This is my first hand posting, at the time I wasn't thinking I wanted to post it so some of the details are a little fuzzy.

Seemed like a fairly typical 1/2 table, lots of limping, a raise, then folding on flop to cbet. A couple of guys were raising their button regularly and accomplishing this.

I was in the cutoff or hijack, 4-5 limps to me and I raised to $20 w KQo. I got two callers both of whom I had covered, caller 1 had 100-150, caller 2 200ish. Pot around $65.

Caller 1 had busted out at our table earlier, went to another table, busted and came back to ours, I'd only been playing with him since he came back about 30 minutes prior to this hand.

Caller 2 was there less than 30 minutes and was limping, calling a raise and folding a lot, already in the short time he'd been there. He'd not seen me show down a hand, but I'd played a pot pretty strongly earlier HU against another player who'd been the preflop raiser who folded the turn.

Flop Q22, both players check to me I bet $40, call from caller #1, raise from caller #2 to about $135.

My action?

Were the 2 callers people who limped/called or were they in the blinds and called your raise?

If in the blinds one of them easily could have AQ and called, at 1/2 people don't usually 3bet that from the blinds. People also limp early w/AQ at 1/2, seen that alot. The other hand possible is A2s of course, some people play that to a raise tho not me. $20 is a big raise preflop at 1/2 to play A2s. I guess I'd fold facing a call and reraise, I'd especially be worried about Caller 2 of course, Caller 1 seems bad.

Caller 1 was a blind, Caller 2 directly to my right. Twenty was pretty big, but it was common with that many limpers, and smaller would've just gotten everyone to call.

Really doubt anyone has a deuce here, I'd probably expect something like AA or KK more often than a deuce in villain's hand.

This one isn't 'close' per se, it just hinges greatly on villain's tendencies. There's really not much that beats you aside from AQ, and maybe KK/AA, but it's such an incredibly dumb spot to check-raise as a bluff or with a weaker queen. I'd probably just fold since this hand is a headache from the sheer inanity of it, and since a shove even if correct probably isn't particularly +EV.

all in. dont even hesitate. people do dumb shyt like this all the time with QJ q10. a2 is POSSIBLE. but not likely.

I also raise preflop. KQo doesn't like a lot of players, lets narrow down the field with us in position.

This is a pretty dry flop, I think I only bet around half the pot here (say $30-$35) because it will accomplish the same thing as risking more (although $40 isn't all that much more, so whatever).

Villain 2 check/raised two players, not just one; I mean, he has to be concerned the caller is slowplaying a monster and yet he check/raises anyway. Plus he hasn't shown any ******ed bluffing tendencies (in which case I might lean towards a call). I wait for a better spot and fold.

GwaitingforbetterspotsG

i think caller 1 could have a PP too like 88-99, also could have the Q. he just busted out twice, he can easily have some sort of PP here and he doesnt believe you have the Queen.

if caller 1 has the PP, that makes it more likely that caller 2 has the Queen. im not folding this

Even though he was limping a lot, calling a raise and folding the flop, I'm not so sure he would have limped AA or KK, those I think he would have raised.

Is there any other reason why a couple of you think a 2 is unlikely, besides the fact that there are two 2s on the board? If he did have a 2, A2 would be the most likely.

I'm just trying to hone my thinking at the table, live is so different from online.

Crying fold.

I think if Hero calls, chopping is best case scenario.

I would'nt be surprised to see Villain turn up an face card with a suited deuce. players at this level love suited face anything, even for a raise.

This.

If this person had AA or KK, when you raised to $20 preflop, they would have reraised then because that's when people will limp-raise because they pretty much know they are ahead at that point. So maybe they speculated with A2 suited and spiked trips, I think that is more likely.

I have a golden rule (although I should have no absolutes in poker) for live 1/2 games where I play: when a person limp-raises pre-flop or check-raises big post flop (I consider your $40 bet being raised to $135 as big), the person raising thinks they have (or might even have) the absolute nuts; in this case, they don't think that you have QQ and hope that you pay them off with hands like AQ, KQ, QJ, maybe even Q10 if you're brave.

At the same time, the complete opposite can be true: someone limp-raising or check-raising big can also have complete air and be on a totally maniac play, but you would have to know the player. Since you haven't played much with him, that means he hasn't played much with you, so the likelihood of being on a total air bluff is very low IMO.

^^^THIS


c/r bluffs are not common at 1/2NL. I do sometimes c/r bluff when I have a pretty good feeling the guy is FOS (usually some guy c-betting a flop that I know likely missed him in a 3way pot)

Does anyone like checking the flop to exercise a little pot control/deception here? I mean, I think this is a classic case of way ahead/way behind. What turn cards are we legitimately afraid of? If villans have pp's lower than Q, let them draw to their two-outers (btw, pp's fit very nicely into their lines). If an ace comes and you encounter resistance its just BBV whatever no big deal. But this flop is perfect for check raising, seriously, whether they have it or not. And if you call the c/r, you're facing another big bet on the turn. I just see no reason to bloat the pot on the flop here; you might get one call out of a pp or a weaker Q, but then what do you do on the turn? Your best case scenario is that someone goes nutso with TT or 99 or something like that, and that still assumes that your reads are good enough to call it down.

As played I am not prepared to go broke in this pot. Check-double raise (that's what I call it when it goes check, check, bet, call, raise) is a STRONG move in 1/2 and you have to give him credit for a duck. Folding.

On board with the thoughts here. Basically because if this is a table that limps, calls, and folds to cbet and people playing fit or fold are going to fold this flop or have you beat. (Usually. You're still going to get that one bet from a weaker Q or pocket pair unless an ace comes out; in fact its more likely they'll call if you check the flop.)

But I'm not too worried about the prospect of being checkraise bluffed off tp, so it's a fold once the hammer comes down.

just think of it as a .01/.02 cent game online... are we ever folding KQ in this spot? thats what i thought. get it in.

yeah but .01/.02 is populated by a different kind of idiots

Thank you all for your comments.

I ended up folding, Player 1 called the check raise w/ pocket sixes. Player 2 who did the check raise had KQ suited.

I guess I'm being results oriented in being concerned about my fold.

I like a fold here. Its just too likely that one of the guys has a deuce.

And yes, checking behind here on the flop is also okay as long as you're prepared to call modest sized bets on both the turn and river without knowing where you stand.