Blind defense gets good, then gets weird

Aaron W. · #1 03-15-2007, 02:00 AM

Villain is new to the table, but seems aggro. After 24 hands, his stats are 37/29, which only indicates that he was at least aggro preflop.

PokerStars 2/4 Hold'em (6 handed) Hand History Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com (Format: 2+2 Forums)

Preflop: Hero is BB with 7[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img], 6[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img].
3 folds, Button raises, 1 fold, Hero calls.

Flop: (4.50 SB) J[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img], K[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img], 6[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img] (2 players)
Hero checks, Button bets, Hero raises, Button calls.

Turn: (4.25 BB) 7[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img] (2 players)
Hero bets, Button calls.

River: (6.25 BB) T[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img] (2 players)
Hero bets, Button raises, Hero...

Gib · #2 03-15-2007, 02:09 AM

we haven't got a strong enuff read to know if we can fold so I call.

Edit: Looking at the hand again, & I've over-looked the flop play, I'm not a big fan of c/r'ing here (unless I think villain thinks I only ever c/r top pair, which is generally not the case.) I would c/c & prolly go for a c/r on the turn (unless I know villain is likely to take a free card which prolly doesn't happen here)

BigBadBabar · #3 03-15-2007, 02:09 AM

bleh, guess you have to call. some of the time he could have only one big pair or something, although i admit i think you're beat most of the time here. is checkcalling the river okay? with 2 pair in a blind battle i want to see showdown. frankly, however, i am not sure i would choose this flop to go to war on in the first place. the k and j are well within his range. obviously we hit a good turn but i'd be happier on a flop of 68k or something a lot more. i am not sure i even defend with this until i have evidence that villain is getting out of line a lot.

00Snitch · #4 03-15-2007, 02:12 AM

This doesn't look weird, this looks like he backed into a hand, that T[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img] is quite scary for you. I still call because I'm a fish and I can't fold in blind defenses.

In fact, because I can't fold, I generaly go passive and call down any piece in defenses. As I said, I'm a fish. My thoughts go, depite being a steal, that flop has hit many of his stealing hands, but he could still have Ax and Qx, so I call.

I like the way you palyed this, but what else are you gunna do c/c the river?

VickreyAuction · #5 03-15-2007, 02:13 AM

I think your flop checkraise is too optimistic. I would check/call. Once we get to the river, I would call, hoping for an oddly played AK 1 time in 9.

00Snitch · #6 03-15-2007, 02:16 AM

I think the flop c/r is nice. I too often c/c the flop then have the turn checked through, donk the river and have villan fold.

Edit: Maybe this is more common in full-ring than 6-max

Aaron W. · #7 03-15-2007, 02:41 AM

The button raise can be a wide range of hands. I check-raise the flop is because I don't mind folding out many of those hands. Getting 99 to fold would be sweet. Even getting A9 to fold (drawing to 6 clean outs and getting 7.5:1) would be very nice, too. It might be a bumpy ride as the KJ combo does hit a lot of hands, but if I'm defending with 76o (which could be called into question), then I think this is the way to go against an unknown.

Zeldark · #8 03-15-2007, 02:51 AM

Post deleted by Zeldark because he was getting overzealous.

Goodnews · #9 03-15-2007, 03:03 AM

*grunch*

I don't like the blind defense with 76o. You end up in situations on the flop which are not easy to deal with to say the least. If you must defend with 76o, I would 3-bet, it is simply alot easier to play the hand afterwards (though it may seem spewish, but paying .5BB to make the hand easier is +Ev as you are not likely to make drastic mistakes that cost 1BB or more, conversely it can be argued that the reason to play a certain way is not soley based on avoiding bad situations, but for a non-pro as myself I would rather avoid the tougher decisions for now).

As played, the flop c/r is difficult to gauge simply because you don't include as to how you balance this out. Do you sometimes fold you hand if you hit bottom pair but the board is more coordinated? Do you semi-bluff c/r? What about with top pair?

As played the turn is fine, but more importantly, the river call imho is absolutely mandatory. You may win this hand, but the most important piece of information at this showdown is whether or not the villain bets scare cards. The Tc completes both straight and flush, I really doubt villain has KJo here, he basically needed to put you on a set to make this play worthwhile (otherwise he is losing bets on the turn). If he backed into the flush, straight or JT and KT, it helps us but not as much as it would if he had a pure bluff or a weird AK in terms of understanding his playing style and level of thinking.

Alternatively, I would actually opt to check/call this river for the reasons stated above, as well as the ability to induce bluffs on this river, from hands that will try to represent a completed draw, to lone J or K, to desperate bluffs, and given the read, I am quite sure that he will bet on this river greater than 50% of the time when checked to (obviously hes betting his good hands, but he will raise your hand as well, not to mention, he might check behind a something of weak holding, but the aggressiveness of the villain described by OP makes this unlikely, why? How often do you encounter an aggro preflop, then goes passive postflop player?).

tyler_cracker · #10 03-15-2007, 03:06 AM

this hand is 100% standard and i don't think there are any close decisions, including the river bet/call.