PokerStars 0.25/0.50 Hold'em (8 handed) converter

Preflop: Hero is MP1 with , . UTG+1 posts a blind of $0.25.
UTG raises, UTG+1 (poster) calls, Hero calls, MP2 calls, 1 fold, Button calls, 1 fold, BB calls.

Ok, I know my call of a raise with 88 from MP1 isn't a great hand, but the last hand that UTG raised with was ATs and he bet out on the flop with blanks. He did that from from MP.

Flop: (12.40 SB) , , (6 players)
BB checks, UTG checks, UTG+1 checks, Hero bets, MP2 calls, Button calls, BB folds, UTG raises, UTG+1 calls, Hero 3-bets, MP2 folds, Button folds, UTG caps, UTG+1 calls, Hero calls.

Ok, There's several draws, but I have an over pair and anybody drawing needs to pay, I'm also expecting a check/raise from UTG, but I'm also looking to narrow the field. I'm not going to push anybody with hearts off the hand, but Ax and over cards may leave. When UTG check/raises, I reraise to drive force Mp2 and button to either fold or cold cold call (they fold). I still feel I'm ahead at this time or I may be able to drive a better hand off their hand. When UTG caps, I've still got him on overcards (maybe the heart draw).

Turn: (13.20 BB) (3 players)
UTG bets, UTG+1 calls, Hero calls.

Well, there's the third heart, I'm probably drawing dead against a flush, but the pot is so big that I feel I'm pot commited...and there is a chance that UTG is bluffing with his overcards. I also feel that my 2 8s may be decent draws (assigned them 1out) plus four 5s for 2 outs (assigned theres a 50% chance that he's either bluffing, or on a higher PP). I'm hoping with those outs, plus the implied odds, I'm looking at the math correctly.

River: (16.20 BB) (3 players)
UTG bets, UTG+1 calls, Hero calls.

Again, there's too big a pot to fold. He's only got to bluff 1 of 16 times for this to be profitable...right?

Final Pot: 19.20 BB

Results in white below:
UTG has Ks Kc (two pair, kings and threes).
UTG+1 has 6s Kd (two pair, sixes and threes).
Hero has 8c 8d (two pair, eights and threes).
Outcome: UTG wins 19.20 BB.

Feel free to blast my hand. Looking back, my flop play isn't the greatest, but when I was in the hand, I was looking more to drive people out. How horrible is this play with this hand...would it have been different had I had a bigger PP (Ts or JavaScript)? Should I have raised PF to drive those people out.

Had the flop included overcards, I would have never done...I want that completely understood. As long as I had an overpair, I felt I had a decent chance at winning. How wrong am I?

After looking UTG's hand I doubt a higher PP would have helped other than AA even raising pre flop, maybe you would've gotten UTG1 out. Personally I think the strategy otherwise was fine, however UTG probably had the same strategy as you. But I'm not as seasoned as alot of other players on here and play more NL than limit so I could be totally wrong here.

This table was pretty loose, I had been there for over 30 hands, and an average of 40% seeing the flop. Raising PF didn't seem to have much affect on that, but only had a 9% of pots raised PF. I don't remember seeing any hands 3betted PF.

The original PF raiser (PT had him as a gambler) was apt to raise with marginal hands with little regard to position (ATs from MP with a limper in front of you is the only other hand I had seen him raise PF with). He also bet out with that hand when the board was blanks...he continued betting and was beat by a somebody who paired the board. Since this board was so low, I had put UTG on Axs (I explained my reasoning for calling on the turn when the possible flush hit) and UTG+1 to be Axo or Kxo with the heart draw after the turn. When UTG+1 called the river, I had a good idea I was beat, but since the pot was so large, didn't feel I could fold.

I pokerstoved the hand after the flop and gave my opponents hands that I thought they were likely to have that would have played that way.

Text results appended to pokerstove.txt

20,567,630 games 5.343 secs 3,849,453 games/sec

Board: 2h 6h 4s
Dead:

equity (%) win (%) tie (%)
Hand 1: 38.2660 % 37.74% 00.53% { 88 }
Hand 2: 36.6765 % 35.64% 01.04% { TT+, ATs+, KQs, QJs, JTs, AJo+, KQo }
Hand 3: 25.0589 % 24.02% 01.04% { QQ-99, ATs+, KQs, QJs, JTs, A9o+, KQo, QJo }

While I was a slight favorite after the flop, maybe I'm reading my opponents wrong? That's the reason I've taken to posting these hands. Post flop, I look at the play to that point and try to think of what hands I would play that way and how likely I currently have those hands beat. I would never have called a PF raise with K6.

I'm a marginal winner with small/medium PPs. over all, .34bb/hand up. losing hands are apparently 7s, 4s and 3s. Of the 7s, the majority of the hands where I lost more then one or two bets was when trips got beat.

You maybe right about falling in love with PPs. I've noticed that while PF I'm looking for reasons to fold hands (not enough people in the hand, not suited, OOP, whatever). After the flop, I'm looking for reasons to stay in the hand. This may be a result of my rereading and misunderstanding SSH as far was people not taking marginal hands far enough and losing money with them.

My marginal hand play is where I'm having trouble right now, and now that I'm thinking, I may be trying to get fancier then the limit warrents. The past month or so, my WR has gone down, and I've been trying out different stratagies. I used to be tight player with a fit or fold attitude after the flop. With these limits, should I got back to that?

you are right Phyto, most the tables at this level are fairly tight (<30% PF) so when I get a table like this where people are loose/weak, I try to press the advantage. I have seen (not this guy) but others bluff into 5-6 people and have them fold on the river often enough that I try not to fold on the river if I have a hand.

The sidenote to this is that I have trouble playing the looser tables. Weak tight, it's easier to get reads on them and trust those reads. The looser the player, the more possible hands and sometimes he's going to have the hand that beats you.

I'll keep plugging away and trying to post hands that make me say hmmm.

As a note to others, feel free to tell me how horrible my play is. If I think I made a good move, and it wasn't, I need to know

I raise or fold preflop, based on my observation of what kind of players UTG and UTG +1 are. UTG+1 posted and may not have decent cards. Raising may buy you the button and as was already mentioned, hard to believe you will get enough cold callers to play solely for set value (luckily you did).
The river is a clear call. UTG+1 would clearly raise with a boat and the pot is too big to fold - UTG could have AK.

What would I have done differently? I actually would have raised the turn! Before you think I am nuts here, I would do it mostly raising for a free showdown. It is EXTREMELY unlikely you will get reraised by anything but the nut flush and there is no reason to put anybody on this unless the UTG has Ax of hearts, which is unlikely as he checkraised the flop clearly to reduce the field and UTG+1 just called. There is some chance the UTG folds an overpair as he may feel sure that you have the flush and won't draw for his two outer especially since UTG+1 could raise behind him. Even if this chance is only 10% it helps. If he or UTG +1 is playing with overcards you help protect against losing to an overcard on the river.
The key issue is that if you just call the turn you know you are calling the river bet the UTG will surely make - same amount of money spent as long as he doesn't reraise which again I think is VERY unlikely.
I raise alot for free showdowns on the turn, usually you want to do this when you have a good hand but not the nuts and you have alot of outs to improve. The idea is you check on the river and get a "free" showdown if you don't improve, but bet on the river if you do. But the same idea works when you have a mediocre hand but you are almost certain that no one will reraise you and check to you on the river, but to do this you need to have a hand that is easy to represent, in this case a flush. If the turn card was say, Jd then the play won't work as a much greater chance you will get reraised.
I raise for free showdowns on the turn all the time in live play as you typically won't get reraised at a 4-8 table unless somebody has a monster, and if they have that they often will just smooth call and check on the river hoping for a checkraise. And they only have to fold a better hand once out of ten times to make this +EV in a 10BB pot, which would be a "typical" pot size on the turn in a preflop raised hand. People are more aggresive online than live, but it still is an important "skill" to use.

edit: before anyone points out the fact that UTG+1 called the turn, I just can't put this guy on a flush as anyone but the nut flush raises here to make it expensive for the lone A or K of hearts to draw. Now granted, the guy may just be really passive/idiot but even with a flush hard to believe he just calls UTG and then would RERAISE you if you raise. If he has the nut flush then c'est la vie, I'm losing an extra bet.