QQ was going for the turn c/r

inferno · #1 08-04-2007, 07:31 AM

Full Tilt Poker $0.50/$1 No Limit Hold'em - 6 players
Hand Converter Tool from DeucesCracked.com

SB: $76.90
BB: $121.40
UTG: $108.05
MP: $59.15
CO: $98.50
Button: $139.60

Preflop: Hero is UTG with Q[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img], Q[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img]
Hero raises to $3, MP calls $3, CO folds, Button folds, SB folds, BB folds.

Flop: ($7.50) T[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img], 6[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img], 7[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] (2 players)
Hero bets $6, MP raises to $12, Hero calls $6.

Turn: ($31.50) K[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img] (2 players)
Hero checks, MP bets $44.15 (all in), Hero folds.

Final Pot: $31.50

Nick C · #2 08-04-2007, 09:02 AM

I can't speak for the Full Tilt 100 specifically, but I will say that I was surprised when I first started playing NL regularly (at the Stars 25 and 50) how often I saw min-raises and also at how often they were big hands. (I once even watched two guys with monsters play a hand that went something like this: check, bet, min-checkraise, min-3-bet, min-4-bet, min-5-bet.)

One factor in your favor is that this is just a regular min-raise rather than a min-checkraise. Also, Villain is somewhat short-stacked, which helps a little (although he's not so short-stacked that I want to discount his hand greatly). And, of course, min-raises do not always indicate great strength but sometimes are instead a cheap-showdown type play intended to freeze you up and are sometimes semi-bluffs and sometimes frustration bluff-raises with whiffed hands like AK. (I guess what I'm saying is that some people try to take advantage of the fact that many players like to min-raise with monsters and use this general tendency to make inexpensive plays with less-than-great hands.)

Er, anyway, in the hand in question, I think you played it all right. Checkraising a smaller turn bet all-in seems fine to me. Just don't be shocked if Villain checks the turn behind instead or if he makes another small bet, calls your checkraise, and then shows down a set of 7's.

inferno · #3 08-04-2007, 09:59 AM

I have seen the minraise a couple times now and it was mostly TP or a FD, ofc my sample size isnt big but it got me surprised as you suggested most people indicate that its a monster.

Nick C · #4 08-04-2007, 10:22 AM

[ QUOTE ]
I have seen the minraise a couple times now and it was mostly TP or a FD, ofc my sample size isnt big but it got me surprised as you suggested most people indicate that its a monster.

[/ QUOTE ]

I'm not sure exactly how often it's a monster, and I wouldn't go as far as to say "usually" -- especially not when the min-checkraise comes from someone who's in position. But it is a monster more frequently than I thought at first when I started playing NL. It's a popular way among donks to slowplay.

It's entirely possible this is less true at the 100 than in the micros, though.