Play a Hand With the Masters #3 Flop

[ericicecream]

In just looking at it real quickly and not reading any responses yet, here's what i think as per the questions posed:

1) A lot of people talk about playing tight early and don't try to steal blinds when they are this small. What do you think about blind stealing at this level? Would you do it and if so under what conditions? <font color="red"> I don't mind to raise a certain % of the time here. In order to do it I must be confident I'll have position throughout the hand. The raise is not to try to steal the blinds. I see three purposes to a raise here a) steal the blinds plus the preflop call or b) make a very disguised hand in position and win a big pot with it c) See how the blinds react to a preflop raise from late position and plan to use that information to your advantage in the coming rounds. And that is worth alot more than the blinds. </font>

2) What's your decision on the flop? Do you check or bet (and if so, how much)? <font color="red"> I'd make what looks like a standard CB of 1/2 to 2/3 pot. I'd bet most missed hands here the same way, unless I miss and decide that checking behind may allow me a more successful delayed CB or induce a bluff on the turn where I can raise him off his hand. You will sometimes bet a missed hand here and get c/r and have to fold, so when you hit--this is where your equity makes up for those times and makes this a +EV play preflop. We're almost certainly ahead and hope to induce a raise from an inferior hand. Maybe he c/r T9/J9/A7/A5 here, calls or c/r A/J, or maybe he slowplayed a big pair (who knows). You are in a position to punish him for calling. </font>

3) What's your plan on the turn (if any) based on your decision on the flop, the villain's action, and what card comes? <font color="red"> Not knowing the opponent, there aren't many hands that worry me too much here. Obviously he COULD have anything like a set or flopped a straight, but it's unlikey. He most likely would have bet or c/r a heart draw so a heart doesn't stop me from betting the turn especially since he may have one heart in his hand and pick up a draw so I certainly want to bet. A nine is probably the worst card. I'd prefer to see a high card like an ace or jack, as he is very possibly on two overs. I'm betting most turns here. I may check an undercard like a 2,3,4 to induce a bluff/control pot size for the river. A nine would be a bad card, I might bet/fold there. I also wouldn't like a 6 or 8 too much. </font>

4) Any other thoughts at this point? <font color="red"> Going back to why we raised, part b, we have hit a disguised hand in position against one opponent. This is one of the reasons for raising and we have our hand now. But also realize that while it is almost certainly ahead, it is also a very vulnerable hand. </font>

[locutus2002]

1) What do you think about blind stealing at this level? Would you do it and if so under what conditions?

I think stealing early is more about creating image than winning chips: the value of a few chips this early is ~ zero. I'd suspect that hero:
will be betting on the large side PF and ATF (4XBB in this case).
Will be selecting the higher variance lines.
will be attacking frequently from late position.

Of course much more info is needed, but I'd be thinking about adjustments if I was sitting in one of the seats to hero's left.


2) What's your decision on the flop? Do you check or bet (and if so, how much)?

I'd bet out T140. Villain should expect this bet whether hero hits the flop or not, so it doesn't really give villain any information. Hero wants to build the pot with what is likely the best hand (although fragile). Hero can get away with the large bet given his large PF raise.

3) What's your plan on the turn (if any) based on your decision on the flop, the villain's action, and what card comes?

If checked to, I'd bet T400 on all turns except a 9.
If a dangerous turn comes and villain bets, I'd call and call a reasonable bet on the river.

4) Any other thoughts at this point?

Neither player is likely to know where they stand in the hand if villain decides to play. If Hero wants a terrifying aggressive image, this is a great hand to get it from. Hero probably isn't that much ahead against hands villain will proceed with OOP this early in a tournament unless villain seeks the same image.

[Lloyd]

So let me ask this, particularly of Jason and others who have used this style (opening with creative hands early in a tourney) successfully. If you are dealt 75s in the CO 100 times, how often would you fold, open limp, and open raise? What factors influence your decision? What if instead you were in MP or EP? If you're heads up, are there times that you won't make a continuation bet IF the flop misses you?

[DonT77]

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I would probably make a slightly larger than pot
bet in the hopes that my opponent thinks I'm making a play at him. This doesn't look how someone would play this flop with a made hand

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This looks like exactly how a scared player would play the flop with a made hand.

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Or this could be a how you would play the Nut Flush Draw (NFD) with 2 Overs or NFD with a pair?
Or complete Air?
Or Top Set?

My point is - if you make overbets with scared / gotta-protect-this-hand type cards, then you also have to mix it up by overbetting other type hands too like the nuts, big draws, and air - from a game theory standpoint.

If you do mix it up like that, then I have no problem with the slight overbet here - as it does look like a scared bet from a vulnerable or weakish made hand - which could get you paid off when you do have a monster or do hit your monster draw.

[MLG]

fine, then the reason your making the overbet is that that is the size of your continuation bets, not based on the specific hand you have. i have no problem with that.

[Bullet_Dodger]

Havent read anyone else's, but Ill give it a shot ...

1)

I think it is right to steal (if it will happen often enough) at any stage IMHO. I like this raise for the chance of stealing the blinds, but also because I have disguised my hand, and can play power poker with position on the flop.

2)
I would bet this, and I would pot it. It is very hard for an opponent to put you on the hand you do, and might put you on simply overcards and make a move on you with much weaker holdings. This board is also very draw heavy, and I certainly dont want to give a free card to anyone.

3)
If Villain calls, Im leading 3/4 pot at any non-heart, 6, or 8. If one of those cards fall, then I will make a small blocking bet on the turn and seriously consider folding to a raise, unless it is a small one and then I will be glad to draw to my full house. If Villian had raised on the flop, I wouldnt flat call, I would re-raise big.

[mts]

[ QUOTE ]
Pre-Flop and Flop Questions

1) A lot of people talk about playing tight early and don't try to steal blinds when they are this small. What do you think about blind stealing at this level? Would you do it and if so under what conditions?

2) What's your decision on the flop? Do you check or bet (and if so, how much)?

3) What's your plan on the turn (if any) based on your decision on the flop, the villain's action, and what card comes?

4) Any other thoughts at this point?

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1) its good to raise here for a couple reasons. The implied odds are huge at this level. A hand like 75s is great because it can hit big and be disguised very well. If you miss, you can throw out a continuation bet and give it up if that doesnt take it down. Or check and see a free turn. The best hand you can hit with the hand would be a nut straight, then the rest (trips, flush, 2pair). 2 pair is pretty vulnerable against more than 1 player. Headsup i think its ok to slowplay hands as bad as bottom 2.

2) i would bet about 1/2 to 3/4 pot and expect him to fold or raise. In the case that he raises i would reraise. I hardly ever slowplay this early and would rather take the chips without a showdown.

3) the turn is interesting and it would take a ton of typing to outline each possibility. [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

[CarlSpackler]

1) A lot of people talk about playing tight early and don't try to steal blinds when they are this small. What do you think about blind stealing at this level? Would you do it and if so under what conditions?

Folding here is fine, but I like the steal attempt here, because you gain cheap information on how the 3 players to your left are going to react to your aggression. These are the stacks you're going to be stealing from later in the tourney, so the earlier you can get a read on their play, the better. I'd make this play on the cutoff or button with any pair, ace, king, 2 broadway, or any 2 suited cards.

2) What's your decision on the flop? Do you check or bet (and if so, how much)?

Obviously, we're almost always ahead here. I would bet 1/2 the pot (t85), trying to represent a standard continuation bet with overcards which whiffed on the flop. Hopefully, the villain will raise me instead of calling or folding, at which point I'd probably just call. I also don't want to give him any free cards with my bottom 2 pair, and with a straight draw and flush draw on the board.

3) What's your plan on the turn (if any) based on your decision on the flop, the villain's action, and what card comes?

I definitely don't want to see a heart, 9, 6, or 8 on the turn. Not only are those cards dangerous, but they'll likely scare the villain away when we're ahead. If a 9, 8, or 6 comes down and the villain checks, I'm going to check behind (who would bet their made straight here anyway?). If a heart falls and the villain checks, I'm making a 2/3 - 3/4 pot sized bet. If any other card falls and the villain checks, I like checking thru to try and induce a bluff on the river.

If a scare cards comes down, and the villain bets, then I'll have to seriously reevaluate things, and I'm usually calling, unless he grossly overbets the pot. If a non-scare card comes down and the villain bets, I'm calling and hoping he fires another round on the river.

4) Any other thoughts at this point?
No.

[Eaglesfan1]

Solid.

[gergery]

1) I think it’s important to be clear about your objectives. You are not trying to steal the blinds – that’s silly, as they are tiny. You are trying to play a good implied odds hand in a deceptive way and take lots of his chips. So your real objective here is to catch a lucky flop and get lots of money in.

2) Now that you caught a lucky flop you need to execute and get money in. You simply must bet. Checking here is horrible. I slightly overbet the pot, as I would with any “real” hand like TT I’d have raised preflop with on a drawish board.

3) I plan to bet pot on most turn cards, and check behind or check-call on scary cards like hearts, 6, 8, T. Probably check-fold a 9. I am willing to give this up to big pressure.

4) Your hand looks good, but roughly half the deck makes someone a possible better hand if you’re not beat now. So I’d prefer pot control if the board wasn’t so drawish but since it is I think you need to bet-call or bet-fold depending on read.

-g