NL10: Playing suited connectors aggressively

[Specialwon]

I thought I should ask for a hand check before I try pulling this sort of stunt again. I felt like a reckless loony playing the hand. Comments welcome on the wisdom of playing this kind of hand this way, prolly not much to say about the betting but comments on that welcome too.

Party Poker - No Limit Hold'em Cash Game - $0.05/$0.10 Blinds - 9 Players - (LegoPoker HH Converter)

SB: $19.35
BB: $9.39
UTG: $11.24
UTG+1: $10.47
MP1: $1.85
<font color="black">Hero (MP2): $9.85</font>
MP3: $16.28
CO: $1.58
BTN: $9.75

<font color="black">Preflop:</font> Hero is dealt 6[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img] 5[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img] (9 Players)
3 folds, Hero calls $0.10, <font color="red">MP3 raises to $0.50</font>, 4 folds, Hero calls $0.40

<font color="black">Flop:</font> ($1.15) 2[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img] 8[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img] 7[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img] (2 Players)
Hero checks, <font color="red">MP3 bets $0.80</font>, Hero calls $0.80

<font color="black">Turn:</font> ($2.75) 3[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img] (2 Players)
Hero checks, <font color="red">MP3 bets $2.00</font>, Hero calls $2.00

<font color="black">River:</font> ($6.75) 9[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img] (2 Players)
Hero checks, <font color="red">MP3 bets $7.00</font>, Hero calls all-in for $6.55
Uncalled bet of $0.45 returned to MP3

Pot Size: $19.85 ($0.99 Rake)

[HedonismBot]

Aggressively implies some sort of betting, you played this hand passively (just FYI) but I think your line is fine, although limp-calling preflop out of position is usually bad, I think you can get away with it at NL10 although it is a bad habit to form for once you get to higher limits.

[Ampelmann]

Where exactly did you get aggressive in the hand?

I think I fold after the raise preflop.

[diebitter]

Not really aggressive.

The preflop limp is okay on some passive tables, but the call is a little wreckless (you're putting in 40c to win just under $10 at best, so it roughly x25 your call), but not too bad if you have a reasonable expectation you can stack him.

If playing this hand bothers you, tighten up preflop or get comfortable fast with playing draws.

If he just had an overpair here, be sure to add 'overplays overpairs' to his notes. Such players are money machines for calling with pp if they raise preflop (not so much SC).

[JoseRijo]

[ QUOTE ]
If he just had an overpair here, be sure to add 'overplays overpairs' to his notes. Such players are money machines for calling with pp if they raise preflop (not so much SC).

[/ QUOTE ]
Assuming the villian had an overpair, where did he go wrong in the hand? There's no point in betting the river, but the other streets seem ok.

[Specialwon]

Lol, ok sorry about the "aggressive" thing, my bad, I think I meant overplaying rather than agression. Actually I did stack the guy who had 99, but I felt like I had got very lucky and it seems you agree, he prolly would not have bet big on the river had he not hit his set.

[jimmytrick]

Wait, we called all those bets and checked the river? Can a moderator plz rename this thread&gt;?

You should be looking at the stacks behind and the players behind the stacks. If you are going to limp here, you need them to be deep and the players weak. You are only 100bbs deep, this is not good. If you were as deep as MP3 or the BB then limping here is not bad because you have fine implied odds to call a raise.

Flop, I am going to be raising here a good % of the time, and once in a while shoving the turn. People call to much at this level but they are also weak. If you apply constant pressure they make big mistakes so you have to play most of your hands aggressively including your draws.

Bet the river most of the time, you are calling against direct odds, you simply can't afford to let him check behind here.

Thats my two cents.

[Albert Moulton]

Fold or raise preflop to $.4 or $.5.

Then, if you get a caller or two, you can bet this flop because you have initiative, an OESD, and villain could have easily missed this low flop so you have lots of fold equity.

If called on the flop, then bet the turn or c/c or c/f the turn based on how much fold equity you think you still have vs villain's likely hand range. I suspect, in this case, a second barrel semi-bluff might be good.

Along the way, if villain comes over the top on the flop or turn, then you need to do some pot odds to see if you call or fold.

Now THAT would be playing your suited connector aggressively.

In the OP, you limp/call with a hand that is probably not the best preflop. So now you have no initiative, you are OOP, and you are heads up (all bad). Then you check/call the flop representing a draw - which is exactly what you have. So, while it is true that villain probably puts you on a flush draw more than an OESD, you are basically announcing what you have - which is never very good. A nice big c/r would be better than c/c. Or even a donk bet for the pot to see if villain gives up his AK/AQ might be good too. I don't like c/c at all.

Then you check the river, giving villain a chance to check behind. Checking the river is only good if you suspect villain has a missed flush draw here pretty often. Otherwise, he's not folding AA/KK/QQ/JJ/TT for $6.55 more. So, now that you made your straight, I'd push the river to represent a missed flush draw desparately trying to buy the pot. All those overpairs call your bet who might otherwise check behind on the river.

[threads13]

On related news, I will often call raises after limping with suited connectors once it looks like the pot gets 3-way. I think doing this is fine, especially as more and more bad players enter.

[Jeff76]

OK, besides not being aggressive, I think you overplayed here.

Well, I know most players are going to say limp/calling here is bad. It probably is- you are going to be playing a speculative hand OOP in a big pot HU. While technically you have the implied odds based on stack sizes, your position makes it difficult to get full value when you hit, and you are going to have to hit big to win this pot. I sometimes call here because SCs are so pretty, and it's probably a leak.

On the flop, villain bets the pot and you call with just an OESD. You are not really getting odds to call here if you think villain will double barrel, and there's a good chance he will since you look like you are on a draw.

IF you are capable of betting when a club hits on the turn and villain is capable of laying down to an apparent flush, then I like the flop call more, as you can play both your real straight outs (which are disguised and likely to get paid off) as well as your "fake" flush outs. The thing is, I'm not sure at NL10 you'll get the fold against your "fake" outs often enough to make this profitable. If you must make your straight on the turn to win this post you are going to need to make 5.5:1 on your $2 call and that's a pretty dubious expectation- you'll have to essentially stack villain every time you get there just to break even. Also, to complicate matters, 2 of your real straight outs will also complete a flush which may

a) kill your action
or
b) get you stacked

On the turn once you get real flush outs I don't know that you can fold a straight flush draw, even for a pot sized bet, so I guess the call is alright.

Once you make your hand on the river it's time to go for full value because you really need to get it with the calls you made previously in the hand. Checking here is pretty bad because an overpair will often check behind or bet/fold.