I decided to try and clear my double bonus from Pokerroom, to get a free license for Pokertracker and a 40% deposit bonus.

So playing 1$/2$ limit
Was playing for about 50 minutes and hand reasonable reads on the players on the table.

Hero is on the Big blind with



UTG folds, utg +1 (who is a serious sheriff/elephant) calls, 5 fold, CO raises (he has raised the last 3 times I was on the BB), button folds, SB folds, Hero decides to call, utg+1 calls.


The flop:



Hero bets out I flopped top pair, UTG+1 calls well thats what elephants do, CO raises, I figured it was time for an information bet so I re-raise, the elephant calls and the CO hesitates and eventually calls.

By everyone calling I think I must be behind now

The turn:



Hero checks, UTG+1 checks and CO checks. I think whats up? I supposed my re-raises must have scared them.

the river



Hero checks, the Elephant bets, the CO folds and hero eventually calls.

The results really aren't important. Normally I wouldn't play these hands, except maybe for a raise on the button, but the post flop play is extremely typical for me. Is there something wrong with my play here?

Out of position in BB with top pair and weak or middle kicker I almost always checkraise since you know the CO will bet the flop. You can't really protect your vulnurable hand by betting out and you really want to reduce the field. The preflop raiser was in late position so there is a good chance you will be able to get it headsup. It also provides more info as if he reraises your check raise you can slow down.

edit: and I'll add that a checkraise would have made the turn decision alot easier

Hear hear....

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Not to hijack, but here is what would usually happen, just played this hand:

Ultimate Bet 2/4 Hold'em (9 handed) converter

Preflop: Hero is BB with , .
UTG+1 raises, 6 folds, Hero calls, UTG calls.

Flop: (6.50 SB) , , (3 players)
Hero checks, UTG checks, UTG+1 bets, Hero raises, UTG folds, UTG+1 3-bets, Hero caps, UTG+1 calls.

Turn: (7.25 BB) (2 players)
Hero bets, UTG+1 raises, Hero calls.

River: (11.25 BB) (2 players)
Hero checks, UTG+1 bets, Hero calls.

Final Pot: 13.25 BB

Results:
Hero has Qh Th (three of a kind, tens).
UTG+1 has As Ks (one pair, tens).
Outcome: Hero wins 13.25 BB.

Yes, his hyperaggressiveness had me questioning whether he had A10, but the chance I'm folding is zero regardless of the river card. He did exactly what I was talking about, he semibluffraised the turn when he picked up the flush draw, it was stupid of him to bet the river though. That's just throwing money away.
If the FLOP had been suited I would have reraised the turn and then if no flush came, bet the river. I had put him on high pair after he capped the flop though, so when he raised my turn bet when the second ten came I decided he was on A10 as it would be bizarre for an overpair to do that. The AKs in spades I discounted as the flop capping I felt was not in line. But live and learn.

edit: I felt bad at first hijcaking by posting my hand in your post, but this hand so perfectly fit had to do it, sorry

the first hand, definately checkraise the flop. the donk UTG+1 will possibly call 2 cold even (you want that) and if CO just calls, you are probably good, and if he 3bets, call down unless board gets scary.

hand 2, just call the flop 3bet, dont cap with top pair:tens with Q kicker after he raised preflop and is showing a lot of strength.

then checkraise the turn, if he 3bets, probably cap and figure him for JJ QQ KK AA.

then bet/call river.

EZ

i dont understand how the final pot is only 13 BB...


EDIT: Nevermind, i think i just figured it out, i was thinking big blinds...but its big bets, wow, ive been wrong this whole time...

In my case the Elephant (Utg+1) had



so I was outkicked. Like I said I usually don't like to play crappy hands like this, but I felt it was time to defend one of my big blinds.

I doubt check raising would have made a difference in this case but I can see it being very useful, more so than betting outright in some instances.

Thanks for the input.

I couldn't disagree more with any of that. The chances are >75% he is fooling around with two overcards. You have to absolutely bet the turn anyway unless an A K falls or you are giving him a potentially very expensive free card, so aggressively pounding out another small bet on the flop is a small price to pay to keep control of the hand. This is where I would make a difference between 1 bet and 3 raise cap as opposed to 1 and 4 raise caps, like they have at alot of casinos on the strip here in Vegas. I am closing it out with my raise, don't have a chance to lose anymore preflop if I am behind and I keep control of the hand to compensate me for my poor position relative to him. If a low card other than A K falls on the turn after I cap the flop and I bet and am raised again I dump it and give him credit for a high pocket pair then.

And then you say to checkraise the turn when the second 10 falls, no way even a reasonable player bets after you check the >=51% of the time you need to make that profitable after your checkraise on a 10 high flop.

I honestly can't imagine myself playing this any other way until the turn raise, then there could be some discussion of if you reraise or call it down. I'm certainly open to more criticism/discussion though, that's why we are here. Anybody else?

I just read elephant in two posts now. What the fuck does it mean? Is raymer an elpephant or does he fall into the grizzly bear category? I know clonie gowen can't be an elephant, not big enough...

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“There's no sense in being precise when you don't even know what you're talking about.” - John von Neumann

Elephant is a term from Hellmuth's book, basically a loose passive player who will call just about anything, being impossible to bluff.

Raymer would be an Eagle with some Jackal blood....never seen a grizzly bear before.....maybe that should be an animal type too.