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JacktheConqueror
Posts:2
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New

7/25/2011 9:51 PM
Hi, I'm new to playing live; someone at my table recently made a comment about my playing and I didn't get a chance to ask him to explain. Hopefully, someone can give me some insight based on the best recollection I had of the hand: I had a 4 and 5 unsuited preflop, and hit a straight on the flop. I bet, and it was down to me and one other player. Since I didn't have the top straight, I checked on the turn to see what he would do. When he checked too, I bet on the river. He took a moment, called, and showed two pair. Everyone at the table was genial, but one person commented (nicely, and knowing it was one of my first live games), "That could've been trouble since you checked on the turn. It slowed down the betting." I'm curious to know if I committed a faux pas, that could have caused a problem with a more tempermental player. My line of thinking was to both guage what he was holding, and also string him along - if I suddenly bet on a lower card on the river it could have thrown him off my hand. Was this good playing, or a rookie move that gets under the skin of more experienced players?

griff49
Posts:3291
Elite

Elite

7/25/2011 10:04 PM
Hey Jack. Thanks for posting. I'll let the players jump in here and give you their thoughts on the play, but trapping a player by checking a strong hand is NOT wrong to do. All I can imagine is that they were saying it "could have been trouble" was that the player could have outdrawn you on the river. That is simply risk v reward. Some players wouldn't risk the chance to be outdrawn and they would bet the turn to either make the opponent pay to see the next card, or win the pot then and there. One of the themes that runs through a lot of poker books is "Make your money on the Turn" because sometimes if the last card falls and doesn't improve the opponents hand, you don't make any money with a River bet, OR, the river card gives you 2nd best hand and because your hand is slightly strong, you pay off the winning hand.

hansgow
Posts:373
MVP

MVP

7/25/2011 10:37 PM
Lesson #1 don't play 54os out of position. Lesson #2 never think the advice someone is giving you at a freeroll tournament is always going to be right, more times than not its probably wrong. Taking this hand for example, I don't play enough no-limit holdem tournaments or play 54os out of position enough in cash games to be able to tell you this is the best advice, but any strong hand with no redraw is always tough to play. I personally would have checked the flop because you flopped the 3rd nut with no redraw, and your playing a tournament where the action should be aggressive and the best way to accumulate chips in this spot is to play smallball. Check calling every street is probably the best way to play the hand, or a check-raise on the turn would be fine too to find out where you are at. The point is, this hand is very hard to get away from and if you are ahead your opponent has a maximum of 7 outs to beat you on an unpaired board, so being afraid of giving away a free card isn't all that bad. This advice is pretty much considering heads up play. If you are playing the hand multihanded, then giving up a free card on the turn could become very problematic as half the deck would be considered a scare card and could allow your opponent to blow you off your hand. Theres probably my advice for the year as I don't have much time to get online anyomre when I'm always in the casinos.

Seth
Posts:751
MVP

MVP

7/26/2011 5:20 AM
Jack, What came on the board? I assume it was A23 since you said you flopped it and had top straight. Also, I would surmise that there were two suited cards, most likely suited with the A to give someone a flush draw...sounds like a friendly warning about a good old flush chasing riverchaser.

JacktheConqueror
Posts:2
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New

7/26/2011 2:25 PM
thanks to everyone for their responses. From what I've gathered, then, what I did was a risky move but one that can play off nicely in the right circumstances, or at least head-on, but not something to do too much. Seth - I didn't have top straight, but I can't remember the exact cards (I didn't think at the time to remember them to discuss later). I think there were two suited out there, though. But, ultimately, I'm just glad I didn't pull some really bonehead move, ha ha.

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