Another QQ play

[mcpeepants]

QQ is a bitch of a hand. I've lost about 7 dollars with this hand, mostly to KK. This is a lot of money at the 1/2 penny tables. WHY does this player insist on simply calling?

PokerStars No-Limit Hold'em, $0.02 BB (8 handed) converter

SB ($1.50)
BB ($5.01)
UTG ($2.69)
UTG+1 ($1.10)
MP1 ($2)
MP2 ($0.70)
CO ($1.01)
Hero ($5.15)

Preflop: Hero is Button with Q, Q. MP1 posts a blind of $0.02.
2 folds, MP1 (poster) raises to $0.14, 2 folds, Hero raises to $0.26, 2 folds, MP1 raises to $0.38, Hero calls $0.12.

Sensing he doesn't have an ace, I bet big on the flop. I suppose after he only called I should have backed down. Who raises that much preflop without an Ace unless it's KK or QQ? And I have QQ.
Flop: ($0.79) A, 9, T (2 players)
MP1 checks, Hero bets $0.54, MP1 calls $0.54.

I feel committed to keep betting.
Turn: ($1.87) 7 (2 players)
MP1 checks, Hero bets $0.56, MP1 calls $0.56.

The river was very good for me, but I probably would have put him all in if it was junk anyways.
River: ($2.99) Q (2 players)
MP1 checks, Hero bets $0.52, MP1 calls $0.52 (All-In).

Final Pot: $4.03
Main Pot: $4.03, between MP1 and Hero. > Pot won by Hero ($4.03).

Results in white below:
MP1 has Kh Ks (one pair, kings).
Hero has Qd Qc (three of a kind, queens).
Outcome: Hero wins $4.03.



Overplayed QQ? Ideas?

[BreakfastMan]

It is a little hard to give advise for small stakes. It is hard for me to understand an opening raise of 7BB. Is this fairly normal at these stakes? This type of raising makes the blinds irrelevant.

You have already answered your own question when you said, “Who raises that much preflop without an Ace unless it’s KK or QQ? And I have QQ.”

I used to find that there were situations like this when I would say to myself, “I know he has KK and I am beat.” But I would bet anyway because I felt committed. In a tournament there can come a time when you are committed, but in a cash game never think this way.

When I lay these down now, I consider it a win. I tell myself, “I just saved X$ which I will double up later when I have the best hand.”

[Pyroxene]

Consider something that Sklansky discusses in The Theory of Poker.

All poker starts as a struggle for the ante/blinds. He elaborates but the message boils down to the fact that if there where no Ante/Blinds, no one would enter a hand (thus putting their money at risk for zero gain) unless they seriously had the goods. In turn, no one would call this hand unless they SERIOUSLY had the goods because they know they are betting into a great hand.

From the numbers in your example, the blinds are meaningless at the 0.01/0.02 tables. You have $5.15 at the start of the hand, which is the equivalent of 250xBB. MP2 has $2 which is 100xBB. This is like sitting down at the $25 (0.50/1.00) table and seeing someone with $100 who is willing to risk it all with KK when an Ace is on the board.

Given that the blinds seem to be meaninglessly small compared to the amounts that people are willing to bet, I would suggest just playing extremely good hands. Heck, 4 table and just play KK, AA. With 4 tables you will get about one playable hand every 30 minutes and you will typically take 100xBB+ on it, at a cost of 15xBB in blinds leading to an estimated 85xBB/100 hands which is a great take.

I do not think you will get better at poker that way, but I would argue that it is the way to maximize your take.

[dar103]

I used to find that there were situations like this when I would say to myself, “I know he has KK and I am beat.” But I would bet anyway because I felt committed. In a tournament there can come a time when you are committed, but in a cash game never think this way.

When I lay these down now, I consider it a win. I tell myself, “I just saved X$ which I will double up later when I have the best hand.”

Nice bit of advice. I catch this leak once in a while still. Just because you're the pre flop aggressor and the flop bettor, doesn't mean you have to continue betting always if you've missed. Especially if they're going to just call you down like they do at small stakes NL. Sometimes it's better to just check/fold and consider the money saved, as you said.

[r8ed]

Heck, 4 table and just play KK, AA. With 4 tables you will get about one playable hand every 30 minutes and you will typically take 100xBB+ on it, at a cost of 15xBB in blinds leading to an estimated 85xBB/100 hands which is a great take.

That is simply genious. My wife likes to lose all my profits. Maybe I can convince her to do this.

[mcpeepants]

The blinds are totally meaningless at the 1/2 penny tables. People often raise to 10 cents with things like A8o, 66, or similarly not amazing hands. His raise showed that he had a decent hand. My reraise showed that I was serious. HIS reraise showed that he was REALLY serious. So I called, and bet on the flop, and I feel like I should have checked the turn and the river. Agree? Disagree?