Bad Folds?

[Anonymous]

Two hands from a recent 1-3 session. I haven’t been playing much recently, so it was nice to get out, but sometimes feel a little rusty.

HAND1
This is my first orbit at the table and I don’t have info on anyone.
My stack is the effective at ~$260 – villain has ~$1200

UTG has a $6 live straddle on. UTG+1 limps.
I have KQ off in the HJ and make it $17. I think this is too small and needs to be more like $25
BB, Straddle and limper all call.
FLOP: is Q83 two diamonds. Checks to me and I bet 30. Only BB calls.
TURN: J clubs. BB donks for $70. This throws me off a bit. Flush draws are possible. QJ seems very possible. Maybe Jacks or a small set. AQ seems unlikely but also possible. I tank for a while and eventually fold.

HAND2 (my notes on this one are slightly spotty on position / etc. sorry).
I’ve been playing for a while now and the previous four hands had JJ, AK, AA, 99 – so had been opening a lot and pushing a lot of hands in a row, if that is of interest.

My stack is ~400. Main villain has a little less for ~$320 effective.
I am in EP with QQ and open to 15. I get three callers.
FLOP: 772. I act first and bet $25. Next player to act folds, and BB raises to $150. other player in the hand folds and it is on me. The villain is an older Asian man who just came over from 2-5. He is yammering at my pretty steadily that if I have a 7 I’m good, and he has a bad kicker and on and on. He says he knows I have an over pair, etc. At 1-3, I rarely see people jam-bluff. This isn’t a jam, but it’s a 3x pot bet and about half his remaining stack. His value hands would be JJ-88, 76 & 87 suited, maybe 76 & 87 off, 22. I think this bet is obviously an overplay for some of those hands. I ask is he will show if I fold and he says I can pick one. Eventually I just muck. I feel like 7s are too easily in his range and I don’t want to guess that he is spazing out with 99s or something. I pick a card and it’s a 2. Obviously feel less good about the fold now as 22 and 72 are the only hands beating me. Player next to me insists that he had A2, which I suppose is possible, but feels a lot like a spaz.

Thanks for any feedback.

-Ben

[Jazbo Burns]

Hand 1:
In a $1-3 game, UTG straddles for $6, UTG+1 limps and Hero raises to $17 with KJ in HJ.

Yes, I think $17 is too small. A full pot raise would be to $27, which is my default raise size when raising in position verses a straddle and limpers. Note: I might even fold KJ in the HJ depending on the players yet to act — KJ is a “trouble” hand, but if I raise I want to punish the limpers.

Flop: Q83 w 2 diamonds. Pot is $69 with four players. Hero is last to act and bets $30, less than half pot. As a bluff, this bet is too small to get any hands with equity to fold. You might as well size down to $20 to see if this can take it down. An alternative is to bet about $50 with the intention of barreling on most turns.

Turn: Offsuit Jack, two players. BB donk-bets $70 into $129 and Hero eventually folds. Given the line you took, I think folding is the best option. If you call you will be in a tough spot facing a bet on the river. If you shove the turn you are representing a set and might well win the pot, but without more player info I couldn’t do it.

Hand 2:
QQ in EP opens for $15, 3 callers. Hero is third to act on the flop.

Flop: 772. Hero bets $25 into $64. On such a dry flop making a small bet to target middling pairs 88-JJ is reasonable. When the former $2-5 player in BB check-raises to $150 (~full pot) you have to make a tough decision. He might just be trying to run you over and reads your small bet as weakness. With no information on the player, the table talk is of little value. I don’t mind the fold.

–jazbo

[Anonymous]

Thanks jazbo

The villain from hand 1 later told me he had tens. I asked what he had when he was racking up, and he aid he’d tell me if I told him. I told him I had KQ off and he said he had tens.

[DeeKay]

I’ll just focus on Hand 2. I hate the fold. You are thinking about it all right except for a couple of important points. (1) seems like player is on tilt. That makes me more likely to call. (2) If he had a 7, and he thought you had an over pair… why would he be raising? Why would he be giving away all that value. If he had a set of two’s or just a 7, there’s no way I’m raising on the flop, when there is definitely 2 and possibly 3 streets of value. I make that call. Sometimes you are wrong, and that’s part of the game, but I think you have to call, if not shove on him. If you are calling because you think its unlikely he has trips or full house, than I think the play is shove and hope he doesn’t snap.
Could he be that bad of a player to re-raise you on the flop with a full house? Possibly… but all the yapping and the tilt feel, and not making any sense to raise so strong, particularly when he is in position… I’m calling there

[Anonymous]

Made another fold this past week, which I’d like feedback on. I think I simultaneously accept that it was too tight and also am okay with having done it.

I’m about $430 deep and everyone in the hand has me covered. Straddle is on. I am first to act.

I have JJ and make it $25.

These two buddies who have been very wide and being somewhat nuts with each other both call in late position. The straddle is an older reg. Not an OMC, but an old white guy. He plays pretty much every day and can make moves, but isn’t a maniac. He makes it $140.

I think my only two choices here are jam or fold. I think a flat is very face up and might even bring in one of the splashy guys. This may be fine but playing JJ out of position multiple ways seems bad. There will be a lot of hard to navigate boards. I don’t want to essentially get into a set mining position at this price.

I think the raiser can be squeezing me for sure. I also figure I am at best flipping with most of his squeeze hands. I think the worst hands he does this with are KQ suited, AQ off. Obviously AK, AA, KK, QQ are in there too. Maybe tens? I might just be hoping for tens. I wasn’t too worried about the flatters behind me, but you never know. I ended up tank folding.

I will admit that I was influenced by the fact that I was about to leave (I folded my next UTG hand and racked up) and was up and didn’t want to dust off $400+ with Jacks. This is not a good mindset in general. That said, I tend to avoid these tougher spots when I’m not that invested in the hand, and wait for a little better spots.

[Author]

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