This hand just happened, and is one of my favorite played hands of all time. That is, of hands I have been involved in.
I will explain my street by street thoughts in <font color="blue">blue</font>.
But first for the initial reads on this player. He was very aggressive postflop. He bet hard when he hit things. He bet at weakness. He could be a great player, but right now his game is a bit too aggressive, and he can't ratchet it down when he needs to.
I adjusted to him, but he didn't recognize that I did that.
He also didn't like to give up ever against my aggression. He knew I was also aggressive, but I had been doing a ton of bet/folding to him.
PokerStars No-Limit Hold'em Tourney, Big Blind is t30 (2 handed)
Hand History Converter Tool from
FlopTurnRiver.com (Format: 2+2 Forums)
Hero (t1055)
BB (t1945)
Preflop: Hero is Button with Q[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img], 9[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img].
<font color="#CC3333">Hero raises to t90</font>, BB calls t60.
<font color="blue">preflop this raise is borderline. On one hand I am probably not taking the pot down postflop unless I hit a hand. On the other, if I limp, he will probably raise. I decided that I could either see the flop for 90 chips and most likely have it checked to me giving me the option to take a free card, or check, call a raise and have to face a cbet on the flop. I choose to raise myself.
I guess I could fold here but that seems far too weak. If I am folding hands like this I am probably folding way too many hands.</font>
Flop: (t180) 8[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img], 3[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img], Q[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img] <font color="#0000FF">(2 players)</font>
BB checks, <font color="#CC3333">Hero bets t90</font>, BB calls t90.
<font color="blue">I cbet my standard cbet, expecting a raise or call, and maybe very rarely a fold. My hand is most likely good.</font>
Turn: (t360) K[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img] <font color="#0000FF">(2 players)</font>
BB checks, Hero checks.
<font color="blue">ok so he didn't donk, and I don't really want to get raised here with the king on board. So I check behind. I also hope that checking behind will induce a river bet for me to call.</font>
River: (t360) 3[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] <font color="#0000FF">(2 players)</font>
BB checks, <font color="#CC3333">Hero bets t90</font>, <font color="#CC3333">BB raises to t1765</font>, Hero calls t785 (All-In).
Final Pot: t3000
<font color="blue">Ah the river. He checks again, alas, no bluff for me to snap off. Now it is time to think about whether or not to value bet.
Because he is so aggressive, but hasn't shown much aggressiveness in this hand, I don't think he has much, so I decided to try to induce a bluff raise.
I bet small, 90. Most players would simply call this with good odds on their mediocre hands. Well not this guy. He knows that I don't get married to the pot, because he has raised me allin several times throughout the match with success.
After the allin raise, I stopped to think. Did I just ruin my hand by not taking the free showdown? What could he have here? He hasn't slowplayed me yet, so if he had something good, certainly he would have raised me, check raised me, or donked into me earlier in the hand.
If he had a king he would have value bet this river fearing that I would probably check behind.
If he had a 3 he probably would have raised a smaller ammount that I would call with more hands.
He could have a Q, but if he does we split unless he has AQ. AQ is simply not possible with the non aggro line he took. I would have been reraised pf, or c/red on the flop.
As for other queens, I think he probably would have donked the turn as a feeler.
So while I don't really know what he has, it doesn't matter. He likely doesn't have a K, 3, or monster. His allin bet certainly doesn't scream, "I want a call here". So that is why I called.</font>
So what do you guys think?