10NL: QQ line-check

[Bostik]

I'm confident I played this hand fine. However, I need to go over my thought process and see if there was something I could improve on.

Reads: Villain is weak-tight. Over the course of ~three orbits he has limped in a few pots and either raised or folded on flop. Haven't seen him go to showdown yet.

PokerStars No-Limit Hold'em, $0.10 BB (9 handed) Hand History Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com (Format: 2+2 Forums)

BB ($9.65)
UTG ($10)
UTG+1 ($9.60)
Hero ($10.85)
MP2 ($11.15)
MP3 ($6.20)
CO ($1.05)
Button ($9)
SB ($5.35)

Preflop: Hero is MP1 with Q[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img], Q[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img].
<font color="#666666">1 fold</font>, <font color="#CC3333">UTG+1 raises to $0.6</font>, <font color="#CC3333">Hero raises to $1.5</font>, <font color="#666666">6 folds</font>, UTG+1 calls $0.90.

<font color="blue">This is the first time villain raises pre-flop. I suspect his range for this is TT+, AK. I raise big to drive out any other potential riders. If villain re-raises, I'm almost certainly facing kings. Since he called, I can reduce his range to AA/AK, with AK being the more probable holding. If an ace or king flops, I'm going to get out. If flop is only undercards, I can re-evaluate.</font>

Flop: ($3.15) 2[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img], K[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img], Q[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img] <font color="#0000FF">(2 players)</font>
<font color="#CC3333">UTG+1 bets $3</font>, <font color="#CC3333">Hero raises to $9.35</font>

<font color="blue">Perfect flop. The villain either hit big or has an overpair against my set. If I called, it'd just set off alarm bells if the villain is even slightly of a thinking type. Villain has $5.10 left, so I may as well shove. Any "normal sized" raise would just leave him committed anyway and this might look like a desperate bluff. If he folds, I'm not going to get anything out of him by just calling either.</font>

Now, was my thinking here correct? Also comments about my bet sizing (preflop) is welcome.

[Sandviper23]

pretty standard

[LearningCurve]

I'd make the PFR a bit higher ($1.80). I don't love a flop shove here. KK will assuredly call as would an unlikely KQ. However, we risk the potential of folding out everything else that's reasonable he'd be playing (AK, AQ, JJ, and AA too if he is worth a lick). Generally I'd think we'd have to raise with the two-suited board, but other than AQ [img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img] I think a FD is rather unlikely. Therefore, I prefer to smooth call the flop bet rather than scare him off and hope to get it in on a later street.

[Bostik]

[ QUOTE ]
I'd make the PFR a bit higher ($1.80). I don't love a flop shove here. KK will assuredly call as would an unlikely KQ. However, we risk the potential of folding out everything else that's reasonable he'd be playing (AK, AQ, JJ, and AA too if he is worth a lick).

[/ QUOTE ]

Thank you, Curve. This seems to be a part of my game I need to improve on. Now that I think of it, I've noticed that a good part of my good hands tend to go uncontested.

Perhaps it's time to start mixing up more calls with my big but obviously vulnerable hands. Even though I (personally) find it scary when someone flat calls a big bet, it might just be that the average NL10 crowd doesn't.

[Chargers In 07]

[ QUOTE ]
Generally I'd think we'd have to raise with the two-suited board, but other than AQ [img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img] I think a FD is rather unlikely.

[/ QUOTE ]Considering we have the Qs I don't think this is an issue. I don't think you can go wrong playing this hand. He shows a ton of strength by potting the flop into a pfrr so pushing isn't bad and calling to let him hang himself isn't bad either. At first I thought calling was bad but since we have the Qs I think calling is better, w/o the Qs I think there is more of a question about pushing but calling is still probably best.

[WCGRider]

Super standard, set and get the moneys in, really standard.

[Bostik]

[ QUOTE ]
Super standard, set and get the moneys in, really standard.

[/ QUOTE ]

Oh, there was never a question about me wanting to get the stack in. With a set I'm practically always felting. I'm more interested in learning the best ways to get opponents to commit their stacks as well [img]/images/graemlins/wink.gif[/img]