Micro Stakes Online NL Poker Forums

PokerStars - $0.10 NL - Holdem - 7 players
Hand converted by PokerTracker 4

Hero (MP): $10.15
CO: $13.75
BTN: $4.07
SB: $3.60
BB: $5.47
UTG: $10.00
UTG+1: $10.19

SB posts SB $0.05, BB posts BB $0.10

Pre Flop: (pot: $0.15) Hero has A J

fold, UTG+1 raises to $0.30, Hero calls $0.30, fold, fold, fold, fold

Flop: ($0.75, 2 players) A 7 6
UTG+1 bets $0.40, Hero raises to $0.80, UTG+1 calls $0.40

Turn: ($2.35, 2 players) T
UTG+1 checks, Hero bets $1.12, UTG+1 calls $1.12

River: ($4.59, 2 players) J
UTG+1 checks, Hero bets $1.50


The lowdown:
Everybody acting behind was shaping up to be tight (had 28 or more hands on them all). The button was 10/10. Villain was 26/21 over 76 hands. I looked at some of his post flop stats and he seemed to cbet the flop then give up on the turn and river. He had a 1/7 turn bet rate and a 0/5 river bet rate. I chose to call because I didn't really like AJ a lot, and I could easily fold if the board looked bad. I did have position on him so I don't know if a raise would have been better or not.

He bet a little over half pot, so I thought if I raised and showed any strength he might fold, I don't know why I min raised, I just kind of chose it to try to make a quick raise. Once he checked the turn I felt that was my go-ahead to bet for value.

I was originally going to ask if I should have shoved on the river because I didn't think he would have called the turn bet with anything very weak, and SPR like less than 2:1.

But after making this post I kind of think I might have neglected the chance that he could have easily had a better Ace, so maybe the small value bet was a better option.

What do you think?

This is just a fold preflop. You could make a case for 3b/folding, but I don't think it's strong enough to flat in your horrible position.

Flop is a flat. Look at your equity vs his continuing range. It's not that great. Furthermoe, you can protect your flatting range by flatting the flop, and I doubt you have much of a bluff raising range to protect by raising.

This is a pretty big overplay.

This is just a fold preflop. You could make a case for 3b/folding, but I don't think it's strong enough to flat in your horrible position.

Flop is a flat. Look at your equity vs his continuing range. It's not that great. Furthermoe, you can protect your flatting range by flatting the flop, and I doubt you have much of a bluff raising range to protect by raising.

This is a pretty big overplay.

I think it was a good enough hand to see a flop with. I felt the 2 tags behind me would just fold after a raise and call most of the time, so I would have position post flop. What would the advantages be of 3betting as opposed to calling? I knew there was a decent chance I was beat preflop, but I was looking to double barrel bluff a weaker board. I figured if I flat called, and a flop came say something like 28T rainbow, I could then rep a set or top pair credibly.

I'd agree that I probably should have just flat the flop, and checked behind on the turn. There's still a good chance he's got an Ace with better kicker. But since I hit two pair, I was willing to shove the river, but I didn't know if he would fold or not. I mean he only bet the flop and checked the turn and river. That seems pretty timid. I think I don't think his range was super tight, I would say he holds AT+, TT+. I think he would fold to a shove with most of those hands.

I kind of think I might have neglected the chance that he could have easily had a better Ace

this.

Edit: If I might add, poorly played in almost every way possible. Threads13 nailed it. Judging from this one hand, I'd guess some fundamentals need a little work. For example, just from this one hand, even without reading your comments, I know that you don't understand the relationship in ranges, that you overplay your hands severely, that you generally don't know why you call, you don't know how to get value or why you go for value, what your general strategy is to beat the game, etc. That's quite a bit to work on... but lucky for you, DC has a large community to help you and loads of videos to learn from... so here's to improving! Cheers!

Yea, that's all true StueysKid, I do need a lot of work on my fundamentals. Maybe since I'm still so clueless, I'll get more out of my time if I spend it studying the videos. I think specific hand histories like this are better reserved for when I actually know the basics haha. I've put a lot of thought into this thread and I don't think I got a whole lot out of it. I probably would have gotten much more out of the videos, so I think I'll just stick with those for a while.

I think it was a good enough hand to see a flop with. I felt the 2 tags behind me would just fold after a raise and call most of the time, so I would have position post flop. What would the advantages be of 3betting as opposed to calling? I knew there was a decent chance I was beat preflop, but I was looking to double barrel bluff a weaker board. I figured if I flat called, and a flop came say something like 28T rainbow, I could then rep a set or top pair credibly.

I'd agree that I probably should have just flat the flop, and checked behind on the turn. There's still a good chance he's got an Ace with better kicker. But since I hit two pair, I was willing to shove the river, but I didn't know if he would fold or not. I mean he only bet the flop and checked the turn and river. That seems pretty timid. I think I don't think his range was super tight, I would say he holds AT+, TT+. I think he would fold to a shove with most of those hands.

These statements are contradictory.

You're making a lot of generalizations about his range "seems timid", "good hand to see a flop with". You need to get much more specific. If you did that we could talk more specifically about how to play vs him.

Calling a raise and 2barrel looks like TP+ to me. That's a reasonably strong range.

These statements are contradictory.

You're making a lot of generalizations about his range "seems timid", "good hand to see a flop with". You need to get much more specific. If you did that we could talk more specifically about how to play vs him.

Calling a raise and 2barrel looks like TP+ to me. That's a reasonably strong range.

Sorry man I don't really know how to be more specific lol.

My exact train of thought was pretty much "I have position on this guy, he seems to give up after betting the flop, I think everybody with position on me will fold, and my hand is half decent"

I've only been playing for real money for like 10k hands total. I guess my brain just doesn't have the capacity to think in more specific terms yet. Oh well. This thread has definitely help put into perspective how little I know about the game, so you guys have been helpful. Thanks.

This is most definitely a 3bet or fold pre in these positions.

I've put a lot of thought into this thread and I don't think I got a whole lot out of it.

Okay... I'll try to help a little. Let's talk about opening ranges from various positions. The more players you need to get through, *generally speaking*, the tighter the range ought to be.
so if you're UTG at a full ring table, entering the pot you're facing 8 other random hands. Your "equity" if you will on any given hand will be lower if everyone comes along. If you're on the button and it's folded around to you, on the other hand, you have two other players (random hands) to get past plus you have position.

in general then, one key to winning at poker is to be positionally aware. This means you adjust your open range depending on how many random hands you're up against (again this is a generalized rule I'm giving you and simplified for comprehension purposes).

I'm sure you're following me thus far... if not, then definitely stop playing and watch some videos first... but I'm confident you already know what I'm saying.

So now let's put on the other shoe - which in this case is this particular hand. You have AJo facing an EP raise. How does your particular hand stack up? Well, you're going to be dominated often (since most players aren't opening a bunch of worse aces than this one) - and you have other players left to act behind you. Further, you don't really have a plan here with this hand (in my opinion of course).

When the flop comes out Axxs - you raise. Why do that? I guess you figure you have top pair, but is your opponent's continuation range? Well, now you're not only dominated easily but in raising you're folding out air and any sorts of weak pair hands that can't continue profitably out of position, and you're keeping IN all those stronger aces that he opens with + any other sorts of hands that just might have a flush draw here (though there are less of those IMO for most players).... you also keep in his sets. How do you fare against that range? Not good.

In this instance, your raise was for no particular reason since it can't be for value (getting called by worse) and it can only be for bluff (with not too many ways to improve... you have no flush draw, no straight draw, etc). Why bluff with top pair against a range that smacks the board? Makes no sense.

Now, on the river, you're very much ahead - but you bet small. If anything, you want to rep the missed flush draw... instead you bet so little that you're begging for a call. Also, should have checked back the turn if you're going to raise the flop (which was already a mistake)....

So, just think about a few of these things.
In general, calling weak offsuit aces pre-flop against a raiser in EP is a bad idea. Calling suited aces is often also not the best idea unless you know what you're doing. I'd say you perhaps need to tighten down your pre-flop calling range for a while until you get some experience.

I like your attitude - you'll do well, just work at it! :-)

Well, Stueyskid, before I dig into that long post I'll say this:

I shouldn't have said I didn't get a lot out of it, and I didn't mean to complain or say you weren't being helpful. What I meant is I didn't get much in the way of intermediate/advanced ideas/knowledge. But that's ok because I realize I'm just not at the level where I can even grasp things like that.

But the truth is I got a lot from this thread, I got the best I could have ever gotten from this thread, and you guys were extremely helpful. I now know with 2nd, 3rd, 4th opinions that I have a HUGE area that I can improve on drastically, which is like insanely beneficial to me. You guys helped open my eyes and give me a clear perspective on how flawed my basics were, as opposed to before when I knew I was kind of lacking but it was fuzzy and didn't really know what to think of myself as a poker player. Now it's like wow, I can see all of the flaws and I just have to dive head first into theory and fundamentals.

I'll try to read and think through the content in your above post before I go to work in an hour or so. But I'm in the middle of watching a video right now so I might have to leave that one for tomorrow. Thanks for taking the time to type that up I'm sure it will be helpful for me.