You guys know how I like to post hands that I think I played well. Well, here's one that I think I might've butchered. The fact that I was getting ready to quit my session probably had some influence.


Bodog .50/1 Limit (10-handed)

Cobalt is UTG+1 w/ A T . No reads.

Pre-flop:
1 fold, Cobalt calls, BB checks

Flop (5 players): Q J 9 (5 SB)
SB bets

Turn (4 players): 6 (8.5 BB)
SB bets

River (4 players): 7 (12.5 BB)
SB checks, Cobalt checks, MP1 checks, CO checks

Final Pot: 12 BB


During the hand, I figured that SB probably had two pair...but might've flopped the straight w/ T8. Read the other two for a pair of some persuasion or an OESD w/ a T.

I feel like the two things I've been saying waaaay to often have been:

1. You shouldn't have raised (or C/R'ed) the flop

OR

2. You should have raised the flop.


I'm gonna go with option #2 on this one.

I think here you want to try to clean up your Ace outs, and gain some info... I'm probably calling a three-bet, and reevaluating the turn.

At .50/1, you won't be cleaning up any of your outs.

No stronger ace will fold for 2 small bets here, except in VERY rare circumstances.

Good point... but would you just call?

I still think raising the flop is better. You've gotta have some equity, you gain some info, and maybe clean out some weak draws.

If I were in late position, I probably would've raised the flop instantly.

I dont think there are any weak draws that you're vulnerable that will fold.

You have _some_ equity, but probably negative. Enough to call given the size of the pot, but not enough to push the hand for value.
More likely than not someone else has your draw, meaning your outs may very well only be worth half. You're not drawing to the nuts either. AK and K/10 put you in a tough position even if you make your draw.

The backdoor flush draw increases the value of the hand a bit on the flop, but not much.

Raising here just eliminates hands that you WANT to be calling. (small pairs)

Raise preflop

A king gives me the nuts, actually.

What about UTG and UTG+1? I'm much more inclined to raise it from MP and beyond, but that certainly crossed my mind also. Playing short-handed so much makes me forget how to play from EP.

Preflop call is fine. Raising is fine too. There's really not much of a difference between the two.

On the flop, I'd be tempted to cap it. I would not raise SB's initial bet though. You've got 5.5 outs to the nuts, and 4 more to a straight that will probably be split. I'd give you about 7.5 outs - good enough for a cap for value.

The rest of the hand is good.

Pre-flop - call or raise is fine.

Flop - fine.

Turn - why not raise here, now that you have also got the nut-flush draw?

River - fine. 8)

Why raise the turn.

Fold equity is nearly zero, and you don't want to have hands folding that could conceivably fold. OESDs will call 2 cold on the turn virtually every time. The only hands that are folding are small pairs that you want calling.

You're roughly one in three to make your draw, 3 of your outs are likely to a split, two may be dirty.

Since you're a dog against the bettor in virtually every scenario you want to see the river as cheap as possible - plus you want overcalls. You definitely don't want to be raising the turn, unless the table respects your raise enough to fold a monster (ie: not in any .50/1 game ive ever played in).

Raising the turn is worse than raising the flop, i think.

The only place in this hand you might want to raise is preflop.



What information do you get that you can conceivably use?

ie: he 3bets. Oh, that's nice. You now know he probably has TPTK or better. I dont see how this helps you. It just has you spewing an extra small bet when you're definitely behind. You have _some_ equity, but not enough that you want to jam the pot. Also - there are no weak draws out there that you want to clean up. A backdoor flush draw is the only one you're conceivably vulnerable to if you were to make your hand, and that draw would be getting such poor odds that you probably wouldn't mind them contributing an extra small bet to the pot.

This raise on the turn makes no sense looking back. Not sure what I was thinking at the time (jsut got back from holidays, not used to getting up to go to work etc. perhaps)...

Turns out that I actually had a lot more equity than I originally figured. SB had QJo. MP1 had Qs5s. CO had AQo. So 32% on the flop and 32% on the turn.