25NL QQ Hand

[shoxbb6]

Villain is 32/12/2 over ~50 hand, no real reads other than he's pretty bad.

Full Tilt Poker - No Limit Hold'em Cash Game - $0.10/$0.25 Blinds - 5 Players - (LegoPoker HH Converter)

Hero (SB): $26.10
BB: $20.10
UTG: $14.30
CO: $8.70
BTN: $37.35

Preflop: Hero is dealt Q[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] Q[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img] (5 Players)
<font color="red">UTG raises to $0.75</font>, 2 folds, <font color="red">Hero raises to $2.50</font>, BB folds, UTG calls $1.75

Flop: ($5.25) T[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img] K[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img] 2[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img] (2 Players)
Hero checks, UTG checks

Turn: ($5.25) A[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img] (2 Players)
Hero checks, UTG checks

River: ($5.25) A[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img] (2 Players)
Hero checks, <font color="red">UTG bets $4.00</font>, Hero calls $4.00

[Bodhidharma]

Bet the flop. Re-raising PF and checking the flop is ultra weak. He's calling a lot PF that you beat on this flop.

Its hard to figure out what he has given how you played it and you've showed lots of weakness. I might call here and hope he shows mid pair, but without any reads this is close.

[HighSteaks]

I can't see why this guy wouldn't take a free showdown with a PP after you checked every street, I think you're beat here.

[Pokey]

If you're going to three-bet preflop, make it a REAL three-bet. You're going to be OOP all hand long; at least charge him to see the cards. I think raising to $3 would be a bare-minimum here, and I wouldn't mind making it $4.

You are not allowed to check this flop after three-betting preflop. If you're playing for set value, don't three-bet. If you're going to check-fold any time an overcard falls, don't three-bet. Your preflop behavior says you've got a hand -- keep up the pressure on the flop. If you make a strong flop bet (say, $4) and get called again, then you can think about giving up on the turn. Maybe.

As played, you're basically beaten by anything that moves on the turn with the exception of an underpair. Those underpairs aren't likely to call a bet at this point, but they could easily bet you off your hand. Being OOP makes this turn excruciatingly difficult. You've basically got two choices now:

1. Bet as a pure bluff, knowing that you're beaten if you're called or raised. Here, you've turned QQ into air, but you avoid a turn bet that you simply cannot call (even if it is a pure bluff). The right of first bluff can carry some equity with it, and in this case bluffing is your only hope of winning.

2. Check and fold. Given how the hand has played out it's incredibly likely that villain will bet into you on the turn when you check a second time. Despite this, you've really got no business whatsoever calling a turn bet, since it won't buy you a free showdown unless your hand is best, and a river bet will be impossible to call and simultaneously very likely to come. Still, against the range of hands that villain could have here, the majority beat your hand badly. I really don't mind a check-fold on the turn.

At the river, I probably make a $3 blocking bet and hope for the best, folding to any raise. I want to set my own price, and I'm not thrilled with my hand. The second ace makes an ace less likely in villain's hand, but that K is still staring me in the face. I honestly expect that the $3 river bet folds villain out a non-trivial fraction of the time, but I'm not going to be the least bit unhappy to fold to a raise, and I'm not going to be the least bit surprised if he calls with a king in his hand (or even an ace).

Having QQ and flopping an overcard is a very unhappy situation, but you HAVE to keep pressing and hope, especially after the three-bet.

[ocdscale]

I think betting the flop is bad here and like the line Hero took.

Betting the flop is bad because all better hands call and almost all worse hands fold. There's only one draw on the board (and unlikely because we have two blockers), and villain is likely dominated/has us dominated.

Turn is the worst card for us, and I probably fold if he bets here.
River is a call imo, we've checked it down to get a hand like 99/JJ /JT to bet (although I think JJ checks it behind).

(My gut says Villain has KQ here, btw)

[roll]

Betting the flop is great. You figure out where you're at and prevent a worse hand from winning the pot.

[ocdscale]

[ QUOTE ]
Betting the flop is great. You figure out where you're at and prevent a worse hand from winning the pot.

[/ QUOTE ]

In other words:
We're betting to make JJ fold and AK call (so when Villain calls, we can figure out that we're beat).
Is that a fair interpretation?

[Bodhidharma]

The problem with checking this flop and the turn is that you let villain take the pot from you on the turn or river.

When you re-raise and check both a king high flop and then the turn when the ace hits you've defined your hand very well and you give your opponent the opportunity to take the pot from you.

Now if you bet the flop you put your opponent on the defensive you're hand looks more like AA or AK you get weaker hands to fold. If you get called then you shut down. OP said he was bad so his range is wide enough to make betting out the right play. And if he showed you KJ, KQ then that gives you even more reason to bet this flop because its more likely that you are beating his range here.

[roll]

[ QUOTE ]

In other words:
We're betting to make JJ fold and AK call (so when Villain calls, we can figure out that we're beat).
Is that a fair interpretation?


[/ QUOTE ]

No, that is not a fair interpretation.

[ QUOTE ]
Villain is 32/12/2 over ~50 hand, no real reads other than he's pretty bad.

[/ QUOTE ]

Villain's range could be wide here and I agree with earlier posters that checking the flop shows a lot of weakness, inducing worse hands to bet. So what are you going to do just give up the hand? Or are you going to check/call and gain no information? If so, whats you're plan on the turn?

[Learning]

&lt;3 Pokey