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saw flop | saw showdown

BB (t1830)
UTG (t3200)
UTG+1 (t1000)
MP1 (t2150)
MP2 (t2720)
Lovemonk (CO) (t2460)
Button (t2910)
SB (t1730)

Lovemonk's M: 54.67

Preflop: Lovemonk is CO with Kd, Qc
4 folds, Lovemonk bets t90, 2 folds, BB calls t60

Flop: (t195) Kc, Ks, 2d (2 players)
BB checks, Lovemonk checks

Turn: (t195) As (2 players)
BB bets t90, Lovemonk calls t90

River: (t375) 6s (2 players)
BB bets t180, Lovemonk raises to t450, BB calls t270

Total pot: t1275
Main pot: t1275 between BB and Lovemonk, won by BB

Results:
BB had 7s, JavaScript (flush, Ace high).
Lovemonk had Kd, Qc (three of a kind, Kings).
Outcome: BB won t1275

Okay, of late I've been going in all guns blazing without thinking about things for a second. I just lost with trip kings, beaten by a flush. I want to talk you guys through the hand and then hopefully you can come in and give me a helping hand!

Okay so I'm in the cut off with KQo, it folds round to me and I raise. Could've called, yes, but I figured that as I had a little more than the starting stack I'd like to raise and thus get a bit more information about my opponents hands. Anybody can limp in with shit, but it takes a slightly better hand to call a raise. I want to know where I stand so I raise. BB calls.

Flops comes in with KK2 which I'm obviously delighted with as I'm almost certainly ahead. Big blind checks. I check as any bet will surely scare him off. The turn comes in with a A and the guy bets 90 into a pot of 195 and now I start trying to put the thinking into practise. I figure that he isn't too premium cards wise as he called my pre-flop raise, so I put him on something to do with a queen or jack, or ace rag. He could be holding a king too, but not a stronger one than me because if it was AK he'd have re-raised my pre-flop surely, and it can't be KK obviously so I can't be outdone by a stronger king. Importantly now there's also a flush draw on the board, which I have no part of. One of the kings and the A are both suited spades, so perhaps he has a flush draw. But then I think, would he bet into it? He's not certain to get it, so if he was drawing wouldn't he check and hope I do too? I wouldn't bet if I was flush drawing. I'd assume I was being beaten and hope to hell I could see the free card and get lucky. So I rule out a flush and put him on a pair of aces. Outside shot at having paired the 2 as well, but A2 is very weak and unlikely to be used to call a pre-flop raise, even in BB. Maybe, anyway. People like to play aces so it's not totally out of the question but regardless, I'm still ahead. I settle on the idea that I'm ahead and that a raise would still scare him away, so I call.

The river comes in with a 6 of spades. He bets 180 into a pot of 375. I hate the flush possibility being out there because it makes my decision harder, but I still don't think he has it because of his previous plays. I also think he thinks I don't have it because of my play, so he's not scared to bet into a board like that. So what do I think he has? Well maybe he was holding 22s from the start, in which case it's a sick cooler as far as I'm concerned. I don't think he'd play all the way through with 66, not pocket aces because he'd have re-raised me pre-flop again. I think he doesn't think I have a king also, because of my checked flop and called turn... so maybe he thinks his aces and kings are good?

So I figure maybe he has an ace, might have paired up the 2 or 6 but that wouldn't matter with kings on the board obviously. So I think I'm ahead, and want to get some value out of the hand. I raise to 450. He calls, and shows me J7s and wins with the spades.

I'm bummed, obviously. I think this is an interesting hand and I'd love to know what you guys think. As I'm sat here going through it, I'm thinking now that a re-raise on the river was possibly a crap idea as it might be one of those "he'll only call if he's got you beat" type of hands. Not sure, but yeah. Was any of my thinking any good at least? That's the important bit for me. Particularly the thinking on turn. All thoughts welcome.

Eh, you had the preflop raise and position on him. I know you don't want to scare him, but that's a flop you should be betting whether you have it or not. If he calls flop and checks turn, bet that, too.

I proly raise the turn and just flat the river bet. its hard to think you will get much value from anything less then your three kings. I see where your coming from thinking hes playing the A with a hand like AJ AQ A10....interesting hand though but i think only thing you should have done differently (in my opinion) is to raise the turn.

Originally Posted by MJPerry

Bet the flop bet the flop bet the flop for God's sake bet the flop.

Why? (Don't kill me, please. I sense this question may infuriate you. :P)

Because you should be cbetting when you raise pf.

Ok, points noted.

Originally Posted by jstarkey

Because you should be cbetting when you raise pf.

Originally Posted by MJPerry

Because you have the best hand close to 100% of the time and he's going to call you with a shitload of crap.

these.

you'd cbet that flop with air, right?

I know I probably should but in honesty, I might check depending on how many opponents were still in, how much it would cost to do so and the implications of it should I loose. At this point in my playing career (career, ha!) that's honestly how I'd play it.