NL25: AKs makes TPTK against calling station

GrumpyB · #1 09-26-2007, 05:48 AM

I'm a n00bie just breaking even at NL25 after about 15,000 hands and I still can't think fast enough during a game to really keep up! My only hope is to work through my Hand Histories and to look for patterns that I might recognize in the future. But then, while it all makes perfect sense when I work through the examples in HoH books 1 and 2, I don’t think I’m smart enough yet [if ever!] to mark my own homework. So if the example below isn’t too trivial, I’d love to hear what you poker gurus think of this ...

No-Limit Hold'em, $0.25 BB (10 handed)
0.12/0.25 No-Limit Texas Hold'em (10 handed)

Reads: The site I play on does not support PT, so I haven’t bought it yet, but I selected this table because of the high percentage of players seeing the flop (around 45%). I had played a couple of orbits, card dead, but it seemed everyone else was playing with a huge call button, a very much smaller fold button and a raise button hidden behind a rock. Villain hadn’t done anything to stand out from the crowd. 

Villain (24.79)
UTG+1 (23.18)
EP1 (29.87)
EP2 (35.95)
Hero (23.13)
MP2 (24.13)
CO (24.38)
Button (10.53)
SB (33.81)
BB (5.91)

Preflop: Villain is UTG. Hero is MP1 with A[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img], K[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img].
UTG (villain) raises to 0.50, 3 folds, Hero raises to 1.50, 3 fold, BB calls 1.50, Villain calls 1.50

Flop: (4.62) 4[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img], K[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img], 8[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] (3 players)
BB checks, villain checks, Hero bets 2.25, BB folds, villain checks.

Turn: (8.67) Q[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] (2 players)
villain checks, Hero bets 4.0, villain calls

River: (16.27) J[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img] (2 players)
Villain checks, Hero bets 2.25, villain calls

Was my bet sizing OK? Was I right to bet on every street? [result later!]

flytrap · #2 09-26-2007, 06:04 AM

Make it $2 to go PF, and bet way more on the flop and turn.

chopsticks · #3 09-26-2007, 07:01 AM

Bet at least $3 on the flop, I would bet $4. Make a pot size bet on the turn and check behind on the river.

Sounded Simple · #4 09-26-2007, 07:32 AM

Yeah if he is a loose/passive callstation then Id plan to get as much in here as possible since the flop isnt very threatening.

The river card sucks since so much of his range just became 2 pair or better.
Even though his check indicates weakness I cant think what hands he calls with that you beat.

threads13 · #5 09-26-2007, 08:50 AM

If the villain is a calling station you want to exploit these mistakes by value betting a wider range of hands and betting larger amounts.

I think you can bet the pot on flop, 2/3 on the turn, and push the rest in on the river. If he is indeed a calling station your goal should be to get the money AI assuming that you are the doing the betting.

CazicT · #6 09-26-2007, 09:46 AM

I agree. Most bet sizes are a tad on the small size, but I probably wouldn't full pot on dry board like this. If there's reason to believe he'll call big bets with crap though, then bang away like threads has said.

The ending board does give cause for concern that the villian may have 2 paired, but since you were in position and he checked to you, I see no reason to not VB here. Do you have a plan if he raises though? That would be a tough one...

threads13 · #7 09-26-2007, 10:27 AM

[ QUOTE ]
I agree. Most bet sizes are a tad on the small size, but I probably wouldn't full pot on dry board like this. If there's reason to believe he'll call big bets with crap though, then bang away like threads has said.

The ending board does give cause for concern that the villian may have 2 paired, but since you were in position and he checked to you, I see no reason to not VB here. Do you have a plan if he raises though? That would be a tough one...

[/ QUOTE ]

If a calling station check-raises the river you rarely have a tough decision... [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

umaine89 · #8 09-26-2007, 10:32 AM

Harrington is great for tourneys, but only ok for cash games. I'd really recommend Professional No Limit Holdem, by Flynn, Mehta and Miller.

Preflop, villain min-raises UTG. This is a big hand a lot of times, but you have a big hand too. I'd raise to $2.

On the flop, there are two checks and you bet 1/2 pot. I'd probably bet 3/4 pot here, but the board is pretty dry and you are either way ahead or way behind.

On the turn, it's going to be read dependant. You're starting to run out of hands that you beat. I'd probably check behind for pot control and check behind on river and call a reasonable bet if he bets out.

GrumpyB · #9 09-26-2007, 11:05 AM

Thanks everyone. So Villain had a pair of eights and I lost to his three of a kind. But I can see that with bigger raises maybe I could have worked out that he really did have a hand this time! As well as getting even more off him when he ain't so lucky.

And thanks for the tip, I'll go get myself a copy of "Professional No Limit Holdem, by Flynn, Mehta and Miller" right away. I've been working my way through "NL Theory and Practice" by Sklansky and Miller (for the second time) but it's quite a leap from the HoH trilogy to NLTAP - maybe this new one will help bridge the gap. I really like the way Ed Miller describes things too, so I regularly dip into the archive here and on notedpokerauthority.com - I guess I owe him the extra royalty fee by now anyway!

umaine89 · #10 09-26-2007, 11:43 AM

[ QUOTE ]
And thanks for the tip, I'll go get myself a copy of "Professional No Limit Holdem, by Flynn, Mehta and Miller" right away. I've been working my way through "NL Theory and Practice" by Sklansky and Miller (for the second time) but it's quite a leap from the HoH trilogy to NLTAP - maybe this new one will help bridge the gap.

[/ QUOTE ]

I've read both NLTAP and PNLH. I think PNLH is easier to understand, but NLTAP helped my game too.