So what would you read this guy to have? Villain and BB were both fairly loose and aggressive before this (VP$IP 35 to 40 for the game), but I hadn't played them before this game. Being on the button, villain really could have anything. I put BB with medium pair or overcards with lousy flop, since he wasn't aggressive on this hand. With TP and K kicker, I bet 2BB preflop and about half the pot after that to test for higher overpairs and drive out draws, but perhaps I should have bet higher? So, what do you experts read the villain to have when he checks the river?



UTG+2 ($78.6)
Hero ($183.4)
MP2 ($207.9)
MP3 ($186.75)
CO ($246.05)
Button =#A500AF(Villain)/ ($170)
SB ($58.7)
BB ($269)
UTG ($128.3)
UTG+1 ($156.65)

Preflop: Hero is MP1 with , . SB posts a blind of $1.
3 folds, Hero raises to $4, 1 fold, MP3 calls $4, CO calls $4, Button =#A500AF(Villain)/ calls $4, 1 fold, BB calls $2.

Flop: ($21) , , (5 players)
BB checks, Hero bets $10, MP3 folds, CO folds, Villain calls $10, BB calls $10.

Turn: ($51) (3 players)
BB checks, Hero bets $20, Villain calls $20, BB calls $20.

River: ($111) (3 players)
BB checks, Hero checks, Villain checks.

Final Pot: $111

I put BB on a flush draw that he hit on the river. Villain could have anything from 99 to QJ to K9...there no telling but I think BB won.

Do me a personal favor. Never make a minimum raise preflop again. Please?

Also, I'd bet the full pot here on the flop. $10 into a $21 pot with that board is not going to do anything but build a big pot. KJc does not want to build a big pot here, it doesn't want many callers, and it doesn't want to see any more cards. I'd let them know right now that their draw is going to cost them if they want to go on. How I continued after this would depend on the turn card and the number of callers you got. I'd be willing to give it up easily to any scare card or pressure. It certainly isn't a hand I want to be investing in.

SF

I have to echo what Iceman says about a one unit raise preflop, there is no advantage to min raising prefop, in this case all you did was build the pot, and give other odds to call with a flush draw. With that said, I do like your bet on the flop. You gotta be worried when two players call behind though. The turn is a good card for you, I think your bet on the turn is to small, you want to not give the flush draw any kind of odds to call you here. I would have bet more like $35 of $40 or check and tried to checkraise if you still think you have the best hand. I think the 2rd player made his flush on the river and was hoping to get in a checkraise. Either way I think your chances are pretty low of winning this pot after the rive.

Rhound, I would like to hear your reasoning behind a half pot bet here, and if you would do the same with KK. I can't figure out why you would want to invite the draws into the hand for the right price. If in fact he's winning the hand right now I woulld think charging the max would be better. Maybe I'm missing something. Of cours, I bet 2/3-full pot after a raise 90% of the time so it wouldnt look any different than if I had AA.

SF

Scott, there is nothing wrong with a pot bet here on the flop, I usually dont want to be the flop as hard with TP, because when you get a few callers like he did you now have a big pot and you are making it harder to bet the draws out on the turn. On the flop I am tryign to keep the pot small enough that I can bet the flush/str8 draw out on the turn without having to risk the majority of my stack to do it.

I agree. Two different approaches I guess, neither of which are wrong. Either way the main idea is to not get too far invested in this hand. My goal was to get to the turn heads up or end it right on the flop. As you said, betting less on flop and hammering a safe turn card is also an option.

SF

Thanks for the great advice -- as usual, I learned a lot from it and will put it to good use, especially with the balance with the two approaches. It's funny how clear it looks in retrospect compared to when I was actually playing the hand. I was with Ice and thought the BB had the odds to draw for the flush, but this is what happened...

BB shows high card king.
Hero shows a pair of jacks.
Villain shows a flush, jack high.
Villain wins $108 from the main pot with a flush, jack high.

As a beginner, the two major leaks I have is not being aggressive enough (amount vs. %PFR) and calling too much when I know I'm probably beat (I want to see the cards, though the PT helps so I know an opponent is tight). In this case, my low bets gave my opponents the odds to draw on the flop and turn, and the river made the flush.

Thanks for the help!