Comments on my STT play...please!

Benglian

OK, I am not a hold'em player...but I am trying to THINK more when I do play hold'em.

It's an STT, 1500 FPP buy-in on stars, winner gets a $200 ticket to the Sunday game. During chat one guy mentiomed that fuxfux (another player) had come second in last weeks million guaranteed, so they are not all muppetts.
Two interesting hands....

Firstly.

Level One, blinds 10/20, five hands in. I am UTG+1 and get dealt Jacks (I hate Jacks). UTG folds, I call (I tend to play Jacks like a middle PP). UTG +2 raises to 60 to 80. Folded to the BB who calls, as do I.

*** FLOP *** [9d 3c 4s] (Pot 250)

I bet 100 (because I hate Jacks but I know I have to bet. [Comments]
The original Raiser makes it 300.
BB folds.
I call.
By this time I just want to get to the river cheaply, thinking I only beat tens......

*** TURN *** [9d 3c 4s] [Qd]

I check. Raiser checks behind.

*** RIVER *** [9d 3c 4s Qd] [5c]

I check. Raiser bets 400.

I call.

Comments? Am I a muppet, or did i get to a showdown as cheaply as possible?

Secondly.

We are now six handed.

POKERSTARS GAME #5231704988: TOURNAMENT #26339047, 1500FPP HOLD'EM NO LIMIT - LEVEL II (15/30) - 2006/06/12 - 12:38:26 (ET)
Table '26339047 1' 9-max Seat #5 is the button
Seat 1: maryhadalamb (3510 in chips)
Seat 2: truesyalose (2905 in chips)
Seat 3: zenmaster666 (1230 in chips)
Seat 5: Daut44 (1575 in chips)
Seat 8: burnvalley (1815 in chips)
Seat 9: Benglian (2465 in chips)
burnvalley: posts small blind 15
Benglian: posts big blind 30
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to Benglian [Ad Ac]

I am dealt AA in the BB.

It is folded to the SB who completes. He has folded to a Raise from me before in this position but I am damned if I will let him get in so chaeply.

I raise to 90 (3 x BB)

He calls.

*** FLOP *** [Ks 4h 3h]

He bets half pot 90....

I just call figuring to raise any turn, after all I would bet any flop in this situation, so why wouldn't he?

*** TURN *** [Ks 4h 3h] [4s]

He bets 390, an over bet....does he want me to go away?

I raise to 900.

He re-raises to 1410 which leaves him with 225 behind, although at the time I missed that and thought he was all-in.

I think...well I know he has some of it....but does he have a 4? He certainly doesn't figure me for a 4....

I call the extra (thinking at the time it was all-in), after all I still have chips left.

*** RIVER *** [Ks 4h 3h 4s] [Kc]

He bets his last 225 all-in.

Hmmmmmm. Now I really can't see any hand apart from a complete bluff that I beat, and I REALLY REALLY want to fold, but then Harrington gets to me. Calculate the pot odds first! I am getting nearly 17-1 !!

Can I fold here?

I KNOW he has to have me beat, but CAN I FOLD? If I call I have 650, if I fold 875....

Hmmmmm...

Norwich Fan Rob

i dont like leading into raiser for 100 into 250 pot with the jacks.
I prefer to either check it to him and re evaluate after his bet, or bet properly at it, ie 250.

In hand 2, looks very much like u are beat, however, with those odds and still 600 odd behind if u call, i think u have to call.
U never know, u might see 56, 2 hearts, 99, TT or the like (unlikely, but possible).

ROONEY_DIVES

Benglian wrote:

OK, I am not a hold'em player...but I am trying to THINK more when I do play hold'em.

It's an STT, 1500 FPP buy-in on stars, winner gets a $200 ticket to the Sunday game. During chat one guy mentiomed that fuxfux (another player) had come second in last weeks million guaranteed, so they are not all muppetts.

A little off point here but the story on FuxFux from what i hear on the grapevine (and witnessed) is interesting. Apparently an Israeli lawyer, He places 2nd in the 1m guaranteed on sunday takes home a nice cash. But he was a 10/20 nl player prior to this and then embarked on a duel-to-the-death with H@££INGOL.... quite sad really but i watched most of 1 session they had. They went at it on 3 tables, the stars reload trick is gone so it was flat 2k buy-ins h/u...they played for 11 hours or so that day, FuxFux was killing him for a while then a couple huge 20k pots swung it back to around even for the session. Rumours i hear are he killed Elky and H@££INGOL that week.

Back to the point in question, i dont think you played either hand particularly badly. No glaring mistakes. At the end of the day, regardless of field its a 1500 fpp ....i hate JJ too, sucks. As for the AA hand, the overbet on turn looks like a Heap of Junk to me, def cant see him playing a strong hand that way nor any sort of K....as for river you shouldnt fold any 2 cards having took it that far. If he turned a busted straight draw or complete crap i wouldnt be overly surprised

Poker & Pints

say that both were played poorly. Second hand first, early in an STT the 3x BB does nothing to anyone...it is even for some more of a reason to call. AA eraly make it a bigger raise and live with it if he folds. Now after the flop this is poorly played as well, he bets into the raiser and you just call...well, you just lost control. You should have raise about 300 here, if he has the K he calls(possibly), but at least you know where he is, i think he folds the other pairs. The 4 comes, he bets, lay it down....you know nothing still and could have a 4 very easily. He reraises, and yet you call....Fold. I hope you lucked out and won, because you didn't do a very good job at playing poker. Oh, call the last bet no matter what...too much on the table.

1st hand, I think I would have check raised if anything. If he comes back at you then you lay it down. Looks to me like he had QQ. Anyhow, not as bad as the first one, but at no time did you ever give yourself a chance to find out what he had. No control. You're just guessing.

All in my opinion....no offense intended!

dunkamania

I agree with Poker & Pints,you played both hands weakly,and were left with too much of your chips in the pot and not enough info to act on.

Benglian

On the fuxfux comment, there was a bit of chat going on at the table (of the 'nice one for doing so well in the $1 mill comp' variety) and fuxfux mentioned that since that second place he had been on a $400k upswing in the last week (!).

Thanks for the comments Poker & Pints but....
I could have raised more with my AA than 3 x BB but I am trying to get SOME action.
He bets at the flop so I don't want to discourage him from having another go on the turn, do I?
He has something of the flop and I don't want him to let it go....
He has J4 soooted, fair play. I do think that I should have folded on the river though....I am 99% certain I am beaten....

On the first JJ hand. I am up against AA
I think I lost nearly the minimum on this hand....

I went out 5th in this STT, but I won the next one.....after easily 20 minutes HU....:D

Goodluck2me

I am UTG+1 and get dealt Jacks (I hate Jacks). UTG folds, I call (I tend to play Jacks like a middle PP). UTG +2 raises to 60 to 80. Folded to the BB who calls, as do I.

*** FLOP *** [9d 3c 4s] (Pot 250)

I bet 100 (because I hate Jacks but I know I have to bet. [Comments

]

Your attitude here is goin to force you to play them much too weakly, your nearly expecting him to win.

By this time I just want to get to the river cheaply, thinking I only beat tens......

9x...? by just calling his rasie you are giving him a free card, i think AK is likely enough too.

Ste05

Poker & Pints wrote:

Second hand first, early in an STT the 3x BB does nothing to anyone...it is even for some more of a reason to call.

I think I'm lost on this point TBH. 3x BB is more of a reason to call than what??

Poker & Pints wrote:

AA eraly make it a bigger raise and live with it if he folds.

It's SB v BB, do you not want to play a raised pot with position and AA?? Raise it to 3xBB if you think he'll call that much, obviously raise more if you think he'll call more but you need to pitch the bet at a level where you think you'll be called more often than not, just blindly raising more to protect AA is just throwing away a potentially profitable situation.

Poker & Pints wrote:

Now after the flop this is poorly played as well, he bets into the raiser and you just call...well, you just lost control. You should have raise about 300 here, if he has the K he calls(possibly), but at least you know where he is, i think he folds the other pairs. The 4 comes, he bets, lay it down....you know nothing still and could have a 4 very easily. He reraises, and yet you call....Fold. I hope you lucked out and won, because you didn't do a very good job at playing poker. Oh, call the last bet no matter what...too much on the table.

I'd agree that a re-raise here is called for, but not for information or to remain in control of the pot, if he's very aggressive, sometimes it's nice to let him do the betting for you. I'd re-raise here to try and get more of his chips in the middle. just make it another 180 - 250 and take the pot down or see if he wants to get jiggy.

fuzzbox

Poker & Pints wrote:

say that both were played poorly. Second hand first, early in an STT the 3x BB does nothing to anyone...it is even for some more of a reason to call. AA eraly make it a bigger raise and live with it if he folds. Now after the flop this is poorly played as well, he bets into the raiser and you just call...well, you just lost control. You should have raise about 300 here, if he has the K he calls(possibly), but at least you know where he is, i think he folds the other pairs. The 4 comes, he bets, lay it down....you know nothing still and could have a 4 very easily. He reraises, and yet you call....Fold. I hope you lucked out and won, because you didn't do a very good job at playing poker. Oh, call the last bet no matter what...too much on the table.

1st hand, I think I would have check raised if anything. If he comes back at you then you lay it down. Looks to me like he had QQ. Anyhow, not as bad as the first one, but at no time did you ever give yourself a chance to find out what he had. No control. You're just guessing.

All in my opinion....no offense intended!

Hi Poker N Pints
I believe, that you are wrong on your suggestions for both hands.

In hand 1, calling the flop is ok (although i would raise because the flush draw was present). Raising the 4 on the turn is ok too, but again a call can be argued, but calling the 3-bet is probably a mistake (although I guess some guys go bust with AK here).
Raising here costs you money ... as you correctly ascertain that pairs < K fold when you raise ..... why would you want those hands to fold?
When the 4 comes and villain bets again .... why would you fold this hand? Thats just weak, and results oriented.

In hand 2 - checkraising the flop is a terrible play, and I think that hero played pretty well, although I think he should fold the river.