Haven't used Party Poker in about 8 months, but they decided to give me $50 this month so I figured I'd use to work on my NL game. Mostly a Limit player, but I'd like to improve in all games. Couple of hands here for review.

$25 NL

Hand 1: Not much of a read. About 20 hands in.
[Qc] in the SB. It's folded all the way around to me and I raise to $1. BB calls for $.75 more.

Flop: [9s][5c]
I bet $2 and he raises to $4. I have $25.73 and he has $18.20 left after the raise. Now I know you can get in a lot of trouble pushing with TPTK, but I put him on a Q with a lower kicker and push all-in. The only draw is JT for the OE straight. He could have 99 or 55, but I think he would have re-raised with a PP pre-flop being heads up. I don't think he figured me for the hand I had and was trying to steal the pot. Second reason I pushed......free money, it's Party Poker's money to begin with. He turned over [Qs] and I doubled up. If he were in any other position than BB I probably would have just called. Putting aside the fact that I actually guessed right, bad push or not?

In my limited experience, the best way to maximize your value with TPTK is to minimize your losses with it. Ditto overpairs.

My TPTK was a bad push from yesterday, but here are a few scenarios from todays session.

***** Hand History for Game 2896309300 *****
$25 NL Texas Hold'em - Tuesday, October 18, 17:55:42 EDT 2005
Table Table 65783 (Real Money)
Seat 8 is the button
Total number of players : 10
Seat 3: SabaTemaki ( $70.55 )
Seat 4: Trymsbane ( $26.35 )
Seat 6: bakayaru1973 ( $47.75 )
Seat 8: anseon ( $23.20 )
Seat 9: blindrodent ( $7.40 )
Seat 5: PayMeDaMoney ( $26.90 )
Seat 10: davevickers ( $24.85 )
Seat 7: frantheman8 ( $8.30 )
Seat 1: cframer ( $24.75 )
Seat 2: RiverRat7240 ( $24.12 )
blindrodent posts small blind [$0.10].
davevickers posts big blind [$0.25].
** Dealing down cards **
Dealt to PayMeDaMoney [5s]
cframer calls [$0.25].
RiverRat7240 folds.
SabaTemaki folds.
Trymsbane raises [$0.50].
PayMeDaMoney calls [$0.50].
bakayaru1973 folds.
frantheman8 folds.
anseon calls [$0.50].
blindrodent folds.
davevickers is all-In.
cframer folds.
Trymsbane folds.
PayMeDaMoney folds.
anseon folds.
davevickers shows [Ah] a pair of aces.
davevickers wins $26.70 from the main pot with a pair of aces.

----------

Ok so a guy goes all-in pre-flop w/ a pair of Aces to pick up a little less than $2. Why do I show you this? Because exactly 4 hands later.............

***** Hand History for Game 2896324378 *****
$25 NL Texas Hold'em - Tuesday, October 18, 17:59:12 EDT 2005
Table Table 65783 (Real Money)
Seat 2 is the button
Total number of players : 10
Seat 3: SabaTemaki ( $69.90 )
Seat 4: Trymsbane ( $25.85 )
Seat 6: bakayaru1973 ( $47.50 )
Seat 8: anseon ( $22.70 )
Seat 9: blindrodent ( $7.57 )
Seat 5: PayMeDaMoney ( $26.40 )
Seat 10: davevickers ( $27.23 )
Seat 7: frantheman8 ( $9.90 )
Seat 1: cframer ( $23.90 )
Seat 2: RiverRat7240 ( $22.87 )
SabaTemaki posts small blind [$0.10].
Trymsbane posts big blind [$0.25].
** Dealing down cards **
Dealt to PayMeDaMoney [6c]
PayMeDaMoney folds.
bakayaru1973 folds.
frantheman8 calls [$0.25].
anseon folds.
blindrodent folds.
SabaTemaki: oh XXXX
davevickers is all-In.

Before I finish the hand, let me ask if there is ANYTHING that you call with here? He just threw $27.23 in the pot to win 60 cents. He went all-in preflop just a few hands ago w/ AA. Is he bluffing? For that much money, does it matter? What do you do with KK or QQ? Anyway, here is what happened.

cframer folds.
RiverRat7240 folds.
SabaTemaki folds.
Trymsbane folds.
frantheman8 is all-In.
** Dealing Flop ** [7s][Qc]
** Dealing Turn **
>You have options at Table 65173 Table!.
** Dealing River **
frantheman8 shows [Ac] a pair of nines.
davevickers shows [Ah] two pairs, aces and nines.
davevickers wins $17.33 from side pot #1 with two pairs, aces and nines.
davevickers wins $19.15 from the main pot with two pairs, aces and nines.

---------------------------------

I gotta admit I'm curious what he had. I gotta wonder why anyone would risk that with less than AA, but maybe he was setting us up 4 hands earlier. What would I have done with KK or even QQ? But A5????

-----------------------------

Now my AA hand? Did I play it right?

***** Hand History for Game 2896537502 *****
$25 NL Texas Hold'em - Tuesday, October 18, 18:47:22 EDT 2005
Table Table 65783 (Real Money)
Seat 5 is the button
Total number of players : 10
Seat 3: SabaTemaki ( $64.45 )
Seat 4: Trymsbane ( $35.85 )
Seat 6: bakayaru1973 ( $46 )
Seat 5: PayMeDaMoney ( $33 )
Seat 10: davevickers ( $32.73 )
Seat 7: Lanky963 ( $25.25 )
Seat 9: yair01 ( $24.50 )
Seat 2: pkmaniac ( $21.70 )
Seat 1: mikec087 ( $21.95 )
Seat 8: T_Bone13 ( $24.25 )
bakayaru1973 posts small blind [$0.10].
Lanky963 posts big blind [$0.25].
** Dealing down cards **
Dealt to PayMeDaMoney [Ac]
T_Bone13 could not respond in time.(disconnected)
T_Bone13 folds.
yair01 folds.
davevickers calls [$0.25].
mikec087 folds.
pkmaniac folds.
SabaTemaki folds.
Trymsbane folds.
PayMeDaMoney raises [$2].
bakayaru1973 folds.
Lanky963 folds.
davevickers calls [$1.75].
** Dealing Flop ** [9c][Ah]
davevickers checks.
PayMeDaMoney bets [$3].
davevickers calls [$3].
** Dealing Turn **
davevickers checks.
PayMeDaMoney bets [$6].
>You have options at Table 65173 Table!.
davevickers calls [$6].
** Dealing River **
davevickers checks.
PayMeDaMoney checks.
davevickers shows [8c] high card ace.
PayMeDaMoney shows [Ac] three of a kind, aces.
PayMeDaMoney wins $21.25 from the main pot with three of a kind, aces.
T_Bone13 has left the table.

I thought he was on the flush draw, but could not rule out the 10 at the end.

------------------------------------------------

Lastly, I believe this is my best played hand all week. What do you guys think?

***** Hand History for Game 2896374072 *****
$25 NL Texas Hold'em - Tuesday, October 18, 18:10:27 EDT 2005
Table Table 65173 (Real Money)
Seat 9 is the button
Total number of players : 10
Seat 3: Pinot72 ( $33.50 )
Seat 6: allwelcome ( $9.60 )
Seat 7: BluePig ( $8.65 )
Seat 9: Grannixx ( $24.85 )
Seat 10: PayMeDaMoney ( $27.20 )
Seat 2: Danoj10 ( $35.90 )
Seat 8: Masterfulx ( $14.85 )
Seat 1: JFranklin35 ( $25.65 )
Seat 4: FCDROCKS ( $23.70 )
Seat 5: lastin ( $25 )
PayMeDaMoney posts small blind [$0.10].
JFranklin35 posts big blind [$0.25].
lastin posts big blind [$0.25].
** Dealing down cards **
Dealt to PayMeDaMoney [Ac]
Danoj10 folds.
Pinot72 folds.
FCDROCKS calls [$0.25].
lastin checks.
allwelcome folds.
BluePig folds.
Masterfulx folds.
Grannixx folds.
PayMeDaMoney raises [$0.90].
JFranklin35 folds.
FCDROCKS calls [$0.75].
lastin folds.
** Dealing Flop ** [2h][Jc]
PayMeDaMoney bets [$2].
FCDROCKS raises [$4].
PayMeDaMoney calls [$2].
** Dealing Turn **
PayMeDaMoney checks.
FCDROCKS bets [$9].
PayMeDaMoney calls [$9].

No reason for me to bet this flop. I don't want to scare her off. When she bets $9 I could push and see if she will call an all-in, but I figure that I am more likely to get the call on the river.

** Dealing River **
PayMeDaMoney bets [$4].
FCDROCKS is all-In.
PayMeDaMoney calls [$5.70].
PayMeDaMoney shows [Ac] a flush, ace high.
FCDROCKS doesn't show [Qd] a pair of queens.
PayMeDaMoney wins $45.55 from the main pot with a flush, ace high.

I wanted her to think I was bluffing the straight on the river and I wanted it to look bad so I'd get the all-in push. I knew she couldn't fold to that bet at least. After seeing what she turned over I guess I over-thought the hand because she was going to get busted no matter what.

Hand 1 - Proves he's retarded.

Hand 2 - Proves it again.

Hand 3 - That raise preflop with AA was a bit big. You're lucky you got a caller. If you think he's on a flush draw, push on the Turn. If they really are on a flush draw, Party NL$25 players call that push all day.

Hand 4 - Villain is committed after calling the turn bet. It doesn't matter if you bet $4 or $6, they're following you all-in if they have anything at all. Completely retarded the way your villain played it though.

The thing about Hand 3 (AA) is that $1 (3xBB) raises were being called by half the table. I would probably rather just have the blinds than multiple callers with this hand in a NL game. Too many ways to out-think yourself after the flop with too many opponents. Maybe $1.50 would have been better.

Danhdan, in Hand #3 he called the turn bet on a flush draw. The river was checked by both of us. I didn't bet because I didn't think I could gain anything there. If he was on the flush draw like thought he wasn't calling and if he has a 10 then I'm getting check-raised.

Poker2006, good point about the raise giving away the strength, thank you. But I'm beginning to believe at this level on PP that they pay attention to nothing but their own cards from the hands I'm seeing shown down.

i've seen someone with $42 behind him raise to $10 on a 10NL table utg (5c/10c blinds) and called my all in when i pushed for $48 with KK. He had 88 and flopped an 8. However, he truly believes thats the way to play while I was just messing around with bonus money.