md261 on 24th July 2010
PokerStars Game $23+$2 USD Hold'em No Limit - Level I (10/20)
Seat 1: Player1 (780 in chips)
Seat 2: Villain (2420 in chips)
Seat 3: Player3(1350 in chips)
Seat 4: Hero (1470 in chips)
Seat 5: Player5(1560 in chips)
Seat 6: Player6(1420 in chips)
Player1: posts small blind 10
Villain: posts big blind 20
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to md261 [As Kh]
Player3: raises 40 to 60
Hero: raises 130 to 190
Player5: folds
Player6: folds
Player1: folds
Villain: calls 170
Player3: folds
*** FLOP *** [3h Jd Jh]
Villain: bets 220
Hero: calls 220
*** TURN *** [3h Jd Jh] [6h]
Villain: bets 460
Hero: raises 600 to 1060 and is all-in
Villain: calls 600
*** RIVER *** [3h Jd Jh 6h] [5h]
*** SHOW DOWN ***
Villain: shows [Qh Kc] (a flush, Queen high)
Hero: shows [As Kh] (a flush, King high)
Hero collected 3010 from pot
The Villain in this hand is an enormous fish, it is hard to convey quite how horrendous he is, his VPIP was 80% and his Pre-flop raise was 65%. When he calls on the flop I know this will be a tough hand to play post-flop, but at least I have position.
The flop is about as good as it can be when you don’t hit with AK. The Villain bets out nice and strong, I have already decided that on this flop, against this opponent I am going nowhere, but in that case, why not try and extract as much value as possible. Since I’m not going to fold, I might as well try and get him to commit as many chips as possible to maximise the number of chips I win when I am ahead. With this in mind I just call the flop bet, there is no need to raise all in here as many of the hands he may 2-barrel bluff with could fold if I stack it all in on the flop. My plan is to call his turn all in, or raise him all in if he bets. If he checks, I will probably shove it all in, unless an A comes out (in which case I will check or put in a small bet), or another J or 3, in which case i will also check.
The decision on how to play the turn on this hand was made before calling the flop bet, I knew this was how I was going to play it at that moment. This looks like very unusual play, but the Villain is such a huge fish, that the Hero is correct to make the huge adjustment.
md261 on 24th July 2010
Saturday, 24 July 2010
Sunday, 11 July 2010
When the fish defines his hand
md261 on 8th July 2010
PokerStars Game $55+$5 USD Hold'em No Limit - Level V (75/150)
Seat 2: Hero (4470 in chips)
Seat 3: Player3 (1568 in chips)
Seat 4: Villain (1057 in chips)
Seat 6: Player6 (1905 in chips)
Hero: posts small blind 75
Player3: posts big blind 150
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to md261 [9d Qs]
Villain: calls 150
Player6: folds
Hero: calls 75
Player3: checks
*** FLOP *** [Jc 9s 7c]
Hero: bets 225
Player3: folds
Villain: calls 225
*** TURN *** [Jc 9s 7c] [As]
Hero: checks
Villain: checks
*** RIVER *** [Jc 9s 7c As] [5d]
Hero: checks
Villain: bets 682 and is all-in
Hero: calls 682
*** SHOW DOWN ***
Villain: shows [Td Qh] (high card Ace)
Hero: shows [9d Qs] (a pair of Nines)
Hero collected 2264 from pot
The Villain in this hand is a flat out fish, the kind who will check and call with the draws, bet with the good hands, and make tiny bets with his great hands; reminds me of the good 'ol days when the tables were full of players like this.Player 3 in the Big Blind is a solid winning regular.
The Villain limps with a stack of 7BB, normally suspicious, but in this case, just fishy. On the flop I would not expect him to bet unless he had me beaten, therefore checkraising with my medium pair is an unattractive option, because if he bets, there is a large chance I am beaten, and he will often just check when he has missed, giving himself a free card.
I bet the flop, normally this would pot commit me against the Villain, but this Villain is a special case. His call tells me he has some form of draw or maybe a weak pair like JT or A9(he could also have a monster like AA or trips, but that is unlikely so I will just ignore that possibility).
By checking the turn, it is clear he does not have an A or he would have pushed as the board is dangerous, so I am fairly assured in my previous read.
When he pushes all in on the river, it is worth considering what hands fit the actions. The 5 cannot have helped him as the only hand with a 5 in it he would limp would be A5, and he would have bet that on the turn, if he had a weak J or a strong 9, if he didn't bet it earlier, he certainly wouldn't push it now. He either must have slowplayed a monster like AA or J9, which is unlikely compared to the alternative, that he has a missed straight and/or flush draw and now is pushing in a desperate attempt to win the pot. If he had put in a tiny bet, I would have been more likely to fold.
This hand went to plan; bet the flop to get an idea of his hand strength, check the turn to see if he had an Ace, then check the river when the draws all missed to induce the bluff.
If only more players followed this ABC poker...(sigh)
md261
PokerStars Game $55+$5 USD Hold'em No Limit - Level V (75/150)
Seat 2: Hero (4470 in chips)
Seat 3: Player3 (1568 in chips)
Seat 4: Villain (1057 in chips)
Seat 6: Player6 (1905 in chips)
Hero: posts small blind 75
Player3: posts big blind 150
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to md261 [9d Qs]
Villain: calls 150
Player6: folds
Hero: calls 75
Player3: checks
*** FLOP *** [Jc 9s 7c]
Hero: bets 225
Player3: folds
Villain: calls 225
*** TURN *** [Jc 9s 7c] [As]
Hero: checks
Villain: checks
*** RIVER *** [Jc 9s 7c As] [5d]
Hero: checks
Villain: bets 682 and is all-in
Hero: calls 682
*** SHOW DOWN ***
Villain: shows [Td Qh] (high card Ace)
Hero: shows [9d Qs] (a pair of Nines)
Hero collected 2264 from pot
The Villain in this hand is a flat out fish, the kind who will check and call with the draws, bet with the good hands, and make tiny bets with his great hands; reminds me of the good 'ol days when the tables were full of players like this.Player 3 in the Big Blind is a solid winning regular.
The Villain limps with a stack of 7BB, normally suspicious, but in this case, just fishy. On the flop I would not expect him to bet unless he had me beaten, therefore checkraising with my medium pair is an unattractive option, because if he bets, there is a large chance I am beaten, and he will often just check when he has missed, giving himself a free card.
I bet the flop, normally this would pot commit me against the Villain, but this Villain is a special case. His call tells me he has some form of draw or maybe a weak pair like JT or A9(he could also have a monster like AA or trips, but that is unlikely so I will just ignore that possibility).
By checking the turn, it is clear he does not have an A or he would have pushed as the board is dangerous, so I am fairly assured in my previous read.
When he pushes all in on the river, it is worth considering what hands fit the actions. The 5 cannot have helped him as the only hand with a 5 in it he would limp would be A5, and he would have bet that on the turn, if he had a weak J or a strong 9, if he didn't bet it earlier, he certainly wouldn't push it now. He either must have slowplayed a monster like AA or J9, which is unlikely compared to the alternative, that he has a missed straight and/or flush draw and now is pushing in a desperate attempt to win the pot. If he had put in a tiny bet, I would have been more likely to fold.
This hand went to plan; bet the flop to get an idea of his hand strength, check the turn to see if he had an Ace, then check the river when the draws all missed to induce the bluff.
If only more players followed this ABC poker...(sigh)
md261
Tuesday, 29 June 2010
Destroying Value Pt. 2
PezRez on 29th June 2010
As I looked at in my post ‘Destroying Value Pt. 1’, sometimes you have a hand that is likely to be best but you can play it in such a way that minimises the value you get from it. Here is a common situation, in which I have pot-committed myself preflop with a big pair and an overcard has flopped. I certainly can never be folding at any point in the hand – but do I have options besides pushing all-in at the earliest opportunity?
PokerStars Game $110+$9 USD Hold'em No Limit - Level IV (50/100)
Seat 1: Player 1 (3007 in chips)
Seat 2: Hero (2568 in chips)
Seat 5: Player 5 (1490 in chips)
Seat 6: Villain (1935 in chips)
Hero: posts small blind 50
Player 5: posts big blind 100
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to Hero [Qh Qd]
Villain: raises 200 to 300
Player 1: folds
Hero: raises 500 to 800
Player 5: folds
Villain: calls 500
*** FLOP *** [3s Kd 5h]
Hero: checks
Villain: bets 1135 and is all-in
Hero: calls 1135
*** TURN *** [3s Kd 5h] [8d]
*** RIVER *** [3s Kd 5h 8d] [Qc]
*** SHOW DOWN ***
Hero: shows [Qh Qd] (three of a kind, Queens)
Villain: shows [Th Jd] (high card King)
Hero collected 3970 from pot
Obviously this play will not work against a thinking opponent. Against an opponent who understands pot-commitment and knows that you do too, your check will appear very suspicious. In this case, you may as well ship it in as soon as you can, as that is what he expects you to do with your entire range. However against a less-gifted opponent, particularly an aggressive one, giving him a chance to make a last, desperate move with his speculative ‘nothing’ hands is very much superior to pushing all-in and destroying the value you can get by inducing a bluff. There are few free cards to worry about. If you know you’re not folding, you may as well give him one chance to fish himself with no outs. As you can see, he’ll do it surprisingly often.
PezRez
As I looked at in my post ‘Destroying Value Pt. 1’, sometimes you have a hand that is likely to be best but you can play it in such a way that minimises the value you get from it. Here is a common situation, in which I have pot-committed myself preflop with a big pair and an overcard has flopped. I certainly can never be folding at any point in the hand – but do I have options besides pushing all-in at the earliest opportunity?
PokerStars Game $110+$9 USD Hold'em No Limit - Level IV (50/100)
Seat 1: Player 1 (3007 in chips)
Seat 2: Hero (2568 in chips)
Seat 5: Player 5 (1490 in chips)
Seat 6: Villain (1935 in chips)
Hero: posts small blind 50
Player 5: posts big blind 100
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to Hero [Qh Qd]
Villain: raises 200 to 300
Player 1: folds
Hero: raises 500 to 800
Player 5: folds
Villain: calls 500
*** FLOP *** [3s Kd 5h]
Hero: checks
Villain: bets 1135 and is all-in
Hero: calls 1135
*** TURN *** [3s Kd 5h] [8d]
*** RIVER *** [3s Kd 5h 8d] [Qc]
*** SHOW DOWN ***
Hero: shows [Qh Qd] (three of a kind, Queens)
Villain: shows [Th Jd] (high card King)
Hero collected 3970 from pot
Obviously this play will not work against a thinking opponent. Against an opponent who understands pot-commitment and knows that you do too, your check will appear very suspicious. In this case, you may as well ship it in as soon as you can, as that is what he expects you to do with your entire range. However against a less-gifted opponent, particularly an aggressive one, giving him a chance to make a last, desperate move with his speculative ‘nothing’ hands is very much superior to pushing all-in and destroying the value you can get by inducing a bluff. There are few free cards to worry about. If you know you’re not folding, you may as well give him one chance to fish himself with no outs. As you can see, he’ll do it surprisingly often.
PezRez
Tuesday, 1 June 2010
Avoiding Ruin with a Non-Nut Flush
PezRez on 1st June 2010
A lot of players feel like when they fill a flush, they have to raise. If you strongly feel that your opponent has a flush too, it might be unwise to raise with your non-nut flush. Here’s an example of what I mean:
PokerStars Game $35+$3 USD Hold'em No Limit - Level I (10/20)
Seat 1: Player 1 (1500 in chips)
Seat 2: Player 2 (1500 in chips)
Seat 3: Player 3 (1500 in chips)
Seat 4: Villain (1500 in chips)
Seat 5: Hero (1500 in chips)
Seat 6: Player 6 (1500 in chips)
Player 2: posts small blind 10
Player 3: posts big blind 20
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to Hero [Jd Qd]
Villain: calls 20
Hero: calls 20
Player 6: calls 20
Player 1: calls 20
Player 2: folds
Player 3: checks
*** FLOP *** [4d Ah 2d]
Player 3: checks
Villain: checks
Hero: bets 60
Player 6: calls 60
Player 1: folds
Player 3: calls 60
Villain: calls 60
*** TURN *** [4d Ah 2d] [9c]
Player 3: checks
Villain: checks
Hero: checks
Player 6: bets 40
Player 3: folds
Villain: calls 40
Hero: calls 40
*** RIVER *** [4d Ah 2d 9c] [8d]
Villain: bets 320
Hero: calls 320
Player 6: calls 320
*** SHOW DOWN ***
Villain: shows [9d Kd] (a flush, King high)
Hero: shows [Jd Qd] (a flush, Queen high)
Player 6: mucks hand
Villain collected 1430 from pot
When my opponent bets 320 into 470 after check-calling twice, what else can he have but a flush? I gave some consideration to raising as my flush is a good one, but I have to remember that he limped UTG, and so is more likely to have suited high cards than suited rags as might be the case if he was in the blinds. Also, my call doesn’t close the action here. I’m pretty sure my flush will beat Player 6, so rather than shutting him out with a raise and getting heads-up with the player who may have me beaten, a better plan is to call and go for Player 6’s overcall. That way, I limit potential losses as well as maybe getting a little extra value for my hand if it is best.
As you can see, my flush was beaten, but I lived to fight another day (or play later in that Sit‘n’Go, whatever).
PezRez
PS. Player 6 had A6, if you were wondering.
A lot of players feel like when they fill a flush, they have to raise. If you strongly feel that your opponent has a flush too, it might be unwise to raise with your non-nut flush. Here’s an example of what I mean:
PokerStars Game $35+$3 USD Hold'em No Limit - Level I (10/20)
Seat 1: Player 1 (1500 in chips)
Seat 2: Player 2 (1500 in chips)
Seat 3: Player 3 (1500 in chips)
Seat 4: Villain (1500 in chips)
Seat 5: Hero (1500 in chips)
Seat 6: Player 6 (1500 in chips)
Player 2: posts small blind 10
Player 3: posts big blind 20
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to Hero [Jd Qd]
Villain: calls 20
Hero: calls 20
Player 6: calls 20
Player 1: calls 20
Player 2: folds
Player 3: checks
*** FLOP *** [4d Ah 2d]
Player 3: checks
Villain: checks
Hero: bets 60
Player 6: calls 60
Player 1: folds
Player 3: calls 60
Villain: calls 60
*** TURN *** [4d Ah 2d] [9c]
Player 3: checks
Villain: checks
Hero: checks
Player 6: bets 40
Player 3: folds
Villain: calls 40
Hero: calls 40
*** RIVER *** [4d Ah 2d 9c] [8d]
Villain: bets 320
Hero: calls 320
Player 6: calls 320
*** SHOW DOWN ***
Villain: shows [9d Kd] (a flush, King high)
Hero: shows [Jd Qd] (a flush, Queen high)
Player 6: mucks hand
Villain collected 1430 from pot
When my opponent bets 320 into 470 after check-calling twice, what else can he have but a flush? I gave some consideration to raising as my flush is a good one, but I have to remember that he limped UTG, and so is more likely to have suited high cards than suited rags as might be the case if he was in the blinds. Also, my call doesn’t close the action here. I’m pretty sure my flush will beat Player 6, so rather than shutting him out with a raise and getting heads-up with the player who may have me beaten, a better plan is to call and go for Player 6’s overcall. That way, I limit potential losses as well as maybe getting a little extra value for my hand if it is best.
As you can see, my flush was beaten, but I lived to fight another day (or play later in that Sit‘n’Go, whatever).
PezRez
PS. Player 6 had A6, if you were wondering.
Tuesday, 18 May 2010
Taking an Unusual Line
md261 on 18 May 2010
Against bad players, especially passive ones, sometimes the best strategy is play a hand unusually, to maximise it's value.
PokerStars Game $36+$3 USD Hold'em No Limit - Level VII (100/200, ante 25)
Seat 2: Player 1(3010 in chips)
Seat 3: Hero(1830 in chips)
Seat 4: Villain(4160 in chips)
Player 1: posts the ante 25
Hero: posts the ante 25
Villain: posts the ante 25
Hero: posts small blind 100
Villain: posts big blind 200
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to Hero[Qs Qc]
Player 1: folds
Hero: raises 275 to 475
Villain: calls 275
*** FLOP *** [Qh 3d 8h]
Hero: bets 250
Villain: calls 250
*** TURN *** [Qh 3d 8h] [6s]
Hero: checks
Villain: checks
*** RIVER *** [Qh 3d 8h 6s] [Ks]
Hero: bets 1080 and is all-in
Villain: calls 1080
*** SHOW DOWN ***
Hero: shows [Qs Qc] (three of a kind, Queens)
Villain: shows [Js Kh] (a pair of Kings)
Herocollected 3685 from pot
The Villain is a very loose, super-passive opponent, the kind of player you ONLY value bet, and rarely bluff.
ALthough it's the bubble, I am the clear short stack, and therefore can take some minor risks to try and chip up.
I put in a tiny raise pre flop from the SB, expecting the Villain to call with about 80% of his hands, even though the raise would look super-suspicious to a good player.
The flop is beautiful, so juicy that I almost checked out of position! Luckily I regained my senses and put in a tiny 1/4 pot bet, the kind of bet that this guy is never going to fold to.
The turn card is another blank, I still have the nuts, however there are still potential straight draws and a flush draw out. Normally I would stack all-in, since that may be interpreted as a sign of weakness, but the opponent can have SUCH a wide range of hands, as he is so loose-passive, that there is no reason to think he has much of anything, so I check. This check is very strange, as I am confident that he will not bluff, or do anything other than check behind, so in essence I am giving a free card, as any pair on the river will probably be enough for him to call the 2/3 pot size stack.
The river card is an offsuit King, which is my favourite card at this point, I still have the nuts, and I am confident he will call all-in with any pair, any Ace high, and now, any King!
I stack, he calls, he had KJo for a whole bunch of nothing until the river, but to him, he had a good hand, even though the flop missed him, and the flop bet was so small that he just couldn't fold, and he was never going to fold a mighty mighty Top Pair!
As an aside, another acceptable way to play this, would be to put in a tiny 1/5 pot turn bet, thus chunking my stack into the pot, however, I thought that checking the turn would make him doubt the strength of my hand so much that he would call the all-in on the river with almost anything. Upon reflection, both line have merit, and I would find it impossible to say which I think is more effective.
md261
Against bad players, especially passive ones, sometimes the best strategy is play a hand unusually, to maximise it's value.
PokerStars Game $36+$3 USD Hold'em No Limit - Level VII (100/200, ante 25)
Seat 2: Player 1(3010 in chips)
Seat 3: Hero(1830 in chips)
Seat 4: Villain(4160 in chips)
Player 1: posts the ante 25
Hero: posts the ante 25
Villain: posts the ante 25
Hero: posts small blind 100
Villain: posts big blind 200
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to Hero[Qs Qc]
Player 1: folds
Hero: raises 275 to 475
Villain: calls 275
*** FLOP *** [Qh 3d 8h]
Hero: bets 250
Villain: calls 250
*** TURN *** [Qh 3d 8h] [6s]
Hero: checks
Villain: checks
*** RIVER *** [Qh 3d 8h 6s] [Ks]
Hero: bets 1080 and is all-in
Villain: calls 1080
*** SHOW DOWN ***
Hero: shows [Qs Qc] (three of a kind, Queens)
Villain: shows [Js Kh] (a pair of Kings)
Herocollected 3685 from pot
The Villain is a very loose, super-passive opponent, the kind of player you ONLY value bet, and rarely bluff.
ALthough it's the bubble, I am the clear short stack, and therefore can take some minor risks to try and chip up.
I put in a tiny raise pre flop from the SB, expecting the Villain to call with about 80% of his hands, even though the raise would look super-suspicious to a good player.
The flop is beautiful, so juicy that I almost checked out of position! Luckily I regained my senses and put in a tiny 1/4 pot bet, the kind of bet that this guy is never going to fold to.
The turn card is another blank, I still have the nuts, however there are still potential straight draws and a flush draw out. Normally I would stack all-in, since that may be interpreted as a sign of weakness, but the opponent can have SUCH a wide range of hands, as he is so loose-passive, that there is no reason to think he has much of anything, so I check. This check is very strange, as I am confident that he will not bluff, or do anything other than check behind, so in essence I am giving a free card, as any pair on the river will probably be enough for him to call the 2/3 pot size stack.
The river card is an offsuit King, which is my favourite card at this point, I still have the nuts, and I am confident he will call all-in with any pair, any Ace high, and now, any King!
I stack, he calls, he had KJo for a whole bunch of nothing until the river, but to him, he had a good hand, even though the flop missed him, and the flop bet was so small that he just couldn't fold, and he was never going to fold a mighty mighty Top Pair!
As an aside, another acceptable way to play this, would be to put in a tiny 1/5 pot turn bet, thus chunking my stack into the pot, however, I thought that checking the turn would make him doubt the strength of my hand so much that he would call the all-in on the river with almost anything. Upon reflection, both line have merit, and I would find it impossible to say which I think is more effective.
md261
Monday, 10 May 2010
Getting Creative in the Blinds
PezRez on 10 May 2010
When you play a hand from one of the blinds against the other, you need to realise that if your opponent is aggressive, he will often try to move you off your hand. Consequently you may have to get creative with some hands, both to take advantage of the fact your opponents hands will be weaker than average and also defensively, to stop him making plays at you.
PokerStars Game $35+$3 USD Hold'em No Limit - Level III (25/50)
Seat 1: Player 1 (855 in chips)
Seat 2: Player 2 (1800 in chips)
Seat 3: Hero(1480 in chips)
Seat 4: Villain(2580 in chips)
Seat 5: Player 5 (2285 in chips)
Hero: posts small blind 25
Villain: posts big blind 50
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to Hero[4s 9s]
Player 5: folds
Player 1: folds
Player 2: folds
Hero: calls 25
Villain: checks
*** FLOP *** [Ks Jc 2s]
Hero: bets 50
Villain: raises 75 to 125
Hero: calls 75
*** TURN *** [Ks Jc 2s] [Ac]
Hero: checks
Villain: bets 200
Hero: raises 1105 to 1305 and is all-in
Villain: folds
Uncalled bet (1105) returned to Hero
Herocollected 750 from pot
With a flush draw, I minbet to try and take the pot now if my opponent has nothing. However, he makes a small raise. This opponent knows I would often bet without much of a hand on this flop, so I know his raise may not represent much strength. Having said that, I’m getting odds to call, so although my opponent may have little, I don’t like a reraise here too much; it’s still early on the hand, so I call and look to keep an open mind about how to play it.
The Ace is an interesting card. My opponent, if he raised with a pair on this flop, shouldn’t like this card - it’s an overcard to his pair, and although he shouldn’t think an Ace in my hand is likely, he will probably check behind to control the pot and avoid a check-raise bluff. This card might make him the nuts if has QT, but if unlikely to make him two pair as he would have raised preflop with either AK or AJ, and probably just smooth-called the flop with A2. If he has been bluffing, he will probably see it as an opportunity to put pressure on the King or Jack he thinks I might be holding. So I check this flop, expecting if he has a real hand that he will check behind most of the time, while he will bet most of his air.
He bets 200, a strong bet, which doesn’t ring true with my analysis. If he had bet small and given me odds, I might just call with my flush draw, but this big bet looks suspicious. So… I drop the hammer and move all-in. He might have QT, he might have two-pair, but in a blind-on-blind pot, he probably doesn’t. And hey, I’ve got outs, right? He folds and I collect a few chips.
PezRez
When you play a hand from one of the blinds against the other, you need to realise that if your opponent is aggressive, he will often try to move you off your hand. Consequently you may have to get creative with some hands, both to take advantage of the fact your opponents hands will be weaker than average and also defensively, to stop him making plays at you.
PokerStars Game $35+$3 USD Hold'em No Limit - Level III (25/50)
Seat 1: Player 1 (855 in chips)
Seat 2: Player 2 (1800 in chips)
Seat 3: Hero(1480 in chips)
Seat 4: Villain(2580 in chips)
Seat 5: Player 5 (2285 in chips)
Hero: posts small blind 25
Villain: posts big blind 50
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to Hero[4s 9s]
Player 5: folds
Player 1: folds
Player 2: folds
Hero: calls 25
Villain: checks
*** FLOP *** [Ks Jc 2s]
Hero: bets 50
Villain: raises 75 to 125
Hero: calls 75
*** TURN *** [Ks Jc 2s] [Ac]
Hero: checks
Villain: bets 200
Hero: raises 1105 to 1305 and is all-in
Villain: folds
Uncalled bet (1105) returned to Hero
Herocollected 750 from pot
With a flush draw, I minbet to try and take the pot now if my opponent has nothing. However, he makes a small raise. This opponent knows I would often bet without much of a hand on this flop, so I know his raise may not represent much strength. Having said that, I’m getting odds to call, so although my opponent may have little, I don’t like a reraise here too much; it’s still early on the hand, so I call and look to keep an open mind about how to play it.
The Ace is an interesting card. My opponent, if he raised with a pair on this flop, shouldn’t like this card - it’s an overcard to his pair, and although he shouldn’t think an Ace in my hand is likely, he will probably check behind to control the pot and avoid a check-raise bluff. This card might make him the nuts if has QT, but if unlikely to make him two pair as he would have raised preflop with either AK or AJ, and probably just smooth-called the flop with A2. If he has been bluffing, he will probably see it as an opportunity to put pressure on the King or Jack he thinks I might be holding. So I check this flop, expecting if he has a real hand that he will check behind most of the time, while he will bet most of his air.
He bets 200, a strong bet, which doesn’t ring true with my analysis. If he had bet small and given me odds, I might just call with my flush draw, but this big bet looks suspicious. So… I drop the hammer and move all-in. He might have QT, he might have two-pair, but in a blind-on-blind pot, he probably doesn’t. And hey, I’ve got outs, right? He folds and I collect a few chips.
PezRez
Monday, 3 May 2010
Recognising a Hand's Value
md261 on 4 May 2010
The hand below is a heads-up situation against a good regular, who I haven't played with much, so there is not much meta-game.
PokerStars Game $55+$5 USD Hold'em No Limit - Level VI (100/200)
Seat 1: Villain(2800 in chips)
Seat 3: Hero(6200 in chips)
Villain: posts small blind 100
Hero: posts big blind 200
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to md261 [Qs 3h]
Villain: calls 100
Hero: checks
*** FLOP *** [7c 7s 8s]
Hero: checks
Villain: checks
*** TURN *** [7c 7s 8s] [Kc]
Hero: checks
Villain: bets 200
Hero: calls 200
*** RIVER *** [7c 7s 8s Kc] [7h]
Hero: checks
Villain: bets 600
Hero: calls 600
*** SHOW DOWN ***
Villain: shows [Ts 4h] (three of a kind, Sevens)
Hero: shows [Qs 3h] (three of a kind, Sevens - King+Queen kicker)
Hero collected 2000 from pot
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot 2000 | Rake 0
Board [7c 7s 8s Kc 7h]
Seat 1: villain (button) (small blind) showed [Ts 4h] and lost with three of a kind, Sevens
Seat 3: hero (big blind) showed [Qs 3h] and won (2000) with three of a kind, Sevens
The way that the cards have been dealt in this heads-up have meant that I have been super-aggressive, with lots of small bets, raises, and check-raises. Consequently my image is very aggressive and tricky, with lots of moves.
Bearing in mind my image, I would expect the Villain to bet any piece of the flop, thinking that I would be likely to check-raise him as a stone bluff. He checks behind, and a King appears on 4th street; this is a good card, as I was already behind King high, and it is now less likely he has a King.
I check the turn and the Villain bets, I decide to play my hand for showdown value, as his bet suggests he either has a King, an unlikely slowplayed 7, or most likely a worse hand which he is bluffing with. I feel he would have bet any piece of the flop, such as an 8, flush draw or straight draw/overcards, with the intention of stacking all in if I were to check-raise. An Ace high also doesn't make much sense, as if he didn't bet the flop with it, he would be unlikely to do so on the turn.
With all these factors in mind, I decide to call, there is still a fair chance I am beaten, but i am getting pot odds, and my hand is well disguised. I haven't been calling in this Heads-Up, only betting and raising, so he could well think I have a weak hand like a flush draw or some form of straight draw, rather than a weak, but made hand (Q high).
The river 7 is perfect, all draws the Villain could THINK I may be holding have missed. I check, as just like with the turn, If I bet I will only be called by better hands, and may be forced to fold if worse hands decide to raise me (the curse of being out of position). The Villain puts in a stout river bet, which polarises his range, he would not be betting his own Q high or even A high this strong, as he would only be value betting himself, as I would be unlikely to call with a worse hand.
Hands which would follow the line he has taken are an unlikely case 7, a King, or a bluffing hand on the turn, which has been followed up by a desperation bluff on the river.
My Queen high beats all bluffing hands, and the Villain most likely has a King or nothing. With this in mind I call. If I had bet out at any point in this hand I feel fairly sure that I would have lost this pot, but I used the good turn and river card to maximise my hands showdown value, by catching all bluffs.
Queen rag certainly looks weak, but there are not too many hands which beat it, and all slightly superior hands are unlikley to have been played the way the Villain has played it. Essentially my bluff catching hand is almost as good as pocket Queens here, as he either has a pair of Kings or better, or worse than Queen high.
md261
The hand below is a heads-up situation against a good regular, who I haven't played with much, so there is not much meta-game.
PokerStars Game $55+$5 USD Hold'em No Limit - Level VI (100/200)
Seat 1: Villain(2800 in chips)
Seat 3: Hero(6200 in chips)
Villain: posts small blind 100
Hero: posts big blind 200
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to md261 [Qs 3h]
Villain: calls 100
Hero: checks
*** FLOP *** [7c 7s 8s]
Hero: checks
Villain: checks
*** TURN *** [7c 7s 8s] [Kc]
Hero: checks
Villain: bets 200
Hero: calls 200
*** RIVER *** [7c 7s 8s Kc] [7h]
Hero: checks
Villain: bets 600
Hero: calls 600
*** SHOW DOWN ***
Villain: shows [Ts 4h] (three of a kind, Sevens)
Hero: shows [Qs 3h] (three of a kind, Sevens - King+Queen kicker)
Hero collected 2000 from pot
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot 2000 | Rake 0
Board [7c 7s 8s Kc 7h]
Seat 1: villain (button) (small blind) showed [Ts 4h] and lost with three of a kind, Sevens
Seat 3: hero (big blind) showed [Qs 3h] and won (2000) with three of a kind, Sevens
The way that the cards have been dealt in this heads-up have meant that I have been super-aggressive, with lots of small bets, raises, and check-raises. Consequently my image is very aggressive and tricky, with lots of moves.
Bearing in mind my image, I would expect the Villain to bet any piece of the flop, thinking that I would be likely to check-raise him as a stone bluff. He checks behind, and a King appears on 4th street; this is a good card, as I was already behind King high, and it is now less likely he has a King.
I check the turn and the Villain bets, I decide to play my hand for showdown value, as his bet suggests he either has a King, an unlikely slowplayed 7, or most likely a worse hand which he is bluffing with. I feel he would have bet any piece of the flop, such as an 8, flush draw or straight draw/overcards, with the intention of stacking all in if I were to check-raise. An Ace high also doesn't make much sense, as if he didn't bet the flop with it, he would be unlikely to do so on the turn.
With all these factors in mind, I decide to call, there is still a fair chance I am beaten, but i am getting pot odds, and my hand is well disguised. I haven't been calling in this Heads-Up, only betting and raising, so he could well think I have a weak hand like a flush draw or some form of straight draw, rather than a weak, but made hand (Q high).
The river 7 is perfect, all draws the Villain could THINK I may be holding have missed. I check, as just like with the turn, If I bet I will only be called by better hands, and may be forced to fold if worse hands decide to raise me (the curse of being out of position). The Villain puts in a stout river bet, which polarises his range, he would not be betting his own Q high or even A high this strong, as he would only be value betting himself, as I would be unlikely to call with a worse hand.
Hands which would follow the line he has taken are an unlikely case 7, a King, or a bluffing hand on the turn, which has been followed up by a desperation bluff on the river.
My Queen high beats all bluffing hands, and the Villain most likely has a King or nothing. With this in mind I call. If I had bet out at any point in this hand I feel fairly sure that I would have lost this pot, but I used the good turn and river card to maximise my hands showdown value, by catching all bluffs.
Queen rag certainly looks weak, but there are not too many hands which beat it, and all slightly superior hands are unlikley to have been played the way the Villain has played it. Essentially my bluff catching hand is almost as good as pocket Queens here, as he either has a pair of Kings or better, or worse than Queen high.
md261
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