Daily Hand Quiz

What we said then: You’re effectively getting 2-1 on this call. I think the question here is whether or not you believe the CO would make this bet as a bluff more than 1 out of 3 times.

Why? It just seems unlikely that someone is making an all in insta-shove for value with a weaker hand. So, that leaves you with a nuts or bluff type of situation. Without a read or an image of your own that would motivate someone to make a move on you, I think you can assume top pair is not going to be good here often enough and bail.

What actually happened: You called and were shown a set of nines.

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Well its hard to say here, and the reason is that I dont play it so weak. I prolly 3 bet out of pos pre, deff raise the flop to see where I’m at… so the entire outcome of the hand would prob be different the way I woulda played it.

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Easy fold. However if you 3 bet your ak pf then IMO all the money is going in whatever happens. Say you re raise to $40. Opp with 99 is likely to call as getting 2 to 1 with a decent pair in position. Now the pot will be around $90. You flop tptk on a dry board oop. This being the case, to shorten the betting and to get weaker aces to bet a check seems to be the best choice. Assuming it’s checked to the turn (same logic applies to opp who is either way ahead if we dont have the ace or way behind) I still wouldn’t bet my unimproved hand on a card which is unlikely to have helped my opp and would check again. Say opp then bets his set for half pot $45. Easy call with no read. Pot becomes $180 and I have around $90 left. River is a brick and opp goes all in giving me 3 to 1. I call and lose. What you gonna do, raise the flop oop to try and take it down for $27? If you’re called could you check fold the turn as any further betting means pot committed. Or would you check raise the flop (which would be an all in) for your entire stack with a hand that is either way ahead or way behind?

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Meant to say that if we 3 bet pf to $40 and get called (pot now at $86 not $27) would anyone want to lead out on the flop putting half our total stack in the middle with tptk?

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As the hand actually played out I am a donk for just saying easy fold. Should have said easy fold with no read or missed draws out there but there’s an argument for calling some of these against aggressive opponents to not be exploitable by someone who puts you on just a pair (after you check called twice on a non drawing board and checked again) and fires the third barrel thinking you won’t call an overbet. However if you regularly play the same opponents then being seen to check a set all the way would soon stop this from happening giving you an easy fold in these situations.

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Looks like a desparate shove but…

No draws out for him to bluff on or been going for, you look like you have something, and if he is bluffing he is offering a good price. All this makes the bluff seem less likely.

I think I still call however, because of the odds… I suspect that might make me a donk!

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With two limpers and the CO raise, AK should have reraised from the SB in order to reduce the odds of the limpers and eventually implied odds in case one of them has a pocket pair.

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Appears that you are up against two pair or a set. With that board probably the latter. Given the villain’s image, top pr/top kick not good enough. Easy fold. I would have over-bet the pot by check-raising the flop. Believe you would have won it right there.

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Ugh, this is how passive play kills you. Poor call pre-flop (should have raised), poor check on post-flop (should have bet), just poor, poor play all around.

I think you have to call here. Your check-calls all the way down represent you’ve hit something, but not a lot. In actuality, you have a decent hand, but he’s probably putting you on something weaker (like second or third pair, or even something like JJ or 10-10). I think you pick off enough bluffs here to make it profitable.

Ah, and now we see he was playing pocket nines, really the only hand to be scared of. Most players won’t raise with pocket 2′s, 3′s or 7′s preflop, so 9′s makes the most sense. I hope everybody sees how stupidly passive play can just kill you. A re-raise pre-flop, matched with a solid post-flop bet shows your opponent he’s beat, and turns a loser into a winner. Just checking and calling loses more pots, and when you do win, the pot is smaller.

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In complete agreement with Rhycar. Way too passive when it matters, and as a resul you get burned.
Simply calling pre-flop can be forgiven, given the additional 2 players to act after you. However, not betting that Ace, or check raising there, is death. YOu have zero read on your opponent, and you merely have top pair. What are you trying to slow play that for in that position. Bet out, or check raise there and take the pot down.

Antoehr classic example of people thinking AK with paired Ace will save the day.

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Errr, you can’t worry about someone turning set, it happens but not frequently. I put him primarily on set of nines or bluff when I read this because of his betsize on the turn–$29 into $74? Screaming for a call and setting up the slightly over pot size bet on the river when a DUD came, but thing is he knew he would go allin on the river on the turn. His drop from 3/4 continuantion bet to 1/3 pot on turn should rouse suspicion as a feint; it’s a deliberately weak bet and there’s little need to show that much weakness by probe betting the turn when there’s no draws and an A on board. If he truly was weak and a decent player, he probably would have either checked behind or bet more.

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After the flop, I’m check-raising significantly putting his 9′s to the test. If he is any type of player, he’ll see this move as being straight up and release his pair.

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HAHA!! Shit play!

I re raise on the flop

then shove on the turn.

HE FOLDS….POT WON! End of!

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I’d be slightly concerned that I paired my Ah with another Ah on the flop

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Just some thoughts

Passive line great against AQ, AJ, KQ. Does bad against pocket pairs that hit sets. Win small-mid pot or lose entire stack

Aggresive line i.e. raise to $30 preflop denies pot odds to set mine small pairs, still do good against mid – big pairs. Does great against poor sods with AQ still handing in there. Makes going all in with TPTK a lot safer since stack to pot ratio so much smaller on flop.

AK is a hand the needs to be pushed hard in all situations IMO

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I played a hand like this last night. The stack sizes and action was a little different, but the villian’s all-in bet on the river was about the same ratio. I called and won vs a mid-pair.

I did check raise the flop though, and I thought the villain could be tilting. I’m glad he was.

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This hand was played far too passively for only having top pair top kicker. Look at the villain’s betting pattern:
1) Raise
2) Bet
3) Bet
4) All-in.

You’re seriously thinking about calling the river? This person is either
A. Maniacal
B. Incredibly good at firing bullet after bullet with air or
C. Has you wupped. You would only consider calling if the villain had pulled the reins in on the turn and river and you are suspicious about a change in pattern. The river call smacks of a person who doesn’t want to lay down top pair and is pretty bad at poker.

Our hero needs to do him/herself a favor and attack more.

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