or card that pairs the board would have forced you out. You have to fade 15 outs twice. That’s too many cards for me to be happy with, and then there’s the made flushes. Your hand has no way to improve, and his range either beats you or has many ways to improve. As painful as it is, I think you have to lay your straight down.
I’d love to hear if you think my reasoning is flawed.Well a few things. Actually mainly just one thing. You are the worst poker player I’ve ever read about playing 1/2. From where I play you’ll get stacked for days. Obviously the villain is trapping you. He’s not check raising with an over pair. But you don’t really have a choice. You flopped a straight and only losing to flopped flushes, I would just jam right there after he raised you. If you are not jamming then I would just check the flop. Why would you bet when you can just see a free card on the turn right? From the turn though, you should have a feeling you are beat. But at the same time you are blocking 4s full and 6s full in case the board pairs up so you can make a play and pretend you have one of those boats. Bottom line is you played that hand horribly.
I have to agree with Mr. Smalley here. “Obviously the villain is trapping you. He’s not check raising with an over pair. But you don’t really have a choice. You flopped a straight and only losing to flopped flushes, I would just jam right there after he raised you.”
When you flop the nuts straight on a monotone board you have to throw your stack in the middle. Maybe you are drawing dead but shoving ~400 dollars into 160 is obviously the best option with the eleventh nuts. A cooler is a cooler.
He goes onto say, “If you are not jamming then I would just check the flop. Why would you bet when you can just see a free card on the turn right?”
Again I agree because your hand is very strong on the flop and there are a lot of bad cards on the turn that you want to let him hit so you can fold without losing more than 12.
Then he says, “But at the same time you are blocking 4s full and 6s full in case the board pairs up so you can make a play and pretend you have one of those boats. Bottom line is you played that hand horribly.”
This, This, This. When you flop a straight on this board you know that you are not going to be good on a lot of run outs. The best option here is to pretend like you have a potential full house and throw caution to wind on the flop… He might even fold his hand on the flop if he thinks you have strong equity with 4s or 6s.
“You are the worst poker player I’ve ever read about playing 1/2.” I know this sounds harsh but you should really take this as an opportunity to learn from your mistakes and get better. Just remember you need to always play like you will end up having the nuts by throwing a massive raise on a dangerous board when you could be drawing dead and have decent equity against his draws that he can call you off with.
Aaron,
I came back to your thread to see if anyone had disagreed with my reasoning. Now I have a little more advice for you–ignore the harshness of the other two responders. Everyone starts learning at the beginning, everyone progresses, and everyone makes blunders. You have taken the courageous step of putting it out there for critique. I hope my analysis helps you along in your learning. You have my respect much more than the insecure name-callers that tried to slam you. If you come to Vegas someday, look me up.
- You must be logged in to reply to this topic.