.50/1 NL 6-Handed

stpboy

Interested in what the best way to maximize profit/limit loss in this hand. I wasn't sure where it was going after the flop. I'll give you a taste and then a bit more as we discuss.

I had been at this table for about 10 minutes so no real read. I had won two hands with 88 and KK already, the 88 went to showdown. Other then that my play had been fairly ABC.

PokerStars Game: Hold'em No Limit ($0.50/$1.00) - 2007/02/24 - 12:06:00 (ET)
Table 'Mentor III' 6-max Seat #6 is the button
Seat 1: kardoluden ($20.05 in chips)
Seat 2: valkesh ($61.50 in chips)
Seat 3: RiKDaYToN ($130 in chips)
Seat 4: stpboy77 ($119.75 in chips)
Seat 5: WeeGotAction ($72.80 in chips)
Seat 6: helen82 ($99.55 in chips)
kardoluden: posts small blind $0.50
valkesh: posts big blind $1
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to stpboy77 [Ks Kc]
RiKDaYToN: folds
stpboy77: raises $3 to $4
WeeGotAction: folds
helen82: calls $4
kardoluden: folds
valkesh: calls $3
*** FLOP *** [9h 9s Td]
valkesh: checks
stpboy77: bets $10
helen82: folds
valkesh: raises $10 to $20
stpboy77: ?

Is the min raise a sure fire tell that I am beat? Or a clever tactic to slow me down?

stp

specialK

proceed with caution... he could be doing this with any T or a 9, at this low of a limit without any reads i would prolly just push in right on the flop. I mean if you've seen this guy minraise on flops with sets and such i may just slow down or fold. but with no reads i'm pushing here.

AcidJoe

Paired flops when someone plays back always raise a red flag to me. Without reads I fold. If you had some kind of read it would let you know to push or fold. I don't think I call here.

I may have been inclined to have check oop and call his bet to see another card (if his bet had been say $10 or less).

All I can say is proceed with caution without further info.

stpboy

Yeah, no real reads on the guy. For what it's worth everyone at the table was playing relatively good poker. Playing position, showing down solid cards.

This hand had me scratching my head a bit afterwards....

stp

Unknown

I'm Afraid of Americans is a heavy song.

stpboy

all_aces wrote: »

I'm Afraid of Americans is a heavy song.

Yeah, it's a song that I will often listen to on my way to a live game. It gets me in the right frame of mind for some reason. Every match I played in the Bristol st. Heads up tournament here in Kitchener, I listened to it prior to the match and luckily went undefeated. Whatever works eh? Now, about that hand? Get to work damnit! lol

stp

westside8

With 6-max, there are alot of players who would raise a better on a paired flop with a wide range of hands. I'm pushing here without further read..

stpboy

Okay, so my first instinct was to listen to the monkey man and push on this guy as I did believe I had him beat, well preflop atleast. I decide to just call and see what his action on the turn brings, if he bets enough I am going to release my KK with little damage to my role.

stpboy77: calls $10
*** TURN *** [9h 9s Td] [5h]
valkesh: bets $5
stpboy77: ????

What the heck, now you're betting 1/10th of the pot?? Again, I had to trust his min raise and what that had told me in the past. Why only bet $5 though? I start to think I may be okay here and beating anything from QJ, A10 or a mid pair like 88. The 5 really wasn't a scare card.

stp

SirWatts

Just call the flop and let him bluff again on the turn. Pushing the flop just lets him fold worse hands and call with better ones. On the turn I'd prboably push for value unless you really think he's bad enough to play a good hand this way. It looks like he has some bad hand trying to get a cheap card. I don't think just calling down is terrible though if you think he's strong.

Wolffhound

I'd say he either paired his A9 or has a smaller pair on the flop and figured you for AK and thought you'd lay it down on the min-reraise. You called.

He figures your AK/AQ missed again on the turn, so, he wants to cheaply get you to lay down your still missed AK. I think he's throwing out a cheap probe bet cause he didn't want to lose much to your turn re-raise.

stpboy

That's the thing with this hand, this guy confused me so much that I didn't know what the hell to do. He could have A9 or any 9, any small to mid pair, a draw, anything. Perhaps the best thing for me to do was to re-raise him on the flop to get more info. Of course, after the flop I was about 70% sure I was beat. After the turn I was feeling only about 50% I was beat. The river, well...

stpboy77: calls $5
*** RIVER *** [9h 9s Td 5h] [Qd]
valkesh: checks
stpboy77: ?

This is what I'm thinking. He could be checking to intice a bet? He may have missed his draw? He finally believes me he I have a hand and wants to showdown for cheap. There is $60 in the pot, what's my move here? I have a lot of conflicting thoughts here obviously.

stp

SirWatts

Definitely gotta value bet now. Given the size of the pot/his stack size just put him all-in.

specialK

ok, if the flop slowed you down, you have to think you're good on the turn... i like smooth calling on the turn and inducing a bluff on the river. he has checked to you on the river, value bet it.

stpboy

Yeah, perhaps this guy didn't give me any credit for being weak-tight on this occasion. Part of the reason why I posted this hand in particular was not only to analyze my play but his as well.

stpboy77: checks
*** SHOW DOWN ***
valkesh: shows [Ah As] (two pair, Aces and Nines)
stpboy77: shows [Ks Kc] (two pair, Kings and Nines)
valkesh collected $59.55 from pot


What a brutal way to play AA! I wrote to him in the next hand "you could have had my whole stack there". He didn't reply. I have no idea what he was worried about and I actually think his check-raise on the flop gives the strength of his hand away way to much. The fact that he under-bet the turn and didn't bet the river boggles my mind, perhaps he was trying to be to cute. Anyway, he won the hand but I think I may have lost about the minimum. I'm kinda surprised that the majority here would have put him all in on the turn, I'm wondering now if this guy might have folded if I did, lol.

stp

Metro

His thought process was the same as yours except he had to play this hand out of position.

He came out strong - but then you called his re-reaise (not nearly enough in my opinion - but his small raise was certainly deceptive - likely not on purpose).

He has to now think you have have a 9 or possibly pocket 10s.

He is out of position on the turn - but doesnt want to give up on the pot by checking - so he fires out a small bet to see if that will back you off...

And it works.

The problem he made on the river was slowing down. He bet out $5 on the turn probably seeing what you were going to do. My guess is if you push in on him - he simply folds.

But after you called the $5 you haven't shown any strength, you have now cold called two bets in a row.

If I am the villain here - I push on the river.

Essentially this is the same thing you were going to do - with your over pair.

But his situation is different - and its his own fault for his preflop play.

Acting out of position with AA is tough - especially since he did nothing to get more information preflop.

His emphasis was to lose the minimum, NOT maximize his wins.

Really odd hand - generally you dont find these situation because AA and KK usually have it out preflop.

Good HH to share - definitely tests ability to read situations.

I rarely put somebody on AA who doesn't raise preflop, particularly against 2 opponents and OOP.