I Think I'm Making Big Mistakes Here

[derekeverett]

$0.10/$0.25 No Limit Holdem
6 Players
Hand Conversion Powered by weaktight.com

Stacks:
UTG ($52.39)
UTG+1 ($10.57)
CO ($15)
BTN ($18.65)
SB ($15.59)
hero (BB) ($25)

Pre-Flop: ($0.60, 6 players) hero is BB
[CO posts $0.25]
UTG raises to $0.75, 4 folds, hero calls $0.50

Flop: ($1.85, 2 players)
hero checks, UTG bets $1.25, hero calls $1.25

Turn: ($4.35, 2 players)
hero checks, UTG checks

River: ($4.35, 2 players)
hero bets $2.48, UTG raises to $7, hero raises to $11.75, UTG calls $4.75


This was very early on in my time at the table so I don't really have any useful stats or reads on my opponent here. But looking at this hand now I think I made a number of mistakes.. here's my thoughts and any comments would be appreciated.

I don't mind my flat call pre here. I'm thinking I'm ahead but I like to see a flop with AK. If I hit.. my hand is nicely disguised.

Flop call is ok I think too.. but I don't like my check on the turn at all. I was hoping he would fire again but of course they never do. I need to stop thinking that way imo.

I"m really not sure how I feel about my re-raise on the river. I mean with this board I think I'm ahead the vast majority of the time. So I don't think I'm ever folding to his initial re-raise... but looking at this hand now I think my re-raise was unnecessary. He's not re-raising this board with less than 2 pair I don't think.

Is my thinking here way off?

[Hoopy]

I don't mind my flat call pre here. I'm thinking I'm ahead but I like to see a flop with AK. If I hit.. my hand is nicely disguised.

"Like to see a flop with AK" is wrong, either we 3bet for value or if he's a tight player calling can be ok, deception doesn't have much value at micros.

Flop call is ok I think too.. but I don't like my check on the turn at all. I was hoping he would fire again but of course they never do. I need to stop thinking that way imo.

You aren't thinking about his range and how it connects with this board, or what is the most +EV play. C/r seems best vs an unknown.

I"m really not sure how I feel about my re-raise on the river. I mean with this board I think I'm ahead the vast majority of the time. So I don't think I'm ever folding to his initial re-raise... but looking at this hand now I think my re-raise was unnecessary. He's not re-raising this board with less than 2 pair I don't think.

Is my thinking here way off?

Put him on a range every street based on the action.

[kickass]

dont take what i say like I know what Im talking about. I like pre flop keeping his range wide seems like a good idea to me. flop also seems fine although if he's likely to put you on a draw and felt his AQ AJ here I dont mind a reraise. Turn seems fine too honestly, I maybe wrong here. On the river it is so unlikely he has a hand that i think I bet like 2 and hope to get called by QQ JJ non beleivers its fucking unlikely though. when he raises his range is super polerized, I think I call it off with top 2 expecting to see air or a rivered set.

[Nekrogovner]

3bet pre. And hands plays itself.

As played, raising flop would be great I suppose, donking river (since u didn't raise flop) would be awesome too since you can now obviously charge 2 flush draws and weaker aces.
Your river raise was pointless. If he actually had a hand to stack you on a river, he would reshove your raise, and if you were actually confident that your hand is the best, you would shove him there. This way, you just risk getting shoved over with both better hands...and bluffs...

[derekeverett]

"Like to see a flop with AK" is wrong, either we 3bet for value or if he's a tight player calling can be ok, deception doesn't have much value at micros.

Point taken. I guess I'm just leery of being put in tough spots post flop.. but really it's not so tough.. if I don't hit I can just get out.

C/R the turn was in fact my plan... just didn't work out. Next time I think I'll just bet.

As far as putting him on a range every street is concerned.. I admit I wasn't really doing that.. also admit that I should have... but I had almost no information on this opponent and the way he played this hand his range seems pretty wide to me. Any Ax hand could have easily raised my blind. As well as any pair really. With a board like this I think he C-bets that flop every time, so I don't think there's any real information there.

The river bet could be a number of things. He thinks his Ax hand that made him 2 pair is good... he could have a set with his low pair.. tough spot for me. That last re-raise was for sure an error though.

[derekeverett]

Turn seems fine too honestly, I maybe wrong here. On the river it is so unlikely he has a hand that i think I bet like 2 and hope to get called by QQ JJ non beleivers its fucking unlikely though. when he raises his range is super polerized, I think I call it off with top 2 expecting to see air or a rivered set.

I hate that I didn't bet the turn. I think doing that stops him from bluffing the river with air and it stops him from making it to the river to catch a set. Nice read though... he showed up with one of the 2 just like you expected.

[BlackRain79]

3bet preflop. As played, raise the flop. Do not check the turn unless you have a clear reason to believe that he will bet when checked to. Since you basically say that you have no reads on your opponent, you don't have that reason. You should just bet.

[Hoopy]

C/R the turn was in fact my plan... just didn't work out. Next time I think I'll just bet.

Check raising flop is a much better play, also see what Blackrain said. Leading turn is better than a turn c/r as that's a classic line of strength that he would be able to fold to sometimes. We don't have a read he'll bet turn always.

As far as putting him on a range every street is concerned.. I admit I wasn't really doing that.. also admit that I should have... but I had almost no information on this opponent and the way he played this hand his range seems pretty wide to me. Any Ax hand could have easily raised my blind. As well as any pair really. With a board like this I think he C-bets that flop every time, so I don't think there's any real information there.

We can start by noting that he opened UTG and give him a generic range for a 25NL random with the assumption he's sane. Then note he bet the flop and checked turn, what hands are likely to do that?

[derekeverett]

Thanks everyone. I now agree I should have 3-bet pre. Now that I know what he held, I think I would have folded him out of the pot.. but that would have been better than the result I got.

If we got to the flop.. I think he folds to a re-raise for sure. Also, I'm confident that he would have folded the turn had I have bet.

I let him check his way to a set after his C-bet. Of course this is the street where I threw all my money at him like an idiot lol.

[Zorkion]

ok, im gonna try this without looking at other peoples responses, because i need to get back into actively studying poker. so sorry if this is just a repeat

preflop) 3bet for lots of value against a range you have great equity against. youre even oop, so its even more important for you to do this, so you can build yourself a big pot with your quality holdings

flop) bet it up biiiiiiig. potsize would be good, like 1.75. there are simply a lot of aq/aj hands that are going to pay you, not to mention draws to the flush. or at least check raise to get his extra bet in.

turn) woo, a total rag. betting it up here, probably about 4/5 pot size or so

river) betting about 3/5 pot, and im wary of raises. as played, it looks more like he was chasing a draw that didnt hit, and is trying to get some FE with his raise. that said, im not planning on reraising.


annnnd now to read the responses of people who havent been letting their games get super rusty

[bikes]

don't c/r the flop but lead the turn for sure as played def dont shove over the river raise

[rpm]

turn and river are bad. bet the turn to get value from flush draws/Ax/maybe Kx. villain will probably call a bet with more hands than he will bet the turn with so just lead out. on the river, while you are likely in good enough shape to call villain's raise, you're rarely going to get called by worse so don't 3bet it. his calling range against your 3b is basically 44 and 44 only. i don't hate pre or flop, though an argument could be made for 3betting pre.

[ColdDecked]

don't c/r the flop but lead the turn for sure as played def dont shove over the river raise

Pretty much this

[OngBonga]

Bikes wins again

[!Luck]

don't c/r the flop but lead the turn for sure as played def dont shove over the river raise

Serious question, how is c/r flop that much different then a call flop bet lead turn?

[bikes]

Serious question, how is c/r flop that much different then a call flop bet lead turn?

in so many less words,

c/r this flop = super strong = strong 2 pair hands+ massive draws
c/c then lead turn = wide range of value hands and semi bluffs

[!Luck]

in so many less words,

c/r this flop = super strong = strong 2 pair hands+ massive draws
c/c then lead turn = wide range of value hands and semi bluffs

Wouldn't then you only be raising this flop with bd flush draws and gut shots. Though, I would raise 99 here (i would add KK and AA, but the way I play I prob would never have this in my range here), though you imply that a c/c lead seems better, but then again with 99 they can have so many Ax combos + two pairs plus draws.