QQ bet sizes okay?

[TripleH68]

50-200NL live play. 10 handed.

EP is loose action player. The kind who gets up and walks around, then gets angry when he gets dealt out of a hand as he is running back to the table, etc. Side note: he sat into the game without being seated by the floor, then argued with the floor when they came over so that he could stay. Stack = $119.

SB is solid. I have seen him bluff. He is very quiet and concetrating on the game. Stack = $350.

Hero is LP. I folded missed overcards to aggression from SB last orbit. I usually have the appearance of a 'thinking' player. Stack = $175.

Blinds are 1-2.
Hero has QQ.

Preflop: UTG limps, EP limps, 2 folds, <font color="red">Hero raises to $20</font>, 3 folds, SB calls, BB folds, fold, EP calls.

<font color="blue">The previous orbit I made it $15 with pocket kings from LP.</font>

Flop($64): 853r.
Check, check, <font color="red">Hero bets $25</font>, fold, call.

<font color="blue">I knew I was offering about 3.5:1 for a single caller. This seemed like a flop that could hit EP and I saw him glance at his chips after the flop hit the board. I put him on a wide range including Ax,set,2pr,1pr,gutshot,oesd.</font>

Turn($114): 4r.
Check, <font color="red">Hero goes all-in</font>, EP has $72 left in front of him...

<font color="blue">I wasn't crazy about the turn card. This time my opponent stared at the board a little, then checked his cards and checked. He was looking at the board when I pushed leaving him with 186:72 minus rake - or roughly 2.5:1 on a call.</font>

Did hero play this hand well?

[futuredoc85]

i would have made it $35-$40 on the flop, not necessarily to price out anything but just because they will call $35 w/ anything they call $25 with. turn def go all in

[citizenwind]

Why did you raise to 10x BB with two limpers, rather than a more standard 6x? Were you that confident EP was going to come along?

[TripleH68]

[ QUOTE ]
Why did you raise to 10x BB with two limpers, rather than a more standard 6x? Were you that confident EP was going to come along?

[/ QUOTE ]

I am a long time limit player trying to adjust to NL. That said,

I am surprised by how many players overbet in these games and people still call. (I was in Detroit.) I also thought to the thinking player my preflop raise might look more like AK/AQ, since it was more than I raised the previous orbit with KK. ?

[futuredoc85]

[ QUOTE ]
Why did you raise to 10x BB with two limpers, rather than a more standard 6x? Were you that confident EP was going to come along?

[/ QUOTE ]

its a live game, 10X is closer to standard than 6X

[TripleH68]

[ QUOTE ]
i would have made it $35-$40 on the flop, not necessarily to price out anything but just because they will call $35 w/ anything they call $25 with. turn def go all in

[/ QUOTE ]

My plan was to see a 'safe' turn card, then face EP with an all-in on the turn. One of my questions is if I bet too much on the flop - I don't leave him with enough chips to consider folding on the turn. See what I mean?

Of course the turn card wasn't exactly 'safe' but his actions helped convince me to push.

[futuredoc85]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
i would have made it $35-$40 on the flop, not necessarily to price out anything but just because they will call $35 w/ anything they call $25 with. turn def go all in

[/ QUOTE ]

My plan was to see a 'safe' turn card, then face EP with an all-in on the turn. One of my questions is if I bet too much on the flop - I don't leave him with enough chips to consider folding on the turn. See what I mean?

Of course the turn card wasn't exactly 'safe' but his actions helped convince me to push.

[/ QUOTE ]

yeah but considering the limp/calling ranges of live players in 2/5 games, not leaving him enough to fold is a good thing

[tommygunne]

If you honestly thought you would get 1 or 2 callers for $20 then its not too bad... But basically your stack is comittted once the flop comes round as you only have 2.5 times the pot in your stack.
Preflop just make it $10 or $12 though.
Flop: You should be looking for the best way to get your remaining $150 in. A much easier way would be to bet more on the flop and so not have to overbet the turn.
Just make it 45/50 on the flop. This leaves you with 105/110 to get into a 164 pot.
You should always be planning ahead to find the best and earliest way to get all your chips in the middle in situations like this.

[TripleH68]

[ QUOTE ]
50-200NL live play. 10 handed.

EP is loose action player. The kind who gets up and walks around, then gets angry when he gets dealt out of a hand as he is running back to the table, etc. Side note: he sat into the game without being seated by the floor, then argued with the floor when they came over so that he could stay. Stack = $119.

SB is solid. I have seen him bluff. He is very quiet and concetrating on the game. Stack = $350.

Hero is LP. I folded missed overcards to aggression from SB last orbit. I usually have the appearance of a 'thinking' player. Stack = $175.

Blinds are 1-2.
Hero has QQ.

Preflop: UTG limps, EP limps, 2 folds, <font color="red">Hero raises to $20</font>, 3 folds, SB calls, BB folds, fold, EP calls.

<font color="blue">The previous orbit I made it $15 with pocket kings from LP.</font>

Flop($64): 853r.
Check, check, <font color="red">Hero bets $25</font>, fold, call.

<font color="blue">I knew I was offering about 3.5:1 for a single caller. This seemed like a flop that could hit EP and I saw him glance at his chips after the flop hit the board. I put him on a wide range including Ax,set,2pr,1pr,gutshot,oesd.</font>

Turn($114): 4r.
Check, <font color="red">Hero goes all-in</font>, EP has $72 left in front of him...

<font color="blue">I wasn't crazy about the turn card. This time my opponent stared at the board a little, then checked his cards and checked. He was looking at the board when I pushed leaving him with 186:72 minus rake - or roughly 2.5:1 on a call.</font>

Did hero play this hand well?

[/ QUOTE ]

EP called showing 65o. River was a 7. MHING.

I do see some benefit in a larger bet on the flop, but I still think I played the hand alright and it was just one of those things.

[mxp2004]

[ QUOTE ]
Why did you raise to 10x BB with two limpers, rather than a more standard 6x? Were you that confident EP was going to come along?

[/ QUOTE ]

In these live games where there is a loose/action player at the table, it can be very difficult to calibrate the preflop raise to get some, but not a lot, of action. If players anticipate that the loose player will come along, then they become more inclined to call bets in the $12-$15 range. When this happens, you find yourself 4 or 5-handed preflop with a pot of $60+. Preflop, big pocket pairs are likely way ahead, but you'll see a lot of flops in which these pairs do not play well if you are multi-handed.

As a result, if you are really serious about getting a pot heads-up, a raise of $20 is often necessary. Depending upon table conditions, a slightly smaller raise (like to $17), can also work. But the right raise can be very difficult to gauge, and so it's hard to find fault with OP's choice.

The flop here is pretty dry, and it presents only one real draw for someone holding exactly 67. Still, I like to bet anywhere from 50% to 75% of the pot here. First, this is more consistent with my standard CB. Second, it's important to remember here that, while you have good hand, it's just a pair and not the nuts. There are a lot of turn cards that can sink you, and if you took the pot down right here, you'd add 33% to your stack. That's a decent result.

If you make the larger bet in this case, it's really designed to get called by the SB as opposed to the EP. As between the two, the EP is more likely to have the drawing hand or an overcard that would sink you. In contrast, the SB is more likely to have a hand like 99-JJ if he calls. You are very far ahead of him and probably can continue to value bet against his range even if an A or K falls on the river. Could you say the same thing about the EP? My gut tells me no.