Eurobet $25 NL Texas Hold'em - Tuesday, August 16

** Dealing down cards **
Villian UTG calls .
UTG +1 calls
fold
fold
fold
fold
Dealt to nwcougar
nwcougar raises [$2].
SB folds.
BB folds.
Villian calls [$1.75].
UTG +1 folds.
** Dealing Flop **
Pot at $4.60
Villian checks.
nwcougar bets [$5].
Villian calls [$5].
** Dealing Turn **
Pot at $14.60
Villian checks.
nwcougar is all-In.
Villian calls all-In.
** Dealing River **
Villian shows a flush, ace high.
nwcougar shows three of a kind, kings.
nwcougar wins $1.60 from side pot #1 with three of a kind, kings.
Villian wins $45.70 from the main pot with a flush, ace high.

No reads on the villian, he'd only played 5 hands to that point. Here's my question, how did I play this wrong and where? I'm new to the game (2 months in) and I know I have a lot to learn but I thought it was a bad play for the villian to call my pre-flop $2 bet with , his call made me think he had a big pair. I'm not calling this a bad beat because I think I was just outplayed. I just take it as a learning experience.

P.S. I hope I posted it right, if not, please let me know

unless you have the absolute nuts it matters just as much as what the other players hold as what you have in your hand. when they make that call on the flop you have to wonder what they are looking for on the turn (if anything) and a flush draw is a big possibility (especially on 25nl they will call suited connectors for anything just because they like the name) and at that point(of the 3rd flush card) i would slow down and play by my read to that point, the all-in will just make a better hand call you faster, (worse hands too) but it takes away any skill advantage you have. As far as the preflop raise,I like the idea of raising the same every time (depending on limpers and the table) so maybe try to find a bet that you feel just as comfortable making with JJ as AA or AK.

Flop--Love the slightly larger than pot bet.

Turn--I like the check on the turn; however, he called your flop bet (he knows you didn't want a flush draw hanging around) and now the flush card falls and he goes all-in. Gotta fold now. If he had bet say 1/2 pot, you might call b/c you could make a full boat.

Another way to think about it is what would he have called a pfr AND your flop bet with that you could beat? Most logical are AA, AK, and maybe KQ. It would take a superior player to push all in on the turn with those three. Very few could do that IMHO. Hence, you know you're probably against a flushy.

Tim

Some people will chase any 4 to a flush. You can't do anything about that. Suck it up, and keep playing him and he'll pay you back and more over time.

Tough to fold this on the turn, but he's being clear that he hit the flush. He can't say it any clearer. Some sites, they do make it real obvious with the huge bets. Maybe 10% of the time they're bluffing it, but no more than that.

When a card comes that fills a flush AND a straight, and a guy who has been check-calling now goes all-in, he just hit his hand. No matter how good your hand is, that makes it time to calculate your chances of beating the flush/straight, and the pot odds. Throw in a 10% bluff rate and an x% moron rate for the chance he might be on two pair, then calculate your pot odds, and then go from there.

I like the flop bet, but I think that I would have checked behind on the turn when the club hit, so I could try to fill up on the river. People chase regardless of pot odds at 25 nl. Next time when the draws hit just slow down a little.

Stealth

I think Trodgers said what I would,

The things is that he limped UTG, if he had aces he would either reraise preflop or almost certainly re-raise you on the flop. If he flopped a lower set on the flop he'd most likely raise you, figuring you for AK or even the flush draw. With the flat call on the flop, in a hand where it's you are screaming strength, this guy is screaming that he wants to see as many cards as he can, so it's either clubs or Q-10.

Molina

you guys are giving the avg $25 player a lot of credit. i mean clue #1, opponent limped utg, and then called an 8xbb raise.

in a lot of cases i would slow down a lot w/ that turn card, but hero has the top set of Ks w/ the ! the pot is big enough on the turn where i'm just trying to get it all in the middle here sometime on the last two streets...preferably not in the form of check, all-in on the turn, but any other way would suffice.

actually, thinking now, i do like the value in a turn check, but as a way to induce all of utg's $ into the pot, not out of caution.

I'm all-in on the turn as well. You have too big of a hand to fold, and if your opponent has a non-A flush, you still have 17 outs to improve. You would be getting 2-1 on your money and you are only a 1.6-1 dog to improve on the river. If he has a straight, without a club, you have 19 outs. You are only a 1.4-1 dog. This, combined with the fact that this is $25 NL, your opponent may call with a worse hand, like 2 pair or a smaller set. Checking is only correct if you are sure your opponent has the A-high flush. Considering the King, Queen, and Jack are out there, AT is the best hand he could hold. This makes the flush even less likely. Putting your money in the middle is the right thing to do. Dont worry about this one, the stacks are not deep enough to fold.

I would feel much better about moving all-in and losing to a flush than checking and watching a non-club ten or ace fall and losing to a one-card straight.

BTW, you did not get outplayed. If your opponent calls your 8xBB raise with Axs, and you flop a set, no way to fold. He made huge mistakes in the hand, you did not.

D

thanks, D. I def learned something from that post.