NL Hand Results
See this post for background.
Villan flips over 55 for the turned set and IGHN.
I called the all in on the river with my top two pair and lost my stack.
It appears the general consensus is that the turn was where I made my biggest mistake. The theory being that in the end, I was going to call an all in anyway, so the net result is the same, so let’s see where we stand. If I just paid off a set, well so be it.
The flop call, while not bad, is probably not optimal. Had I raised here and taken down the pot, it would have been smaller, but I wouldn’t have busted.
Raising, or actually, the lack of, is one of my big holes.
As Maigrey (go read her) told me in IM yesterday:
You play like a GIRL.
*sigh*
The sad thing is, she’s right. I really need to jack up my aggression (selectively, not LAGish) and play back.
I still don’t understand the $5 PF raise in mid-position with 55 at a full ring game. This is Party, but even so…
I feel better now that nobody else really put him on 55 either. Not everybody would have called either the raise or the river bet, but nobody really thought he had the fives. I don’t feel so bad that I missed it.
Thanks everybody for all your comments. It’s great to see something like this kick off some decent thoughts and discussions.
July 28th, 2005 at 1:02 pm
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July 28th, 2005 at 2:48 pm
I still say that anyone who raises on the flop is a GIRL. I mean, what are you playing NL for, if not to get a monster hand and break your opponent?
July 28th, 2005 at 3:59 pm
I disagree that calling the flop bet is automatic. I prefer a pot-sweetening raise to extract the most from decent, but inferior hands. No decent opponent is going broke against your 2 pair (if they have AK, they can’t put you on AJ and call a big reraise), but they may allow you to build a pot if they have AK/AJ. The best way to win a decent pot here is to start building it on the flop. I realize that you fold KK if you raise, but you don’t make much on the turn by calling the flop, because KK will slow down if you call…this is inspiring me to write a post for the first time in a looong time….
July 29th, 2005 at 8:40 am
The classic hand of big favorite to big underdog. Hoped you learned something as we all pay for our lessons. It is a hand where you can only get paid off if he has an ace otherwise you give him a cheap draw relative to the stack size. Remember if no one ever calls you never lose. Don’t worry about winning big pots when your opponents play poorly they will come to you. Be more agressive before and after the flop which will give you the ability to protect your stack.
Good Luck
butch
July 29th, 2005 at 10:09 am
Raise more as part of a general strategy! You say you don’t. You should.
If you raise more generally, then raising the flop here is the definite move in my opinion. Here is why.
Your opponents bet represents either a continuation bet or a bet for value. You know this. He knows that you know this. Therefore, a raise by you with any ace is not out of the ordinary. It should not be uncommon in your game to raise here with any ace to define your hand and figure out where you stand. You are announcing that you have an ace. You are not necessarily announcing that you have AQ, just an ace. Because this is how you play, your raise with top two is now disquised as a normal part of your game not an abnormal raise with an obvious monster. I don’t think your opponent will fold AK to this play. He may even stick with AJ. But a hand like JJ or even 55 will fold you your raise every time.
You want AK to stick, because AK may pay you more money if everything stays the same. He could draw out, but that’s OK because he will pay you more for the times that he doesnt draw out then he will take from you when he happens to catch.
You want 55 to fold because 55 won’t give you another red cent UNLESS he hits his miricle card on the turn. So, 55 may draw out and when he does you pay big time. But 55 won’t give you anything if he doesn’t hit. This is the hand you want gone and your strategy fits getting rid of him.
Really, the only hands that will stick to your raise are AX and a flopped set. Since you are beating every AX, you want them to stick around. A flopped set is very unlikely but a little scary. Since you have now limitted the hands you are playing against to these two groups, the hand becomes very easy to play the rest of the way down. You want to play it for very small pots down to the river. You want to keep your AX captives paying you and you are taking very little risk that they will beat you. Your only concern is if a king comes off. If it does remember that you have position and won’t necessarily have to put any more money in. If your opponent starts trying to make this pot a monster without a king coming off, then a flopped set becomes way more likely and you might (just might) be able to get away from your AQ.
So, my answer is raise more often in general and raise this flop for sure.
… just my take.
July 29th, 2005 at 2:36 pm
One last thing. Raising this hand is NOT playing like a girl at all as long as you normally play in a decidely non-girl-like manner by raising a lot. I will leave you with a great quote.
“Raising is fun and profitable.
Calling is scary and un-profitable.”
- Stephen, Poker Clan
Thanks,
Seed
August 2nd, 2005 at 12:19 pm
doubleas is the nuts. Raise the flop. See where you stand. If you’re just gonna pay off a later set anyway, charge him while you are ahead. He raised $5 OOP pf, he has *something*, I would imagine.
Plus, if he’s got like A4s, he might call off all his chips on this hand if you start betting now.
anyway,
HS