Hero BB ($220-240ish) Mediocre ABC player. Not getting out of line and has only shown down quality hands, bets getting respect. At the table for about an hour no significant pots or history with villain.
Villain Button - covers (White, late 20s) No real reads. Seems like one of the better players at the table, even if that doesn't say much. Has me covered and sitting with around $400ish so he must have wom at least a few pots that I did not witness. Has not gotten out of line during my time at the table.
Five limps to hero as BB holding KQo
I really don't want to raise and play out of position with KQo so I decide to just check my option and only continue with the hand if I hit gin or close to it.
Pot: ~$10
Flop: K Q 9 rainbow
SB checks, Hero bets $10 and it folds around to Villain on button who raises to $30 total, Hero calls.
At this point I put his range at (K9, Q9, K10, KJ, QJ, Q10, 99, J10). I'm positive he raises pocket QQ+ pre and fairly certain he does the same on the button with 99s. Realistically I feel the only hand I'm beat by is J10 or maybe 99 and he can easily raise there with a weaker 2 pair or semi-bluff with worse.
I call to keep worse and bluffs in his range. If I raise I fold out worse and likely only get called by better. Standard call I think.
Pot: $60
Turn: K Q 9 4 brick
Hero checks, Villain bets $50, Hero goes all-in
Villain tanks for about a minute and then calls, flips J10o, river bricks. I'm assuming he wanted to just reread the board to be sure he wasn't missing something but it could have been a slowroll.
Now this is where I went very wrong. In hindsight I think this is a clear b/f. I can easily bet $35-45 here and fold to a raise being confident I'm beat. At that moment however I was almost certain I was ahead. I was checking to induce worse/bluffs to bet. When he did bet I shoved to commit him to nearly his entire range, or at least his worse 2 pairs.
Yeah, I butchered this hand. A check-raise is likely only going to get called by better and those weaker 2 pair hands that would called a Turn bet but never raised as it was. Plus it allows those hands that were semi-bluffing the Flop to check through and try and hit their hand on the river.
I'm sure to most of you this is a really simple spot. I'm still learning however and due to geographical limitations I have very little exposure to live poker outside a handful of occasional home games. Please critique my in-game and post-game analysis and give any other thoughts you have. Thanks.
Turn: Bad. I hate it. I'm not really a fan of donking out as that does the same as c/r only cheaper and possibly gets you raised off the best hand. I just c/c it and see what happens on the river. This puts you on the edge of commitment but it's not disastrous.
agree with rumor that b/f the turn will make it easier to get away, but usually just going to c/c. c/r is probably the worst option. V dependent tho, against some this is an easy stack off and others you can find a fold.
by counting the combos of hands you are up against, you can find that there are more combos of JT and 99s than weaker two pairs which can help you in your decision making.
Check call>>>>bet fold>>>>>>>>>>>>check fold>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>open fold face up>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>>>>check raise all in
I had the feeling that my c/r was likely the worst of all my options. I am surprised a b/f isn't more popular though, but the reasons being given make sense. I didn't want to c/c because I was afraid it would commit me on a river brick regardless and I hate getting my money in absolutely dead. With Villain's flop raise, a soild turn bet, had I called on the turn and he shoved river it would have been an extremely strong line to reevaluate and get away from, so the c/c makes perfect sense on the turn.
fogodchao, great point on the combos. I didn't even think about card removal and how that would affect his possible two pair combos, which when considered obviously skew his range more towards JT and 99s.
Again, I appreciate all the feedback and advice guys, thank you.
agree with rumor that b/f the turn will make it easier to get away, but usually just going to c/c. c/r is probably the worst option. V dependent tho, against some this is an easy stack off and others you can find a fold.
by counting the combos of hands you are up against, you can find that there are more combos of JT and 99s than weaker two pairs which can help you in your decision making.
Not only that, but c/r might fold some of those two pairs you are beating
Oh man if I could get back all of the money I've over invested in limped pots..... I'm never c/r ott c here bc your hand isn't strong enough and you're only getting called by better and folding out worse that will call river bet. I think c/c is best line AP, I agree with the small pot oop w/ KQo here. I like calling the flop over 3betting here for same reasons as ott. But I hate finding my stack at risk in limped pots.
