The setup: playing 0.25NL, I win a big hand with a full house with KQo, two people all-in, one with lower full house, other with A-high flush. So I'm up $40 after about 20 hands. A few hands later this comes along:

I get a KQo from a middle position. Not my favorite from that position, but nice, so I make a small raise, two people from earlier positions call. Neither has shown any maniac qualities, nor much aggression, just middle-of-the-road .25NL players.

Flop comes QQJ. Player 1, all-in for $25. Player 2, all-in for $8. I have $60. Call or not?

My thinking: I had just seen the full house, so it was on my mind, and it seems that I get careless when I'm ahead that much. So I want to be cautious. But especially, I thought, two hands beat me, AQ and JQ. Both of these players can't be THAT insane to go all-in on less than that. Apparently one is insane, since I have a Q. So do I make a $25 call to win $35 on the theory that they are both idiots? Or that the bigger stack was the idiot? Or do I give them credit? Again, both appeared to be average 0.25NL players.

The result: I fold, both show AJ. I kick myself. In retrospect, a good player would not have bet everyone out of the pot, instead seeing if they could lure in more bets with JQ or AQ, but I didn't think either of them was particularly clever. Hinsight says, obviously stay, since it was 50/50 that the bigger stack was the crazy one. But the big stack raised first.

Would you have stayed?

I would have called, who overpushes AQ/QJ/JJ first to act on that board?

For future reference, don't include results in the initial post, they influence responses

Yeah, you have to call there however I was a bit suprised not to see JJ from the big stack. Thats a play I will sometimes make with more people in the pot. Also, Not sure how profitable raising with KQo from middle position is however at that limit. Not something I usually do.

Yes, in retrospect, this is obvious. I really didn't get my mind around this problem until after I posted. BTW, I should've said I had ruled out JJ as a possiblity. I'm more likely to flop a royal flush than see someone underplay a top pair in these rooms, it seems.



Good point, thanks.



Yeah, I am (belatedly) very cautious with KQo. My PT data showed it as a big leak in my game, one of my worst hands. I'd see the Q come up on the flop, and it was kiss my stack goodbye.

This hand has been on my mind like only a big loss can, usually. After I posted, it became more and more obvious that you guys are right.

What I was thinking:

I historically have overplayed KQo.
I have historically gotten careless once I'm ahead by a big chunk of change, as I was here.
Two hands could beat me, somebody must have one of them.

What I should've been thinking:

It's just as bad of a mistake to go all in with QJ or AQ in that situation as it is to go all in with AJ, so who knows which one to put them on.
One of them was obviously going to lose to me, unless I was wrong about the JJ, which seemed like the least likely scenario.
Best case, win $35. Middle case, win $25 or so. Worst case, lose $25. All about equally likely.

Thanks guys. If anyone disagrees with this, I'd still like to hear about it.

I'm not a NLHE expert, but I'm beating them into the pot with my money.

- Zach