A few hands from first session at $50NL

So yesterday was my first day of $50NL, but I was only able to play about 300 hands, did fine over that but it isnt really saying anything. So today I put in a 1k session and it was full of ups and downs but overall I played solid poker I felt, would have been a positive session if I hadnt lost set over set and AA to 76s.

Anyways, these are a mix of hands, 2 expensive ones and 2 just general questions, just curious as to see whether I played these hands correctly.

Hand 1:
AA in EP, UTG limps I raise 5xBB, Mp3 calls and UTG calls.

The pot on the flop is $9, I hit top set and the only clear draw is a flush draw. I make a smallish bet of 1/2 the pot, MP3 calls and UTG folds. As of now I dont really have much of a read on MP3, only played 40 hands with him, and after those hands he is at 66.7/6.7/1.1. Should I have bet more here?

Turn brings a 9s, completing the flush draw, but Id be surpised if villain stuck around with that. I lead here for slightly more than half the pot, if villain made a sizeable raise I feel I would be able to get away from the hand, but even then Im not sure. Is this a check?

River brings a Jh, pot is about $40, I bet $20 knowing that I will ahve to call a raise but also that the chance of villain raising is very slim. Should I have just checked here? Pushed? How would you play this?

Party Poker No-Limit Hold'em, $ BB (9 handed) Hand History Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com (Format: FlopTurnRiver)

MP1 ($15.81)
MP2 ($46)
MP3 ($149.40)
CO ($49.50)
Button ($48)
SB ($23.50)
BB ($91.50)
UTG ($55.95)
Hero ($50.15)

Preflop: Hero is UTG+1 with A, A. CO posts a blind of $0.75. SB posts a blind of $0.25.
UTG calls $0.50, Hero raises to $2.5, 2 folds, MP3 calls $2.50, 4 folds, UTG calls $2.

Flop: ($9) A, 8, 5 (3 players)
UTG checks, Hero bets $5, MP3 calls $5, UTG folds.

Turn: ($19) 9 (2 players)
Hero bets $10, MP3 calls $10.

River: ($39) J (2 players)
Hero bets $20, MP3 calls $20.

Final Pot: $79


Hand 2:
No real reads on villain after only 40 hands, stats are 50/16/2.4

Two limpers, I raise AKo to 6xBB preflop, one call.

The pot on the flop is $7.50, I hit TPTK and there is a straight and flush draw, I lead for about 2/3 the pot, villain calls.

Turn brings a 9c, completes a straight for QJ and villain leads for a little more than 1/4 of the pot. The previous street he check/called and then lea this street, so I think he could have a strong hand, but for these odds I think I need to call.

The river brings the Ac which gives a made straight, a better made straight so villain is still ahead if they ahd the straight, but no other hand would really be helped by this, except mine. I make 2pair here, had the river been any different card [except a K] and villain would have pushed, I would have folded, is this call standard on the river? Should any of the other streets be played differently?

Party Poker No-Limit Hold'em, $ BB (9 handed) Hand History Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com (Format: FlopTurnRiver)

Hero ($61.75)
Button ($65.95)
SB ($28.45)
BB ($79.07)
UTG ($23.65)
UTG+1 ($37.57)
MP1 ($60)
MP2 ($49.50)
MP3 ($47.95)

Preflop: Hero is CO with A, K. SB posts a blind of $0.25.
UTG calls $0.50, 1 fold, MP1 calls $0.50, 2 folds, Hero raises to $3, 1 fold, SB (poster) calls $2.75, 1 fold, UTG folds, MP1 folds.

Flop: ($7.50) T, K, 4 (2 players)
SB checks, Hero bets $5, SB calls $5.

Turn: ($17.50) 9 (2 players)
SB bets $5, Hero calls $5.

River: ($27.50) A (2 players)
Hero calls $15.45.

Final Pot: $42.95


Hand 3:
Even less hands on this villain, only 30, but they are fairly telling. Over those 30 hands his stats are 73/0/0.7.

Im dealt 99 in CO, 1 limped and I raise 99 to 5xBB, limped calls.

Flop comes all unders, there is a flush draw and an obvious straight draw, he checks and I lead for about 3/4 the pot, villain pushes. I dont think a call here would be correct, maybe it is, but against this opponent I would be very surprised if it were. This isnt the only time today something like this happened, in a situation like this what range would you be calling with? Should I have just checked behind?

[FTR converter messed this hand up, used a different converter]
Party Poker
No Limit Holdem Ring game
Blinds: $0.25/$0.50
8 players
Converter

Stack sizes:
UTG: $134
UTG+1: $35.54
MP1: $34.85
MP2: $77.40
Hero: $58.75
Button: $45.75
SB: $50.05
BB: $50

Pre-flop: (8 players) Hero is CO with 9 9
UTG folds, UTG+1 calls, 2 folds, Hero raises to $2.5, 3 folds, UTG+1 calls.

Flop: 4 5 2 ($5.75, 2 players)
UTG+1 checks, Hero bets $4, UTG+1 raises all-in $33.04, Hero folds.
Uncalled bets: $29.04 returned to UTG+1.

Results:
Final pot: $13.75

Hand 4:
Villain is 56/2.7/3 over 110 hands

AQs in MP, I raise to 4xBB after its folded to me, the SB calls.

He checks, I lead for about 2/3 the pot and he check minraises me, I fold. I dont think this was a good laydown, but Im really not sure. When my cbets are picked off it is usually by a minraise or min check raise. Should I view these as strength? If I was making a pure cbet without hitting part of the flop this would be an easy fold, but I had a pretty solid hand here. Against this opponent though I felt twopair, set, or even AK [not too likely though] were possible here so I folded. So again, what is thought of when a cbet is checkminraised when you hit part of the flop?

Party Poker No-Limit Hold'em, $ BB (10 handed) Hand History Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com (Format: FlopTurnRiver)

Hero ($50)
MP2 ($31.83)
MP3 ($150.10)
CO ($9.50)
Button ($68.80)
SB ($108.74)
BB ($55.05)
UTG ($97.50)
UTG+1 ($73.30)
UTG+2 ($69.38)

Preflop: Hero is MP1 with A, Q. SB posts a blind of $0.25.
3 folds, Hero raises to $2, 3 folds, Button calls $2, SB (poster) calls $1.75, 1 fold.

Flop: ($6.50) A, 3, T (3 players)
SB checks, Hero bets $4, Button folds, SB raises to $8.

Final Pot: $18.50

I think the fourth hand is the only one that's really a tough decision and the other three hands are standard.

Hand 1: Bet at least $7 on the flop, and why do you think such a loose passive player wouldn't have "stuck around" with a flush draw for only $5? Of course he would have! That being said, there are a ton of hands he could have that you're still way ahead of. Make a bigger bet on the turn and go all-in on the river.

Hand 2: If you get more than 10% of the effective stacks in pre-flop I don't even worry about going broke with AK. I think you played this hand fine except that I would call if he shoved a blank river.

Hand 3: Easy fold against this type of player, and of course you have to bet the flop, because this guy will be calling with tons of hands that you're ahead of.

Hand 4: Really depends on your reads. Have you been winning a lot of pots lately and people might be waiting to play back at you? Honestly people do this stupid little check-min-raise with sets, top pair, middle pair, air, you name it. I usually give them the benefit of the doubt the first time I see them do it, but if I see them do it too often then there's no way I'm folding here.

PS: If you can keep finding tables full of opponents as terrible as these guys, you'll do very well at 50NL.

Ive put in 2k hands at $50nl for an awesome -2ptbb/100, haha so not horrible, but the people at these tables are just horrible that I feel like I should be doing better. At almost all tables Im at there will be like 2 maniacs, a few weak tight nits and a few weak passive players, the cards have just not been going my way so far, but it helps to know that my plays were standard. I wasnt really saying any of them were difficult deicisions, just checking my line to make sure Im playing alright.

I agree with mcatdog, I think you played hands 1-3 well. I definitely wouldn't rule out the flush in hand 1, I see lots of players chase flushes even with pot-sized bets to them. That being said, I don't play it differently than you did.

As for hand 4, I also agree with mcatdog I just wanted to add that I'm one of those people who does "stupid little check-min-raises" with TPWK, draws, and air. (And occasionally made hands with no draws on the board.) I don't do it very often, but it's been profitable picking off c-bets. Since people do this, and you're getting almost 5:1 on a call, I think you should see the turn here. If it's blank and he leads with a big bet, then fold.

Originally Posted by zook

Since people do this, and you're getting almost 5:1 on a call, I think you should see the turn here. If it's blank and he leads with a big bet, then fold.

The problem with this advice is that when people do this, they almost always make a big bet on the turn, whether or not they have anything. I like to make a decision of the flop as to whether I'm going to call him down or not. Calling $4 with the intention of auto-folding the turn is a waste of money IMO.

I realized in my second session today that the most common move on picking off my cbets is a check minraise from seemingly passive players. I cant imagine Im the only one who experiences this and I feel like folding to all of these when I miss to be a leak, its even worse when I do hit a piece like in hand 4. Should I re-evaluate my cbetting standards? Should I raise some of these? Call and try to take it on the turn?

Originally Posted by mcatdog

The problem with this advice is that when people do this, they almost always make a big bet on the turn, whether or not they have anything. I like to make a decision of the flop as to whether I'm going to call him down or not. Calling $4 with the intention of auto-folding the turn is a waste of money IMO.

I'm not sure this is true... in my limited 50NL experience I've seen a fair number of checked turns after check-raised flops. And I didn't say auto-fold, in Hand 4 I would call a half-pot sized bet on the turn if an ace, queen or spade fell. He has TPGK, so that coupled with the possibility that villain is raising with a worse kicker, a draw or air justifies a call imo, and a turn call if outs present themselves.