PokerStars - $0.02 NL - Holdem - 7 players
Hand converted by PokerTracker 4

MP: 100 BB (VPIP: 10.34, PFR: 6.90, 3Bet Preflop: 5.26, Hands: 61)
CO: 40 BB
BTN: 107.5 BB (VPIP: 7.95, PFR: 6.12, 3Bet Preflop: 2.80, Hands: 330)
SB: 99 BB (VPIP: 45.24, PFR: 39.47, 3Bet Preflop: 28.57, Hands: 42)
Hero (BB): 47.5 BB
UTG: 122.5 BB (VPIP: 14.29, PFR: 14.29, 3Bet Preflop: -, Hands: 7)
UTG+1: 103 BB (VPIP: 33.33, PFR: 33.33, 3Bet Preflop: 0.00, Hands: 7)

SB posts SB 0.5 BB, Hero posts BB 1 BB, CO posts penalty blind 1 BB

Pre Flop: (pot: 2.5 BB) Hero has J A

fold, fold, fold, CO checks, fold, fold, Hero checks

Flop: (2.5 BB, 2 players) J 6 2
Hero bets 2.5 BB, CO calls 2.5 BB

Turn: (7.5 BB, 2 players) K
Hero bets 6.5 BB, CO calls 6.5 BB

River: (20.5 BB, 2 players) 8
Hero bets 19 BB, CO raises to 30 BB and is all-in, Hero calls 11 BB

CO shows 6 J (Two Pair, Jacks and Sixes)
(Pre 28%, Flop 82%, Turn 86%)
Hero shows J A (One Pair, Jacks)
(Pre 72%, Flop 18%, Turn 14%)
CO wins 77.5 BB


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I don't know what I did wrong.

Maybe he folds his trash if you raise pre

I would say buy in full, but you are probably not ready for 100 BB stacks.

I agree with the raise pre.

CO has literally any two cards because they're blindly posting out of turn. AJs is basically the nuts in this situation preflop. You want to be pumping in as much money as possible pre to negate the whole SPR factor.

As played you got coolered...

Preflop CO can have any two cards. You have a decent but not a monster hand and you're out of position. Raise it and take it down.

What exactly are you expecting him to call your river bet with (that you beat)?
You're going for 3 streets of value with second pair (you do not have TPTK!). That's...optimistic?

Thanks guys. So I should raise suited AJs and will do.

anti-alias: I thought maybe he was on a flush draw and since he called the flop I didn't think the king helped him. Do you think I should have checked/folded the turn after he called my flop? It seems every time I bet the flop and check the turn someone will bet because I look weak.

You would look weak in this spot as you showed no aggression pre and then by the looks of things started pressing the pot button

This is usually considered a "Float". Most of the time it is good to execute floats vs "one and doners". These are people that have high C-bets on the flop but give up on almost every turn.

You shouldn't worry about being floated too much vs loose passive players though. They usually HAVE it most the time if they're betting vs your out of position holding.

So if I raised the hand pre-flop my check on the turn wouldn't have look so weak if I understand correctly. And if he bets I am done, right?

I didn't feel like AJs was strong enough for a raise after a limper.

He's not a limper. He's posted a forced blind.

You are right. I didn't see it while playing because I was playing on many tables. I guess that's why I should have raised.

But if he was a limper, should I have raised as well?

Yes, and if you're missing important things like this play less tables

Easy raise pre. Flop bet is fine. I'm mostly going to be checking ott to pot control. River bet is too thin imo. What worse hands is villain calling with otf and ott that can also call a river lead. Villain can bluff with missed fds if you check otr.

AJ should always be a raised in a limped / unopened pot. Ive just learned that the standard sizing is 3x plus 1 if oop and +1 for every limper... So in this case would of been $.8c

Chances are he might have folded pre, but could of also called (ive seen worse calls to 5-6x open raises and 4bet shoves) you were right to cbet the flop, and when he called the turn he must of been calling you down with something, in an un raised pot he could have any 2 hole cards, 2 spades, Kx, Jx - Was unlucky in this situation that he flopped 2 pair, but you could of checked folded the river as by the turn you must be beat.

Thanks guys! Next time I will raise preflop and from what I understand I should have checked the river because what worse hand could he have called me ott in the first place. For a bluff on the river, I guess 95% of the pot isn't enough. But if I go over 100% I need to be very sure he will fold, and I wasn't sure enough. SharkytheFish: How much would you have bet there?

You don't need to bet the river as a bluff because you frequently have the best hand, but not so frequently that you want to value bet either.

Nobody has said it yet. Fold to the river shove as played.

So a check on the river was the correct play? And if he bets, I call, but don't lose as much because he didn't have a chance to raise?

Should be a raise pre.
As played, check-call the turn. Check-fold the river.

When your hand value goes down to 2nd pair on the turn, you can't keep betting for value, but you can check to induce villain to bluff his flush draws. If he keeps betting on the river, he probably doesn't have a missed draw. Since your check-call on the turn would basically say "I have a hand with showdown value, so I want to get to showdown", if villain kept betting on the river it would usually mean he had a real hand, as he shouldn't keep bluffing if you're not looking like folding.

If I check on the turn and he bluffs his flush draw, it seems like I am forced to fold. I thought I could win right away. If he bets, what would be my decision?

Isn't AJs too weak to raise limpers OOP?

Why are you forced to fold if he bets the turn? You're allowed to call with 2nd pair. I check-call there every day, since my hand has some showdown value (and can still improve), but it's not strong enough to bet itself. Your hand is basically just a bluffcatcher on the turn, so it's used to call bluffs. If villain barrels again on the river, he's less likely to be bluffing, so you can fold on the last street.

No, it's not too weak to raise limpers. I don't hate just checking, but generally speaking you can profitably raise most of the hands you'd raise with under the gun, since they are all strong hands that play well OOP.

It's crucial that you learn 3 fundamental concepts:
Value-betting. When a hand is very strong, such that it is a favourite to win even if villain calls your bet, you are value-betting and you are trying to win a big pot.
Bluffing. If your hand is not very strong and won't win if the hand gets checked down to showdown, but you can make better hands fold, then if you bet it, you are bluffing. You make bets in the hope that there will be no showdown.
Showdown value (SDV). If your hand isn't strong enough to bet for value (as not enough worse hands call), but might win if the hand is checked down, then it has showdown value. These sort of hands are basically bluff-catchers. They can check and call to pick off villain's bluffs.

Generally speaking, if you're not sure if you're betting for value (because you don't think villain will call with worse), and you're not betting as a bluff (to try and make better hands fold), then you have showdown value and you should be checking in order to keep the pot small and give yourself a chance to win at showdown.
Hands like 2nd pair, or top pair no kicker often fit in this last group. They aren't strong enough to bet for value, but are too strong to be used as bluffs (or just don't make sense as bluffs, as no better hands will fold), so they go into the check and call group, just trying to get to showdown and win a small pot.

EDIT: If I'd played this hand, then after betting the flop, I check the turn. Villain probably only bets 10bb, and I call. On the river I check again. If he bombs it, I'm fairly confident he's not bluffing (and can at least beat a jack), so I fold and I've only lost 12.5bb. When you go bet-bomb-bomb/call, you're never winning (the pot is way too big for your hand strength) and you've lost 39bb. By overplaying your hand you lost three times as much as most regs would lose.

Thank you so much! This is crystal clear for me now. Very good stuff!

Again... Really have trouble playing top pair... Was there a way to avoid the set?

* * *

PokerStars - $0.02 NL - Holdem - 9 players
Hand converted by PokerTracker 4

MP+1: 101 BB (VPIP: 23.08, PFR: 7.69, 3Bet Preflop: 0.00, Hands: 13)
MP+2: 112.5 BB (VPIP: 23.08, PFR: 7.69, 3Bet Preflop: 0.00, Hands: 13)
Hero (CO): 100 BB
BTN: 43.5 BB (VPIP: 7.69, PFR: 0.00, 3Bet Preflop: 0.00, Hands: 13)
SB: 105.5 BB (VPIP: 15.38, PFR: 7.69, 3Bet Preflop: 0.00, Hands: 13)
BB: 52.5 BB (VPIP: 0.00, PFR: 0.00, 3Bet Preflop: 0.00, Hands: 13)
UTG: 7.5 BB (VPIP: 15.38, PFR: 0.00, 3Bet Preflop: 0.00, Hands: 13)
UTG+1: 36 BB (VPIP: 38.46, PFR: 30.77, 3Bet Preflop: 0.00, Hands: 13)
MP: 133 BB (VPIP: 30.77, PFR: 15.38, 3Bet Preflop: 0.00, Hands: 13)

SB posts SB 0.5 BB, BB posts BB 1 BB

Pre Flop: (pot: 1.5 BB) Hero has T A

UTG calls 1 BB, fold, MP calls 1 BB, fold, fold, Hero raises to 3.5 BB, fold, fold, fold, UTG calls 2.5 BB, MP calls 2.5 BB

Flop: (12 BB, 3 players) 2 7 A
UTG checks, MP checks, Hero bets 7.5 BB, UTG calls 4 BB and is all-in, MP calls 7.5 BB

Turn: (31 BB, 3 players) 8
MP checks, Hero bets 15.5 BB, MP calls 15.5 BB

River: (62 BB, 3 players) A
MP checks, Hero bets 18 BB, MP calls 18 BB

Hero shows T A (Three of a Kind, Aces)
(Pre 44%, Flop 5%, Turn 17%)
MP shows 2 2 (Full House, Twos full of Aces)
(Pre 17%, Flop 84%, Turn 79%)
UTG mucks 3 3 (Two Pair, Aces and Threes)
(Pre 40%, Flop 11%, Turn 5%)
MP wins 94.5 BB

Same problem with overpair... I thought I made a nice move... Had overpair + nut flush draw... Bad move?



PokerStars - $0.02 NL - Holdem - 8 players
Hand converted by PokerTracker 4

UTG+1: 117.5 BB (VPIP: 14.29, PFR: 14.29, 3Bet Preflop: 0.00, Hands: 14)
MP: 102.5 BB (VPIP: 9.09, PFR: 9.09, 3Bet Preflop: 0.00, Hands: 11)
Hero (MP+1): 100 BB
CO: 101.5 BB (VPIP: 10.71, PFR: 10.71, 3Bet Preflop: 0.00, Hands: 28)
BTN: 126.5 BB (VPIP: 12.73, PFR: 7.27, 3Bet Preflop: 11.11, Hands: 55)
SB: 45.5 BB (VPIP: 9.09, PFR: 9.09, 3Bet Preflop: 0.00, Hands: 55)
BB: 31.5 BB (VPIP: 60.00, PFR: 25.45, 3Bet Preflop: 0.00, Hands: 55)
UTG: 197.5 BB (VPIP: 23.64, PFR: 3.64, 3Bet Preflop: 0.00, Hands: 55)

SB posts SB 0.5 BB, BB posts BB 1 BB

Pre Flop: (pot: 1.5 BB) Hero has A A

UTG calls 1 BB, fold, MP raises to 6 BB, Hero raises to 18 BB, fold, fold, SB calls 17.5 BB, fold, fold, MP calls 12 BB

Flop: (56 BB, 3 players) K 3 7
SB checks, MP checks, Hero bets 51.5 BB, SB calls 27.5 BB and is all-in, fold

Turn: (111 BB, 2 players) J

River: (111 BB, 2 players) T

SB shows K K (Three of a Kind, Kings)
(Pre 18%, Flop 66%, Turn 77%)
Hero shows A A (One Pair, Aces)
(Pre 82%, Flop 34%, Turn 23%)
SB wins 107 BB

Stop. Just stop it.

AA (with nut FD) v KK (((edit: GAWK, are you kidding us?? What is your SPR on the flop!)))

The only thing you need to be doing right now is to database hunt for ALL the hands where you had TP or an overpair. Not just the coolers.

Taking that data and finding out where you stand with ALL similar situations..... then report back your findings. Then we have something to work with.

While individual hands are important!....... your bias to only losing hands (with many coolers) may be getting the better of you.

You can't worry about hands like this. The SB should have just shoved preflop- he starts with 45BB and it is 18 when it gets to him. You would have gotten it in and he'd have caught his set. As played, you have an overpair and the nut flush draw and the SB has about half a pot bet left. You can never fold there, and frankly even if he showed you the KK you would have the right price to get it in. There is nothing you could do about it.

The ATs is actually fine, although it would be the bottom of my range for betting the river. Although it made trips, there aren't many worse Ax hands that can call.
Your sizings are decent in that hand too. At least you didn't keep potting it, as that would guarantee that worse hands fold.