*** NLHE strategy thread ***

[Winnergambling]

In this thread, you can post up to 2 hand histories per week from your NLHE games. our poker pros promise to comment on them. Also any members here can comment on them (it is encouraged).

So if you have something to ask about hands you have played in NLHE games, post them here - get expert's advice and learn.

[kkuuppa]

$0.25/$0.5 No Limit Holdem
2 players
Converted at weaktight.com

Stacks:
Hero ($52.55)
BB ($47.55)

Pre-flop: ($0.75, 2 players) Hero is SB 7 8
Hero raises to $1.50, BB calls $1

Flop: 8 7 2 ($3, 2 players)
BB checks, Hero bets $2, BB calls $2

Turn: 5 ($7, 2 players)
BB checks, Hero bets $6, BB calls $6

River: T ($19, 2 players)
BB bets $13, Hero

Should I shove for value? I don't have any real reads yet except that he had been hitting the bet pot button prior to this river bet.

[Winnergambling]

Hi,

Jeans has started his military service today actually, so at least for two weeks I think he won´t browse internet (boys become men)

But of course regular users are very much encouraged to speak about this hand and others too. I will note Jeans in his first weekend off that if he has any freetime, he´d come to drop quick comments too.


My personal comment to this hand is that I would never come over the top on the river. I think that how the hand went down, he´s range is very polarized to bluffs or better made hand than yours. I´d call without reads.

[HollowPoint]

I agree with WG here, you won´t get called by worse hands, and the only better hand you may get to fold is 96, witch is a very unlikely holding for the villain since he did´n raise on the turn. Since you didn´t have any reads about this villain, IMO calling would be the best play here. You will likely get much better situlations to get your money in later in the match.

[Jeans]

he´s range is very polarized to bluffs or better made hand than yours. I´d call without reads.

this,
I would most of the time just call the river

[kkuuppa]

Something like 11th hand of the match. Only read is he is playing 1 NL100 HU table also so he probably isn't horrible.

$0.25/$0.5 No Limit Holdem
2 players
Converted at weaktight.com

Stacks:
Hero ($50.25)
BB ($50.50)

Pre-flop: ($0.75, 2 players) Hero is SB T J
Hero raises to $1.50, BB raises to $4.50, Hero calls $3

Flop: 5 Q 6 ($9, 2 players)
BB checks, Hero checks

What should I think of his check? Is it unimproved AK, a monster like AA or QQ, or something like 88-JJ?

Turn: 9 ($9, 2 players)
BB bets $9, Hero

I have 45.50 left. Call, fold or raise?

Let's say I called. River is a Jack and he bets ~20$, call or fold? What cards would you bluff if checked to? Would you value bet a non-heart Jack or ten if checked to?

[HollowPoint]

Since the pros haven´t commented this, I´ll give it a try. This is from a beginning of a HU-match, so I presume the aggression hasn´t build very much yet, both players are getting a feel for each other?

If this was the first 3bet on his behalf, it´s more likely that he actually has a big hand here. It´s a bit alarming that he didn´t cbet the flop, since it likely didn´t help hands in Your calling range, unless You had the Q in Your hand. He might be going for a c/r here. I consider this a dry flop on HU match, and would usually continue betting with unimproved hands, if I had no better knowledge of the opponent. Most of the hands I might consider check/raising here would be overpairs, sets would likely go with cbet or check/call, offcourse depending on the situlation. So IMO, he has at least an overpair here.

On the turn You get an openender, but if he happened to check a draw on flop, he now has the nuts. 9 also opened a flush draw and the straight draw You got, witch opens some possibilities for You.

If You call here, and the 8 or K comes, You have a good chance of stacking him. Also, if any comes, You might get him to fold if he checks the river. But if he leads on the river, he´s committed and there is no folding equity to gain.

So IMO, You actually have to hit Your straight to win this, and You don´t have the odds to draw to it, so calling would be a mistake, but not very costly one, shooting from the hip, I´d say that if You stack him everytime You make Your hand, it would be somewhere around -$2 EV.

The effect of making plays like this might be, that he would not try to bluff You so much, if You get to show the hand at river. The value of that is more difficult to estimate.

Since I put him on a range QQ+.99,66,55,87, most of the time, I would not push here, and the biggest reason for that is, that now that the board got draw heavy, he would likely put me on a draw and call with even weaker holdings, and smaller raise would commit me anyhow, so raising to $25 doesn´t make much sense IMO.

Had I made the call on turn, I still probably fold if J or T comes, and he leads. If he checks to me, I´dd likely raise $25 on just about any rivercard, and try to push him off the hand. He would not check a straight here very often, and 87 is a very possible holding for us, the way it was played. A river check would be either to induce a bluff from us, or a sign of real weakness and poor potcontrol on his behalf.

What´s Your own analyse of this hand?