$78 pot at 50-cent blinds...

For some reason, I always do much better in tournaments than rings. Today was the best day I ever had in the rings, at Pacific Poker.

I can't figure out if you can print hand historise from Pacific, but I can write it all down for you.
$50 max buy-in, 50-cent blinds, 6-man table

Birdie147 posts sb
Ed82 posts bb
Calle666 folds
(Baudib dealt Qd, Qs)
Baudib bets $3
iowanat calls $3
MYT2000 folds
Birdi147 folds
ed82 folds

flop:
4s 10c 4c

Baudib bets $4
iowanat raises to $8
Baudib calls $8

Turn:
9h

Baudib bets $5.50
iowanat raises to $11
Baudib calls $11

River:
9d

Baudib checks
Iowanat raises $17.52 (all-in)
Baudib calls $17.52

As you can imagine, as someone with QQ, I am crapping my pants at every street. I was happy to get the call preflop, but the reraise on the flop and the turn terrified me. I thought for sure I was beat. There are only three starting hands that could constantly reraise on such a weird board, and queens are the worst of them.

I couldn't figure it out...If not AA or KK, then surely pocket 10s and he caught the set. Or he's a knucklehead playing A4.

I almost laid the queens down after the reraise on the turn. I thought it very likely that he could 99. After the river, well, I was pot committed, no overcards...if he has quad 9s I'll pay him.

At the showdown he reveals: KJs!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I'm sorry, but you played this hand HORRIBLY.

Preflop was fine if you think you'll get a caller at 6x the BB.
Once the flop comes, there aren't gigantic alarm bells, but there are slight warnings. When you bet and he raises, you should reraise to see if you hand is good here.

Come the turn when the nine comes, the nine is essentially a blank. Why are you betting so little into this pot? When he reraises you, you again get another chance to reraise to see where you're at or to fold.

On teh river, I guess I can see checking to try to get a cheap showdown, but calling an all in here is horrible. Normally, any hand that you beat does not make this play, and so calling that all in is a pretty bad decision. He probably doesn't have a 9, but his actions dictate that he had a 4.

Regardless of what he ended up showing, this should never have gone to showdown. If this is how you consistently play ring games, you need to work on your postflop betting.

Even though the tone of this post is kinda harsh, it's really not meant to be. Stick around on FTR, post more hand histories, and you should get better. We're all here to help each other out, so take advantage of the resources. Good luck at the tables!

The turn bet was lame, the rest is fine.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by ensign_lee

Preflop was fine if you think you'll get a caller at 6x the BB.

---

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by ensign_lee

Once the flop comes, there aren't gigantic alarm bells, but there are slight warnings. When you bet and he raises, you should reraise to see if you hand is good here.

---

Explain this? 75% of the time a better hand is smooth calling then popping you on the turn or river.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by ensign_lee

Come the turn when the nine comes, the nine is essentially a blank. Why are you betting so little into this pot? When he reraises you, you again get another chance to reraise to see where you're at or to fold.

---

Ummm because a turn 3-bet ties him to showdown...

A four will probably think that the OP likes his hand a lot and won't let it go, thereby raising. But maybe the best reason is just that calling isn't going to help you and folding certainly isn't going to help you, leaving raise as the best option.

And then if he's going to bet so little at the turn, why doesn't he just check then?

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by ensign_lee

A four will probably think that the OP likes his hand a lot and won't let it go, thereby raising. But maybe the best reason is just that calling isn't going to help you and folding certainly isn't going to help you, leaving raise as the best option.

---

Consider that raising might slow down a worse hand or stop a bluff.

Thanks for the input. I don't have a really good feel for the rings so for the most part I try to avoid them and just play the MTT or SnGs.

I had another somewhat similar hand last night. I had KK, and I raised the BB from 50 cents to $2.50, got one caller....K hit the flop and the guy bet $10, I pushed and he called. He had K5.