First hand, first buyin, only know one other player at the table, and he knows me as a LAG, he announces to the table, as I sit.."Oh boy, here comes the live one, any two, any time, right Erik?"

..Thanks, Dick.

2/5 NL, 200 min/max buy in; 10 handed

Hero posts in CO; dealt 8 7

No reads on anyone but the jackalope who just told everyone that I'm exceptionally loose, who's not in the hand.

Everyone in the hand has me covered, if I recall correctly.



UTG+2 bets 20, Hijack calls, Hero calls (fold this with 40 BB's, I know..I know..), SB folds, BB calls.

Pot; 80 - rake.
(as an aside, this is why you should fold these hands sometimes in short-buy situations. I have 180 behind in late position, if there's a bet infront of me, I'm likely not going to get a better hand to fold--I must flop hard or fold the flop, but I digress.)

Flop; 9h6x5x

BB checks, UTG+2 checks, Hijack checks, I check.

Pot; 80 - rake
Turn; 5h Board; 9 6x 5x 5

BB checks, UTG+2 checks, Hijack checks, Hero bets 50, BB calls, others fold.

Pot; 180 - rake
River; 6
Final Board; 9 6x 5x 5 6

BB puts me all in, I fold.




..the river fold is obvious, but, my concern is that my turn play is where it went bad. I'm usually averse to slowplaying, and, since the jackalope told everyone how loose I am, should I have lead the flop for action?

Pot bet good on the turn? Get 'em in, or get 'em out?

I think, though, that sometimes it's very necessary to let people catch up from time to time. I think we occasionally need to check flops like this and hope for a better turn card. Do people agree/disagree? Keep in mind that I lead this flop strong 80% of the time.

1st hand in w/ the pot so large as it is, I would slowplay here as well. If anyone bets at this turn you're usually doubling up. Even if you were just announced as tight... people usually respect strength from some one who just posted.

I gotta come out and bet. This is what makes LAG a fun style, because you bet wtih the nuts and with air. Plus, I almost never slow play str8s when I flop them.

wow. can't believe you checked closing the action here.

Yea, I don't like the check last to act. Build a pot, straights are vulnerable...too many turns kill action, etc etc...

- Jordan

You need to push on the flop to make sure the +EV that you have luckily recieved isn't diminshed by callers.

The problem with slow-playing straights is that there are so many cards that can kill your action. It's not necessarily that you're worried about getting drawn out on, but if something like an 8 or 7 comes off, your hand goes from perfectly disguised to blatantly obvious. In a multiway pot on the button, I think you should definitely be betting here.

I had a somewhat similar situation the other day in a 5/10 home game where I got C/Red on the turn with the second nut straight, and I smooth-called and ended up winning a $2500 pot where I could have won a $4500 pot, because I allowed the scare card to come on the river.

Agreed that my check here was awful.

Switch it up; If I'm in EP, is a check better or more acceptable? Check looking to check raise from EP? Or are we pretty much categorically betting out from any position?

I usually lead out at this and hope to get raised.

You hardly get credit for a monster when you lead out, it looks more like trying to protect TP or something like that.

C/R here is tough when called, and now the board brings the 6. OOP, big pot. Rather just lead it, and see what happens.

"Flopped straights donut improve"



Push the flop


Buddy has already pretty much announced you as a maniac, you would have at the very least built up your image there, and probably had gotten at least one caller given you were small stacked

If everyone believes you are LAG from the comment made when you first sat in, you should bet out. In early position, you will more than likely get at least one caller. Even better, they might just re-raise and then you can push all-in and they are committed to see it through. That is the benefit of a LAG image. Many times, your lead out is not respected so they go over the top with weaker hands like top pair figuring you for a straight draw. Earlier comments were correct, if a scare card comes out with a LAG image, the action will stop. No need to slowplay if that is your true image.

If you're perceived as LAG/chronic bluffer, bet out. A player would be more willing to come over the top of you if that's the case. Then you play back at them by pusing all-in. They'll most likely call and you're pretty much set for a double up.

Here's my worthless .02.

Push all-in on the flop, watch them all fold, or get called by an overpair, take down the pot, flip over your cards and say, "This is going to be fun."

It's the first hand and you have an opportunity to get in every players head from the start. Usually it takes a little while to establish a table image, this hand to me would have been about speeding up that process. Throw'em the curve ball.

IDK, maybe it looks/sounds better in my head.


Although the lead out, hope for a reraise, and reraise all-in option would do the same and probably double you up.

At either extremity of the action, betting is best. If you're sandwiched in, that's when you should be checking. And you should only be checking to aggressive players