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The others are right, read the digest. I'll respond, though. Keep in mind that I'm an inexperienced player and am just getting my feet wet with cash games after playing a handful of SNGs. (I am a winning player over an insignificant number of hands.) Think about areas where you disagree with me (if any) and point them out. If you don't have any disagreements with me now, maybe you will after reading/rereading the beginner's digest.
Originally Posted by Razvan729
The straight and flush draws shouldn't be your concern when it comes to a decision to call. They do, however, give you a big incentive to put out a big bet to protect your hand to make certain you're giving draws the wrong odds to call.
Download and install PokerStove. What would be the best draw your opponent could have? JhTh gives him a flush/open-ended straight draw. Even against that draw, you are a slight favorite and therefore should call every time if you put him on a draw (and note that sometimes, even when you aren't the favorite, you could have the right odds to call). If you hesitate because you've been sucked-out on in the past in these sorts of situations, you're being results-oriented, which is mindset that will dull your edge and widen your leaks.
You may wish to note, that if he does have JhTh or something similar (like AhTh or AhJh), he's making a profitable play -- the fact that you're even asking this question means that some part of the time, a player like yourself holding a monster hand like top two will fold and he will win the pot outright. He'll also sweep a lot of pots against lesser holdings that would otherwise be coinflips (top pair and middle pair type hands). Meanwhile, at worst, he's something like a 32.9% underdog if he gets called. Even if he assumes his opponent has the strongest possible hand vs. his draw and will call his bet 100% of the time, depending on the pot size and effective stacks, it could still be a +EV move (though not necessarily the most profitable one).
Anyway, back to your situation. You have to also consider the fact that your opponent could have a hand like KK, QQ or 44. These hands have your top two trounced. KK and QQ are unlikely because of the blockers (between your hole cards and the board, you can account for 2 of each of the 4 kings and queens ... so if there is only one combo of KK or QQ each that you opponent can have).
This is where it pays to put your opponent on a range. How many hands has he been playing, what was the preflop betting like, and what betting action (if any) immediately preceded the all-in?
Depending on the level you're playing at, many players will easily make this move with sets, any two pair, AA, top pair/good kicker type hands and solid draws. Let's say you can't exclude any of these hands from his range, and let's make this his entire range for now. Sometimes he might also make a move with lesser hands like TPWK, second pair, JJ, TT, gutshots or a stone bluff, but without more info we can't say he's doing that too often with much confidence. PokerStove the villain's range against your holdings and see what you get. Don't be afraid to do this during a game when a you're playing for deep stacks (you have a time bank; use it), and certainly do it after the hand has been played.
how about A7 on a flop like A73? should i bet it hard, even go all in?
This is an ideal value bet situation. If you can't see why, you'd be well-served to re-read whatever book you're playing by (or maybe toss it in the garbage and buy a different one). At microstakes you can bet it hard knowing that hands like TPTK or even weak aces will call you down or reraise. I wouldn't go all-in unless you're raised, otherwise you'll chase away too many middling hands; big hands will probably get it in either way, so don't rush it.
is it ok to call any bet if the pot odds are good even if you lose?
This question epitomizes results-oriented thinking. The whole point of considering pot odds (vs. your odds of making a draw) is that you're playing the percentages. You must accept the fact that you will lose some portion of the time (with some plays, you will lose most of the time) because the money you make when you hit will offset any losses you incur when you miss, over a sufficiently large sample of hands.
This is one reason why responsible bankroll management is crucial. If your roll is too small you may bust out before you've seen enough hands to overcome the random element of the game.
Ak on a flop like K 10 6... how shoul i play this hand?
Bet strong and for value on every street. If you're playing a nitty/TAG type player, consider slowing down in response to extreme aggression, and/or if the board gets scary all the sudden (for example, if another T falls, or the turn/river come QJ, or there's a 4-flush).
Consider the hands that could be raising you with, not just the hands that have you beat. AA, KK, sets, two pair he could be raising you with, sure. But players could also be doing this with hands like QQ, JJ, TT, A9, K9, AK, T8, 86, gutshots, and less often, weaker hands/complete air. What's your opponent's range? If he didn't 3bet, or closed the action preflop, you can probably safely take AA or KK out of his range unless you've seen him passively play such hands before. If the player is TAG or nitty and opened from early position, you can eliminate the two pair possibilities, K9, the OESDs, etc and so on. Put your opponent on a range than make your decision based on how you fare against that range.
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