Want to berate my latest AA hand?

[Daniel Magix]

I think I suck. Especially lately. Upon reviewing this hand, I see that I easily missed several BBs here - because I have a bad habit of being a nit and putting people on the nuts every time I am heads up vs. them.

PokerStars 0.50/1.00 Hold'em (10 handed) Hand History Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com (Format: FlopTurnRiver)

Preflop: Hero is BB with A, A.
6 folds, CO raises, 2 folds, Hero 3-bets, CO caps, Hero calls.

Flop: (8.50 SB) 8, 4, J [color=#0000FF](2 players)</font>
Hero bets, CO raises, Hero 3-bets, CO caps, Hero calls.

Turn: (8.25 BB) 9 [color=#0000FF](2 players)</font>
Hero bets, CO raises, Hero calls.

River: (12.25 BB) J [color=#0000FF](2 players)</font>
Hero checks, CO bets, Hero calls.

Final Pot: 14.25 BB

Preflop and Flop are probably the only two streets I got right. Feel free to berate me on the Turn and River. I think I need the embarrassment of 2p2 ridicule, to help me get over my nittyness.

I led the turn, fine - but then I don't really know why I didn't 3-bet it when faced with the raise. In hindsight, I see that there are only a couple hands that make sense with his betting pattern. 88 and 99 don't make sense with the capped PF betting, but yet I still think of those hands as the betting is going on. JJ is about the only hand that beats me here - that is somewhat consistent with the PF and flop action. ANY other hand, I am crushing. I can see that so easily now, but I just can't think that clearly when I am in the hand. And then on the river, I fear that he was going nuts with AJ and sucked out on me.

I am NOT trying to justify any of these bets/non-bets. I just have to get over playing scared, I know that.

Well, berate me. Go ahead, I deserve it.

[fretelöo]

I don't think that hand was played bad at all. I'd c/r the flop, but seeing that it got capped it doesn't really matter.

I don't even bet the turn, but c/r - if at all. I might just call down as he very well could have JJ or 88.

Against an unknown - and since you didn't give reads, this is one - I'd never assume I can narrow him down to one or two holdings that make sense.

Initially, this looks like a blindsteal. Maybe he's just over-aggro with J8s? Who knows. Or goes crazy with some weird suited GS-draw?

You have the highest possible one-pair hand, an overpair at that, but still, only one pair. That's good for capping the flop and maybe raising the turn, but not more. Capping the turn or river is def. spew.

This is hard at the boarder between useful rule-of-thumb and platitude, but if you find yourself HU in a 25BB pot on the river and have only a single pair, something has gone wrong...

[JerBear77]

Cap range is default Js or better, maybe AK if he's intellegent.

Only thing i see here is a pair of Js that you are scared on, i can't be scared of anything else on this board.

I would play it the same and cursing the AJ that just hit the jackpot but I would cap the turn as well on this board. If you board has a K or Q on it then im slowing down here but not this board.

[martybonus]

without reads it's hard for me to know, but it does seem awfully likely that he's on AK,KK,or maybe even AA. JJ is in teh realm of possibility, but he'd have to be pretty darned aggressive to play AJo or AJs this way.

I'm not sure that you played this SO badly. your overpair is pretty nice-looking, but he sure is pushing back at you hard! even with AA, if you meet such huge resistance, a bit of caution is sensible.

why donk the turn?

personally, i think i'd be tempted to play this the same way. Tho without the turn donk ideally [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]
if villain is loose-passive, the flop action would be scary to me (though you're stoked to play against villains who cap with J8!) even though the over-pair is likely good.

[Daniel Magix]

[ QUOTE ]
I don't think that hand was played bad at all.

[/ QUOTE ]

Thanks. I guess I was being hard on myself, because when we showed down, his hand made perfect sense and seemed like I should have been able to put him on it earlier (as in, during the hand).

[ QUOTE ]
if you find yourself HU in a 25BB pot on the river and have only a single pair, something has gone wrong...

[/ QUOTE ]

Good point. And yes, that did go through my head at several points - {yes, it's da nuts PF, but after the flop, it's just dropped to like, 7th nuts - and on the turn, it dropped even further down the nut scale).

Thanks for the post. It renewed my confidence a bit, letting me know I probably didn't play it as awful as I thought I did.

[Daniel Magix]

[ QUOTE ]

why donk the turn?

[/ QUOTE ]

I'm not quite sure. I guess I still was pretty confident that I had the better hand, but when he continued to push back here, I slowed down.

Can you please explain in more detail, about why it is bad to donk the turn here, and what play is better - c/c or c/r?

[fretelöo]

The thing is (same as on the flop, btw), that donking gives him reason to slow down - if he wants. It somewhat gives your hand away. If he's c-betting KQ on that flop, you want him to do that so you can raise and get one more SB out of him. If you donk into him and he indeed has KQ, he must be pretty aggro to go over the top. Most likely, he'll just call.

So, if you feel you're ahead, c/r'ing gets more money in the pot. If you don't feel you're ahead, a donk just gives him the opportunity to raise you.

[tyler_cracker]

daniel,

didn't you whine and cry the last time you posted a hand and got berated?

if you use the 2+2 format with the converter, your life will be easier.

the turn bet is not a donk. you would have gone 5 bets on the flop, but since you can't, you keep betting on the next street.

anyway, i play this the same. c/r the turn would be pretty sexy, except for the puke i would have to swallow if he 3bets because i can't fold.

[tyler_cracker]

fret,

as you probably know, i love to c/r. on this flop and with the pf action, i think b/3b is better though.

[fretelöo]

[ QUOTE ]
fret,

as you probably know, i love to c/r. on this flop and with the pf action, i think b/3b is better though.

[/ QUOTE ]

Why? I kinda agree about the turn, but why on the flop too? Just because you assume him to be on a PP, not on AK?