Re: 10 NL 6m- AQ mid position
This one would probably trouble me a bit, too, so take my answer for what it's worth.
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Preflop: Hero is SB with Q[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img], A[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img].
<font color="#666666">1 fold</font>, <font color="#CC3333">MP raises to $0.4</font>, <font color="#666666">1 fold</font>, Hero calls $0.35, BB calls $0.30.
<font color="blue">Just to make sure, I shouldn't be reraising here right? </font>
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I guess that's read-dependent, but in the SB I normally wouldn't.
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Turn: ($3.50) K[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img] <font color="#0000FF">(2 players)</font>
<font color="#CC3333">Hero bets $2</font>, MP calls $2.
<font color="blue">Obviously AK scares me, but I bet here with the intention of folding if reraised. Either way I'm pretty sure I need to be betting more here. </font>
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I'd bet about $3 in that situation. I might be wrong here, but I think that bet was kinda weak and didn't do anything for you. You made a pot-sized bet on the flop and then went down to 4/7 the size of the pot on the turn. I don't see any hand that would have called the flop and fold here. If I were your opponent, I'd think the king scared you - which it did. I could call you if I had you beat from the beginning (which I probably would as long as I could expect you to bet the river, too), I could call you with the flush draw and I could even consider calling you with a hand like AJh (in case I called on the flop, if I thought you were c-betting), if I considered a bluff on the river. If you bet close to the pot on the turn, however, you would give every marginal / drawing hand a hard time calling, since you signalized you're not afraid of the king. If you get called, you might get a much better idea of what your opponent's holding than you got now.
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River: ($7.50) 9[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img] <font color="#0000FF">(2 players)</font>
<font color="#CC3333">Hero bets $2</font>,
<font color="blue">As usual, unsure what to do on the river, obviously this card doesn't scare me, but him having a K/slowplaying a set do. </font>
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I'd be unsure, too, in this spot. But I have to ask you, what you wanted to accomplish with this bet, especially since you're kind of expecting your opponent to show you a slowplayed set? Again, if I were your opponent, I'd see a lot of weakness here and might consider a bluff. Would you call a large raise? If your answer is "no", well, that's exactly what I'd assume if I were the villain here. A weak queen might call you here, but wouldn't that hand be glad to check for a cheap showdown, anyway?
Again, just my two cents and I might be completely wrong here, but I think your biggest mistake in this hand was to be afraid of a hand your villain could have and acting accordingly. I'm not going to tell you to push every pair like there's no tomorrow. Your opponent raised in middle position and called your potsized bet on the flop. If you played a few hands against him, you should at least have a vague idea of the hands he might play this way. If you suspect him to have a king, that's fine, but the way you commented the hand it seems like you didn't until the king actually showed up on the turn. Again, if you pot the turn and villain calls, you should usually have enough information to know where you stand.
And if you think you might be behind, don't bet weak. Check/fold or bet the pot, to know where you stand. I can't see you accomplishing anything by betting weak here other than showing weakness and letting your opponent exploit it. I'm pretty sure someone is going to disagree with me here, because $10NL is a weak level, people will call you with every hand and no one really cares about things like reading hands. On the other hand, you and me are on that level, too ...
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