How I salvage a losing top-top.

RedKing

RedKing

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This is from one of the live game session I played. I'm the big blind in seat 7. Blinds are $2-$5, $100-$300 buy in.

Pre-flop:
Seat 8 folded.
Seat 9 called
Seat 1 ($1500+ chips) minimum raised to 10.
Seat 2 folded.
Seat 3 called.
Seat 4 folded.
Seat 5 folded.
Seat 6 (just bought in for $300 in the small blind) called.
So I looked at my cards, and I saw AsJd, immediately called.
Seat 9 called.

Flop: Jc-7s-6d
Seat 6 checked.
I bet $50 (pot size).
seat 9 folded.
Seat 1 called.
Seat 3 folded.
Seat 6 raised to $200!!!

This guy just sat down on the table two hands ago, and player in seat 9 (a donkey) has been praising how great a player seat 6 is. Of course you can't believe anyone on a poker table, but seat 6 could use that as an advantage and try to bully me out. This is just a very curious bet, he checked-raised and over betting the pot! The first hand I put him on is 7-6 suited so he gets a two pair. A lotta tournament player likes to play with small suited connectors, aka DN. I tried to get a read off him, but he puts on his poker face with eyes on the community cards, body leaning towards the table. Everything tells me that he's strong. But why over betting the pot? It's unlikely anyone remaining in the pot has a draw, why not slow play or raise a little less so me and seat 1 can call? Like a donkey that I am, I just have to see those cards. Even if he's got two pairs, I still got some outs, although I know the odds are against calling it here. so after debating for a minute, I finally called the raise.

Then Seat 1 moves ALL-IN!!! Remember, she's got $1500 chips in front of her!!! With the pot size at only $550, she's moving all in??? Seat 6 immediately called (only 50-70 more to him, another reason why his $200 raise confused me). Now I know I'm beat, one of them got the two pair, but which one. I just have the feeling that it's seat 6, so I stared at seat 1 and try to get a read off her. Seat 1 looked relax and seating back in her chair. Looks kinna weak to me, and the 10 raised pre-flop tells me she doesn't have a over-powering hand. At this point, I'm just playing for the side-pot, since I got seat 6 covered. So I moved all-in as well.

Turn comes, a 2h. River, Qs.

Seat 6 showed the 7-6, and seat 1 showed the A-K. My guess was right on, but couldn't convince myself to fold the hand. Although I lost some chips, at least I salvage it with the side pot. I started the hand with $450 chips and ended the hand with just a little over $300, just about break-even for the night. Sometimes making the right read is just not enough, you gotta have the discipline to fold your overrated top-top.
 
robwhufc

robwhufc

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Sometimes making the right read is just not enough, you gotta have the discipline to fold your overrated top-top.
You've got to have the discipline to raise pre-flop. Why did you call here?
 
RedKing

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You've got to have the discipline to raise pre-flop. Why did you call here?
Sometimes I like to slow pay my A-J for two reason:

1. It's not a make hand yet.
2. I can trap people if I hit a good flop. In this case, seat 1 or 6 could very much be holding J-10 and I could have trapped them for a big pot.

I'd do it with A-Q too. That's probably the same reason why seat 1 with A-K only raised to 10.
Of course, I don't do it very often, just happens that I picked the wrong time to slow play. lol
 
robwhufc

robwhufc

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Sometimes I like to slow pay my As-high for two reason:

1. It's not a make hand yet.
2. I can trap people if I hit a good flop.

Of course, I don't do it very often, just happens that time I picked the wrong time to slow play. lol
What flop is better than Jack high (don't say K Q 10)? You hit the A you're in trouble of being outkicked, you hit your J you're having 2nd thoughts because you dont want to overplay Top pair top kicker any more. You're not going to do it any more i take it?:)
 
RedKing

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What flop is better than Jack high (don't say K Q 10)? You hit the A you're in trouble of being outkicked, you hit your J you're having 2nd thoughts because you dont want to overplay Top pair top kicker any more. You're not going to do it any more i take it?:)
The thing is I already made a good read that seat 6 is holding the two pair. It's hard to let top-top go just like it's hard to let pocket Kings go. But when you're beat, you're beat. Am I gonna make the same mistake in the future? Probably yes, but I hope to make less of it.
 
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