QQ vs the blinds

[donkbee]

While really sick with a fever and on cold meds I decided to donk around in the $30k today. 10 minute levels and only the second level, so sorry no reads! My first inclination was to fold this river but someone mentioned to me that it looks like a bluff to him, so I'm posting it.

Oh and maybe I should have just checked behind on the river rather than bet?

PokerStars No-Limit Hold'em, $10+$1 Tournament, 15/30 Blinds (9 handed) - Poker-Stars Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com

MP2 (t6080)
MP3 (t2645)
CO (t3132)
Button (t585)
SB (t3150)
BB (t3150)
Hero (UTG) (t3626)
UTG+1 (t2920)
MP1 (t4712)

Hero's M: 80.58

Preflop: Hero is UTG with Q, Q
Hero bets t122, 6 folds, SB calls t107, BB calls t92

Flop: (t366) A, 3, 2 (3 players)
SB checks, BB checks, Hero checks

Turn: (t366) 5 (3 players)
SB checks, BB checks, Hero checks

River: (t366) 10 (3 players)
SB checks, BB checks, Hero bets t188, SB raises to t810, 1 fold, Hero ...?

[drmcboy]

bet the flop

I don't mind river bet, I think you can get called by Tx a lot. And would give up now, I would not expect people in the 30k to realize you aren't repping much except TTT but I also would not expect them to cr the river at all.

[donkbee]

Do you still like a flop bet if the cards come rainbow?

[drmcboy]

yes, but then it's b/f

I guess there are reasons not to c bet an A high flop IP after raising UTG but I don't see any here.

[frreshprince]

I would've raised more preflop. When i get a bigger hand in a tourney like QQ, and the blinds are low. people arent thinking (oh no, he/she reraised me 4xBB) they're thinking, well its only like 90 chips and i have 3000 who cares).
So i like to raise up 5x-6xBB (not sure if that would've matterd). But atleast you can either just win right there, or be sure that only a prime hand has enterd this pot with you.

After a flop like this, I would check. Because If you have two flat callers from a 4xBB raise preflop there is a very good chance of an Ace being out there. Although you still have the Q of hearts, you're probably currently losing the hand here. C-bet would be OK here too though, because you do still have a 35% chance or so of catching that flush, but more than likely you're currently losing the hand.

Turn, might as well check again, yeah.

River, might as well check again, theres not enough chips in the pot to risk a bet here in my opinion. one guy coulda flopped the flush and been playing it super-slow like a newbie. Or the straight, or the ace with a low card. Or the big blind coulda been packing 10-3. your really never know with the daily 30ks you'll tend to see alot of loose play until all the bad players are chizzled out. I like to play it safe and get all my chips in when i know Ive got the hand.

So pretty much, i like what you did but
1) raise a little more preflop
2) I would've checked it down to the river if they were checking aswell.

[dthorne04]

there's really no reason to raise more preflop. unless you hate value, or have significant reason to believe your table is going to overcall a ton. our goal isn't to win 45 chips, imo.

[frreshprince]

early in a tournament people play stupid especially at lower stakes. they'll tend to call with mediocur hands. and if you take a bad beat here you're just going to be pissed off.

[dthorne04]

early in a tournament people play stupid especially at lower stakes.

This is true sometimes, but not always.

they'll tend to call with mediocur hands.

also sometimes true, but we (should) like this one a lot.

and if you take a bad beat here you're just going to be pissed off.

and herro there awful logic. this is almost never true of someone that's a winning poker player, and certainly shouldn't be even in your mind when you play. it sounds to me that you have either a fear of playing flops, and/or a fear of bad beats. bad beats are irrelevant and don't justify bad play.

[vennix]

[quote="dthorne04"]

early in a tournament people play stupid especially at lower stakes.

This is very true I do believe. Well in my past experiences at least.

[mcatdog]

I don't see any reason to bet the flop. unless you want to barrel them off a weak ace, and fat chance of that happening.

be sure that only a prime hand has enterd this pot with you.

This is a bad thing, not a good thing.

[frreshprince]

thorne, its not so much that i fear bad beats and don't except them as apart of the game, but rather I enjoy trying to avoid them constantly. I guess its a good thing if a hand like K J calls your raise preflop here. but when the flop hits K 7 3 what will you do C-bet? and then if u get reraised then what? will you be able to fold? same thing with an ace on the flop.

The reason i enjoy raising a bunch preflop is to avoid stick situations like this. so say if i were to raise 5xBB and he still called (hmmmm just called?) i would immediatly put him on a worse PP than me, if hes a bad player he still could have the same K10+ and A10+, (unless AK or AQ its a good flat call). but now i know atleast where he is at in the hand. where if i just raise a little bit he really could just call with any 2 cards especially at lower stakes.

[drmcboy]

if we bet the flop we fold out Kx and PPs that are done with the hand unless they make a set and we can get called by worse hearts and win a bigger pot when we get there. I don't see much value in checking either, they can catch a pair but we'll still at best only get one bet in.

[dthorne04]

thorne, its not so much that i fear bad beats and don't except them as apart of the game, but rather I enjoy trying to avoid them constantly. I guess its a good thing if a hand like K J calls your raise preflop here. but when the flop hits K 7 3 what will you do C-bet? and then if u get reraised then what? will you be able to fold? same thing with an ace on the flop.

The reason i enjoy raising a bunch preflop is to avoid stick situations like this. so say if i were to raise 5xBB and he still called (hmmmm just called?) i would immediatly put him on a worse PP than me, if hes a bad player he still could have the same K10+ and A10+, (unless AK or AQ its a good flat call). but now i know atleast where he is at in the hand. where if i just raise a little bit he really could just call with any 2 cards especially at lower stakes.

so basically you don't like postflop poker

edit: also, i like drmcboy's post

[poker3player333]

early in a tournament people play stupid especially at lower stakes. they'll tend to call with mediocur hands. and if you take a bad beat here you're just going to be pissed off.

I agree. But in this 30k tourney I'd believe play to be more premium and tighter. Gotta believe he has the 4, the A or hearts.