15-30: Steal Attempt with Big Lick

[AlanBostick]

I sat down in a 15-30 game at the Oaks Club in Emeryville, California last night. I took my big blind, folded every hand to my next big blind, folded my small blind to a raise, and was now on the button. If this were online and someone were using PA-HUD, they'd see me as 0.0/0.0/0.0.

Surprisingly for this loose game, all the players ahead of me folded. The player in the big blind was already trying to negotiate a chop with the player in the small blind. I squeezed my cards to see 9[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img]6[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img]. I raised, intending a steal attempt.

The player in the small blind just called the raise, and the player in the big blind folded.

The flop came 9[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img] 9[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img] 7[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img]. My hand, almost worthless except for fold equity before the flop, was now a powerhouse. My opponent checked to me. Ordinarily I would bet here whether the flop had hit or not, but since it was the first hand I had chosen to play and I had never played with my opponent before, I decided to slow-play. I checked afterwards.

The turn was 4[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img], making the board 9[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img] 9[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img] 7[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img] 4[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img]. Now my opponent bet. I raised. To my surprise, he reraised.

I thought I had the best hand, although I was prepared to lose to something like A9. I just called the raise, planning on betting or raising the river.

The river card was another blank: 2[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img]. My opponent bet again; I raised, as I had planned. He called.

Questions:

(1) Is my preflop steal attempt with a trash hand reasonable against unknown opponents?

(2) Having flopped a big hand, how reasonable is my postflop check? I'm trading a free card for what I see as a chance for more action, as I pretty much expected my opponent to fold to a flop bet. At the same time, I don't want to fall into the loose-aggressive trap of playing my weak hands hard and my strong ones weakly?

Once I get some responses I'll post the outcome, and then I'll have some questions about my opponent's play.

[jkamowitz]

I don't mind the steal attempt as long as you remember what this is going to do for your image for the rest of the session. This is the first hand they all see of yours and I can promise that at such a tight table people are going to take note of a turn 3-bet. Otherthan that, I suggest you bet the flop so that in the future when you miss your hand you're allowed to bet and take the pot. Furthermore, I'm more curious to find out what your opponent calls out of the sb with then goes crazy on this board, 77-1010 comes to mind. I'm curious as to others and your own thoughts concerning the results.

[sharpie]

Isn't big lick supposed to be suited?

Anyway, I like the PF play mainly for the fact BB probably has junk, and your tight image does help a bit. If I didn't have evidence BB doesn't like his hand I wouldn't try it since not many people here pay attention to your tightness, and the rake is terrible.

I would just bet the flop. I don't think villain is gonna bluff it when you check the flop unless he's an idiot, you obviously either have a monster or a weak ace high type hand that wants to showdown cheap. All you do is allow him to catch a hand. Say you make a couple of BB out of him when he otherwise would've folded, he'll only catch that hand on the turn about 1 out of 7.5 times, so that's worth ~.25BB. Obviously sometimes he's an idiot that decides to bluff, but then again sometimes he's an idiot that decides to peel the flop (more likely IMO).

Lastly for image reasons I think it's good to bet. Next time you don't flop anything you're gonna be firing in this spot and you'll appreciate the fold equity. Also by betting you're less likely to showdown this junk and can keep your tight image intact, although maybe in this game a tight image isn't the best?

[AlanBostick]

[ QUOTE ]
If I didn't have evidence BB doesn't like his hand I wouldn't try it since not many people here pay attention to your tightness, and the rake is terrible.

[/ QUOTE ]

No rake in this game; players pay $6/half-hour time charge.

[VORP]

The flop check is really bad, IMO. This is such an obvious spot to c-bet that not doing so pretty much announces that you either 1. Have a monster, or 2. Have junk and don’t think it’s worth trying to pick up the pot. Either way, you’ve killed your action.

It’s a little hard to put your opponent on a hand sine he played it so weird but I’m just calling the river after the turn 3-bet; I’m not really liking my hand here. No way a player who overplays TT like this doesn’t 3bet pf and you are behind an awful lot of 9’s.

Pf is alright if your opponents are giving off folding tells but I would prefer to pass and maintain some FE in this spot for the rest of the session.

[AlanBostick]

When my opponent called my river raise, I turned my cards over. A gasp went around the table. The player to my right (not involved in the hand) said "Good raise!"

My opponent flashed K[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img]K[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img] and sent his cards to the muck. The pot of 12 1/2 BB -- $375 -- was mine.

My next question is about how the other player played his hand. I've been thinking it over, and it seems to me that he lost as many bets as he conceivably could by playing it as he did. If he -- as seems sensible to me -- had reraised before the flop, my likely postflop action (calling on the flop, raising on the turn) would signal a big enough hand that he could either get away from it entirely or see a showdown for 3 1/2 BB rather than the five he actually paid.

My question is: how off base am I in thinking that he badly misplayed his pocket kings?

[bakku]

[ QUOTE ]
When my opponent called my river raise, I turned my cards over. A gasp went around the table. The player to my right (not involved in the hand) said "Good raise!"

My opponent flashed K[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img]K[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img] and sent his cards to the muck. The pot of 12 1/2 BB -- $375 -- was mine.

My next question is about how the other player played his hand. I've been thinking it over, and it seems to me that he lost as many bets as he conceivably could by playing it as he did. If he -- as seems sensible to me -- had reraised before the flop, my likely postflop action (calling on the flop, raising on the turn) would signal a big enough hand that he could either get away from it entirely or see a showdown for 3 1/2 BB rather than the five he actually paid.

My question is: how off base am I in thinking that he badly misplayed his pocket kings?

[/ QUOTE ]

your opponent played his hand well

[BenA]

[ QUOTE ]
Isn't big lick supposed to be suited?

[/ QUOTE ]

Nah. Anyone involved in double oral action doesn't give a rats ass about clubs or hearts.

NH. I usually play it fast and furious, but I like your line as well.

[Bill King]

your image is sure gonna be good now haha.. and im sure theyre a little confused at how you waited an orbit and come in pouding with an offsuit 3 gapper.

remember this play through the night and figure it into your oppositions thinking.

[andyfox]

Postflop, I would have played his hand exactly as he did. Preflop, since he realized the big blind was folding, his call, for deception head-up, doesn't bother me much. He's not getting away from his hand on that board. Your turn raise could mean you put him on the a more likely A-K or other unimproved high cards than pocket kings.