3 of my most interesting hands today (AQ, 99, AA)

PokerStars No-Limit Hold'em, $0.02 BB (9 handed) - Poker-Stars Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com

CO ($5.68)
Hero (Button) ($6.06)
SB ($2.99)
BB ($2.34)
UTG ($3.27)
UTG+1 ($0.87)
MP1 ($5.93)
MP2 ($0.81)
MP3 ($1.96)

Preflop: Hero is Button with Qhttp://www.flopturnriver.com/phpBB2/...es/diamond.gif, Ahttp://www.flopturnriver.com/phpBB2/...iles/spade.gif
2 folds, MP1 calls $0.02, 1 fold, MP3 raises to $0.10, 1 fold, Hero raises to $0.30, 3 folds, MP3 calls $0.20

Flop: ($0.65) 9http://www.flopturnriver.com/phpBB2/...iles/heart.gif, Qhttp://www.flopturnriver.com/phpBB2/...iles/heart.gif, 9http://www.flopturnriver.com/phpBB2/...iles/spade.gif (2 players)
MP3 bets $0.40, Hero calls $0.40

Turn: ($1.45) 10http://www.flopturnriver.com/phpBB2/...iles/heart.gif (2 players)
MP3 checks, Hero bets $0.60, MP3 calls $0.60

River: ($2.65) 6http://www.flopturnriver.com/phpBB2/...miles/club.gif (2 players)
MP3 checks, Hero bets $0.66

Total pot: $3.97 | Rake: $0.15

Raising this flop seemed pointless to me. If he's on a flush draw, he's already done the betting for me. Otherwise, I'm only hoping that he has a worse Q or a pocket pair that will call my raise. So I just flat call with two more streets to do my betting on.

I really don't like the turn card, because he could have a flush, and if not, it could really kill my action. MP3 has $1.26 left on the turn. After he bets the flop and checks the turn, I feel like he can have a huge range of hands, only a few of which beat me. I can either put him all-in or do what I did. I figured if I put him all-in, I'm getting called by more of the hands that beat me and less that I'm beating. I really didn't want to turn my strong hand into a bluff, and I thought that my almost-1/2 pot bet is getting called by a lot of bad flush draws and a lot of worse pairs. I'm not sure what to do if he shoves over. At the time I was leaning towards fold, but now I think it should be a call.

On the river, I almost checked behind. After MP3's call on the turn I felt like I'm behind a decent amount of the time and that I would only get called by better hands. But then I thought about the flush draws that could have connected with the 6, the worse Qs, the pocket pairs, and JT. Putting $0.66 into $2.65, I think all of these hands have to call.


PokerStars No-Limit Hold'em, $0.02 BB (9 handed) - Poker-Stars Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com

UTG+1 ($3.26)
MP1 ($0.67)
Hero (MP2) ($7.12)
MP3 ($0.94)
CO ($3.06)
Button ($5.38)
SB ($4.71)
BB ($1.15)
UTG ($1.29)

Preflop: Hero is MP2 with 9http://www.flopturnriver.com/phpBB2/...iles/heart.gif, 9http://www.flopturnriver.com/phpBB2/...iles/spade.gif
1 fold, UTG+1 calls $0.02, MP1 calls $0.02, Hero raises to $0.12, 3 folds, SB raises to $0.22, 1 fold, UTG+1 calls $0.20, 1 fold, Hero raises to $0.60, SB calls $0.38, 1 fold

Flop: ($1.46) Qhttp://www.flopturnriver.com/phpBB2/...iles/heart.gif, 2http://www.flopturnriver.com/phpBB2/...es/diamond.gif, Qhttp://www.flopturnriver.com/phpBB2/...miles/club.gif (2 players)
SB checks, Hero bets $0.80

Total pot: $1.46 | Rake: $0.05

Preflop, I obviously could have flat called and played for set value. With SB only minraising and with another player in the hand, though, I felt like there was enough money in the pot to justify a 4bet, and I really hate to play 9s for set value in this spot. I'm often going to end up losing money to better pockets on an undercard board, and possibly folding the best hand on an overcard board, so I really wanted to get a better idea of where I stood preflop. If I had been minraised again, then I would have been ready to play my 9s for set value, or to bet/fold a lot of flops if it was checked to me.

The flop was very interesting to me. I felt like with all the strength I showed preflop, I might have fold equity against TT or JJ. Probably not, but maybe against a tight player. Other than that, I'm losing to AQ, AA, KK, and 22, and I'd rather find that out right now. I thought I would get value from 88-33 by betting here, and I didn't want to give overcards or a set miner a free turn card. I had trouble coming up with a good bet size here, what do you think?


PokerStars No-Limit Hold'em, $0.02 BB (9 handed) - Poker-Stars Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com

BB ($2.92)
UTG ($0.65)
Hero (UTG+1) ($8.10)
MP1 ($0.94)
MP2 ($3.04)
MP3 ($5.38)
CO ($4.11)
Button ($1.15)
SB ($1.27)

Preflop: Hero is UTG+1 with Ahttp://www.flopturnriver.com/phpBB2/...iles/heart.gif, Ahttp://www.flopturnriver.com/phpBB2/...miles/club.gif
UTG calls $0.02, Hero raises to $0.10, 5 folds, SB calls $0.09, 2 folds

Flop: ($0.24) 9http://www.flopturnriver.com/phpBB2/...iles/heart.gif, 4http://www.flopturnriver.com/phpBB2/...iles/spade.gif, 9http://www.flopturnriver.com/phpBB2/...iles/spade.gif (2 players)
SB checks, Hero checks

Turn: ($0.24) Qhttp://www.flopturnriver.com/phpBB2/...iles/heart.gif (2 players)
SB bets $0.08, Hero raises to $0.24, SB calls $0.16

River: ($0.72) 8http://www.flopturnriver.com/phpBB2/...es/diamond.gif (2 players)
SB checks, Hero bets $0.40

Total pot: $0.72 | Rake: $0

I'm not sure about this hand. Being in position, I felt like checking the flop was the best play. I'm only hoping to get called by a flush draw or an underpair, and I'd rather give the rest of SB's range a chance to catch up.

On the turn, he's either bluffing, semi-bluffing, or he has the 9, Q, 44, or a pocket pair. I can't let a straight draw or flush draw see a free river, and there are a lot of worse hands that call, so I raised it up. I think 3x is pretty good, he's going to have to put in an amount that is half of the current pot, but maybe I could've raised more. I really wanted to keep draws around without odds, though, as well as bluffers who might try again on the river.

The river completes 1 straight draw, but that's about it. I was really hoping that he connected with some kind of pair on the turn or river, and I felt like all of these hands would have to call my value bet. I showed strength on the turn, so I'm not sure if a bigger bet gets called by a lower pair (other than Q) or not. How was my river bet size here? Should it have been bigger? I wanted to balance the chance of getting called by a worse hand with the chance of running up against a 9, JT, QQ, 88, or 44.

That's not a lot that's beating me, so maybe a bigger bet on the river would have been better. Note that SB has a little over .90 left at this point. I'm thinking that most of the hands that would've called .40 here would also call .60 or so, but then I hate it when SB shoves. Come to think of it, I also hate when SB shoves over my .40 bet, so maybe something like .30-.35 would have been better, because then I am happy to call what is more likely to be a bluff shove. This is definitely the bet that I'm least sure about.

Any comments or alternate lines that you'd suggest? Thanks in advance for your feedback.

Hand 1: Turn: How many worse Qs could he have? This is a really awkward hand. QJ/KQ? Plus JT'll call. I'm too lazy to poker stove it, but I think you're probably smoked on the turn.

Hand 2: I don't like it. Your flop bet is turning 99 into a bluff as anything that he could have worse than you, you have crushed. You can play 99 here for the value of 99, yknow? Imagine having 99 on this flop vrs SB having aggression and position. He'll bet a range that you're good against so you can flat call and take it from there. It's hard to maneuver in this spots because you need to have some sort of insight/psychology into your opponents play.

Hand 3: What sucks on the river is that JT got there, 9 isn't folding anyway, flush missed so no value. I'd like to bet smaller so he doesn't even bat an eye with any Q.

Really tough hands here!

Thanks a lot. I hope my play in these hands is better than my maniacal play in the session I sent you.

I know that we aren't supposed to post results, but I think you might be overestimating my opponent on the first hand. He called and had 44 with a heart. You're right, though, I didn't consider the preflop action enough and that there aren't many Qs that he could have. Don't we want a call from JT here? I don't understand that comment.

So my preflop play with 99 was fine here? The flop was tough... I thought about it for a while before I made any kind of bet. There's no bet I can make here then? I'd rather not give my opponent's entire range (including a lot of overs and underpairs) a free chance to improve here, but is that my only option?

In hand 3, I don't think a Q bats an eye anyways, not at these stakes. I do like a smaller bet though, where just about any pair would instacall, and where I might get someone trying to bluff shove over me (doubtful, but I don't think I could fold to a 3x shove over my bet regardless).

Hand 2: Yah, a lot of boards come bad for you, but we're not married to our hand. It doesn't win every time! As played, I'd check behind. There might be some merit to the idea of protecting your hand because of the size of the pot so you're play isn't that bad. I just don't subscribe to that idea.

I think the main reason that I bet in Hand 2 was that I felt like I had a reasonable plan following that line: bet flop, check behind most turns, bet most non-A, non-K rivers. If I checked behind on the flop, when do I expect to bet? If he bets into me on an A or K turn do I have to fold? What about a J or T turn? What if the turn is a low card that brings in a flush draw, I bet, and he minraises (betting big on the river if I call)? Do I think I might be up against either a set or an overpair? What if the turn is a non-spade A and he checks?

These aren't rhetorical questions... I just really need to get an idea of how to play lines like this, because they aren't uncommon, and I really don't know what to do.

I'm curious what I'm really pretending to have by betting my 9s on this flop. Certainly AQ, AA, and likely KK would almost never bet this flop (at least I wouldn't... is that a mistake?). It seems like I'm actually repping exactly what I have, or maybe AK. That could be a bad thing too, of course.

That brings me to Hand 3... do you check that flop, too?

like i said, the problem is getting some insight into how the other player approaches the game. Lots of tricky spots.