Hand reading and assigning ranges

E

emperord201

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Hey All,

I am trying to learn how to read hands and assigning opponents hand ranges and narrow it down post-flop etc.

I have a question about a hand I was in.

It was early stage (everyone has 75 big blinds) and the blinds and ante were 10/20/3. We was a few hands in when I was dealt KJ offsuit on the big blind.

UTG raised it to 4 BB to 80 and their was several callers, the pot was 374.

I was getting 6:1 odds to call, so I did.

The flop came 84J rainbow.

I check in BB, UTG+1 made a pot size cbet to make it 674, MP2 snap calls making the pot 974, it is folded around back to me. I thought about the pot odds (3:1) and UTG hand ranged (i.e. AJs, AA-88, t9s) and assumed I was beat, so I folded my hands.

Turn was a K (I would've made two-pair) UTG bets 450, MP2 snaps calls.

River was a K (I would've had a full house) UTG shoves all-in and again MP2 snap calls; showing 88 for a full house (888KK), UTG had AJs (JJKKA).

Questions:

1) Should I have mucked KJo on the button regardless of odds (6:1) as it is a trap hand.

2) Should I have check/called the flop (3:1) to see the turn (for two-pair JJKK)

3) How can I make hand reading easier, as I didn't consider hand ranges for post-flop callers? (and folded because pot bet and snap call on flop-thinking I was beat).

4) Can they be ever bluffing (i.e. semi-bluff J9s)

5) should I only play KJs from MP2+ for min raise?

6) What can I do to make post-flop decisions easier

Thanks all
 
N

neafana

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Hey All,

I am trying to learn how to read hands and assigning opponents hand ranges and narrow it down post-flop etc.

I have a question about a hand I was in.

It was early stage (everyone has 75 big blinds) and the blinds and ante were 10/20/3. We was a few hands in when I was dealt KJ offsuit on the big blind.

UTG raised it to 4 BB to 80 and their was several callers, the pot was 374.

I was getting 6:1 odds to call, so I did.

The flop came 84J rainbow.

I check in BB, UTG+1 made a pot size cbet to make it 674, MP2 snap calls making the pot 974, it is folded around back to me. I thought about the pot odds (3:1) and UTG hand ranged (i.e. AJs, AA-88, t9s) and assumed I was beat, so I folded my hands.

Turn was a K (I would've made two-pair) UTG bets 450, MP2 snaps calls.

River was a K (I would've had a full house) UTG shoves all-in and again MP2 snap calls; showing 88 for a full house (888KK), UTG had AJs (JJKKA).

Questions:

1) Should I have mucked KJo on the button regardless of odds (6:1) as it is a trap hand.

2) Should I have check/called the flop (3:1) to see the turn (for two-pair JJKK)

3) How can I make hand reading easier, as I didn't consider hand ranges for post-flop callers? (and folded because pot bet and snap call on flop-thinking I was beat).

4) Can they be ever bluffing (i.e. semi-bluff J9s)

5) should I only play KJs from MP2+ for min raise?

6) What can I do to make post-flop decisions easier

Thanks all

1. KJo is known as a trouble hand, but since you re getting very good odds, you have made a correct call.
2. You shouldn't check call the flop. You have made a correct fold, taking into consideration that MP2 snap called. It could be that UTG had AA or KK. I see people minraise those from UTG, and when he has a lot of callers they make a the pot size bet to make people fold drawing hands. It could be also possbile for him to have a JT, but the MP snap call should made you fold your hand. Practically you were behind on the flop.
3. In this case I wouldn't rely on ranges because it was a multiway pot and your hand could be way behind and folding will leave you 70BB to play.
4. The odds of bluffing I could put them under 5%:)
5. There is no standard play and I don't consider that you should use charts as standard. So it's depending on the table. I would play it only on a tight table.
6. Play better hands preflop, because from your questions it seems that you are not having very good postflop skills.
 
R

renatoAD

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you can have a good read of preflop hands because of bets , usually when a player opens reise full or 4 or 5X he wants to defend a low pair , they open it to not want the board to bring an A that is leaving them very afraid, and they would stop bet!
 
N

neafana

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you can have a good read of preflop hands because of bets , usually when a player opens reise full or 4 or 5X he wants to defend a low pair , they open it to not want the board to bring an A that is leaving them very afraid, and they would stop bet!

This are weak players in general, that they are opening small pairs, ATo and AJo with 4x5 BB and usually give up as you said. But this is a specific case. You can't assign ranges to people based on that, because the majority are opening 2 to 3BB. You are not playing only with one category.
 
Jim Brown

Jim Brown

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I think this is fine as played.
I would consider just folding pre since you're going to have a lot of trouble out of position post flop and often dominated.

Once the bet is pot and call I would probably sigh fold.

"I would have made xyz" is just results oriented thinking. Seeing all the cards you had:
22.672% equity pre
1.458% on the flop
7.143% on the turn

to answer your specific questions though:
1) Should I have mucked KJo on the button regardless of odds (6:1) as it is a trap hand.
-- I think you mean BB, and sure let it go, but call is ok as long as you can fold this flop when necessary. BTN easier to call or 3b (bluff)

2) Should I have check/called the flop (3:1) to see the turn (for two-pair JJKK)
--This is where I would be thinking I knew I should fold this pre. You are going to be out of position lighting calling chips of fire 90% when you miss (and worse if another J rolls off here)

3) How can I make hand reading easier, as I didn't consider hand ranges for post-flop callers? (and folded because pot bet and snap call on flop-thinking I was beat).
--Um try thinking about some reasonable ranges for villains as played, that's the point. Of course they can and will show up with silly garbage, especially early, but you want to find spots to win without showdown. Waiting to catch the best hand is not going to work long term. (And on the flop you were beat, badly)

4) Can they be ever bluffing (i.e. semi-bluff J9s)
--sure, but a bad fold is pretty much always better than a bad call. Don't call out of the big blind to go to war with TPGK

5) should I only play KJs from MP2+ for min raise?
--suited is really not much equity difference. The reason suitedness comes into play is to balance your range, not the extra 2% or so equity. For a trivial example if you're raising range is AA for value and 72 as a bluff you have 6 value combos and 16 bluffs, way too many. Instead you raise 72s for your bluffs and you are 60% value and 40% bluff instead of 27% value and 73% bluff. There are too many combos of weaker hands. If you're playing some roughly equal speculative hands you might as well take the best equity you can get, just use a random way to eliminate some, suited works for that.

6) What can I do to make post-flop decisions easier
--don't play speculative hands out of position
 
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