NL 50: position, pair, plan...?
 

NL50 game on Bodog.

I've barely played a hand over 80 or so hands, I'm not sure how much the players at the table notice or adjust for this.

The CO my right plays lots of hands passively w/o any concept of position. He's caught some cards in spots with aggro-monkey fools paying him off when he makes a better hand on later streets and run his stack up to 150 and back down to around $55'ish in this hand and I just barely cover him.

1 EP limper, 1 MP limper, CO limps, I raise Q[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img]Q[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] OTB to $3.5, all fold to CO who calls.

Flop ($8.75) A[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img] 5[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img] 6[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img]
CO leads into me for $2.

My read here is that this could be a weak Ace, a draw or even a donk-attempt to just take the pot betting the Ace as scare card, none particularly more likely than any of the others.

I raise him to $8.

Standard? What is my plan for the rest of the hand if it continues?

Re: position, pair, plan...?
 

Well played, but youll have to fold to any further reasonable aggression from villain. He could be doing this with a flush or straight draw. Your raise protects your hand if you are ahead and maybe (maybe?) will get him to fold a weak A.
What do you guys do if checked to on the turn if a card like Tc comes off. Do we bet against this villain or check behind for pot control? Im not sure what to do in that spot.

Re: position, pair, plan...?
 

I'm checking behind a lot of non-Q turns here. Flop is fine

Re: position, pair, plan...?
 

[ QUOTE ]
I'm checking behind a lot of non-Q turns here. Flop is fine

[/ QUOTE ]

+1

Re: position, pair, plan...?
 

raising this on the flop is standard. check it down unless you hit your Q.

Re: NL 50: position, pair, plan...?
 

olliejen,

I like the raise if opponent will be in the pot with weak aces and will bet them as well as some weaker hands. You make it hard on him early, and often he'll just give up. If he won't give up Ax or won't bet Ax then I prefer a call.

It also depends on how you play AK/AQ there. That's a good line to represent if he plays weak aces, suited or not, and would lead for $2 with them.

Matt

Re: NL 50: position, pair, plan...?
 

villain calls.

Turn($24.75): J[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img]
Hero...?

Here is what my thoughts on the turn were at the time:
Ax and the draws are both still possible. I think only a middle-pair type hand can be removed from his range.

If I check I can controle the pot size. I think checking makes the river hard to play though; if a flush card or a straight-making card hits and he bets, is it more likely a bluff or a made hand? Ax will always bet this river I think and he may (or may not) bluff some total blanks.

Is it more a function of bet-size at that point? I'll call a small bet but not a bigg'ish one?

If I fire a 2nd barrel, if he had an A on the flop, unless his nerves get the best of him, he'll call again here, right?
Also if I fire a 2nd barrel, the pots around $25, he's got like $44, what kind of bet can I make that doesn't put me in a bad spot if he comes over the top, but at the same time might push him off the best hand and/or give him bad odds to draw if he's on a draw?

Not sure what's best here? [img]/images/graemlins/confused.gif[/img]

Re: NL 50: position, pair, plan...?
 

if villain is as passive as your read says I like checking the turn most of the time and calling any non spade river.

sometimes however I fire a 2nd barrel, around 16-18, and check the river through obv.

Re: NL 50: position, pair, plan...?
 

The problem with betting 16-18 is that if he calls again, the pot is about 60 dollars and we have 25 left which is an awkward river spot as a large part of the deck is scary.

Edit: Forgot to say what I would do. I check here for pot control, and I think either way the river is going to be tough to play, I'd rather it be tough with a 24 dollar pot than a larger sized pot.

Re: NL 50: position, pair, plan...?
 

the only reason I advocate a 2nd barrel here is because villain's line is very weak aceish and op's line is big aceish. weak players will donk/call flops, fold turns when unimproved. it's pretty much read dependent, is he weak or just a station with tp.

that being said probably 85% of the time I check the turn behind.