ZenAndPoker
Rising Star
Bronze Level
This is Igniton Zone Poker so I have zero reads on villain.
NL Holdem $0.25(BB)
HERO(SB) ($39.4)
BTN ($32.3)
Dealt to Hero: A♥ K♣
UTG Folds, HJ Folds, CO Folds, BTN Raises To $0.75, HERO Raises To $2, BB Folds, BTN Calls $1.25
Hero SPR on Flop: [7.13 effective]
Flop ($4.25): 2♥ 7♦ 9♥
HERO Bets $2.62 (Rem. Stack: 34.78), BTN Calls $2.62 (Rem. Stack: 27.68)
Turn ($9.49): 2♥ 7♦ 9♥ K♠
HERO Bets $6.24 (Rem. Stack: 28.54), BTN Calls $6.24 (Rem. Stack: 21.44)
River ($21.97): 2♥ 7♦ 9♥ K♠ Q♣
HERO Bets $10.98 (Rem. Stack: 17.56), BTN Raises To $21.44 (allin),
HERO?
This is something I struggle with, controlling the size of pots while not appearing weak and simultaneously denying odds to draw against two pair, straights, and flushes. Especially when I hit with AK, I feel like I get way too overzealous about protecting my hand.
At the same time, having seen with my own eyes at this level of a play that a fair number of players will try to bluff you off a high card with lower pocket pairs like 99-QQ, or bluff the river if they missed their draw, or rep the draw if the scare card comes because they called all the way down with a lower pair and didn't catch two pair, it makes really hard for me to know when to fold sometimes against all but the nits and loose passives who rarely bluff.
I didn't have much time to decide in this case, it being zone poker and all, but something like a gut feeling based on how the hand played out from the beginning told me to call. I had a brief flash of terror that maybe he called me all the way down with KQ but I felt it would be negative EV to give unknown villain credit for KQ here too often. I thought a missed draw or a straight bluff made more sense, and I didn't really put him on a set the way he was just snap calling every street and never raising. Waiting to the river to make a move on a set on that board seems like a risk a lot of players at these tables don't usually take. Most players at micro-stakes here are trying to get all their money in on turn or flop, flop especially when there is a straight and a flush draw.
But, I REALLY HATE being in these kinds of positions with TPTK, too often I feel like I do run into better hands and end up often getting 4-1 odds or better to call, 5-1 in this case, that he might be straight bluffing here or trying to buy the pot with an underpair.
I hate losing whole stacks to playing TPTK too aggressive, building pots too big, then feeling like I'm committed to call because of the odds at the end. But I don't want to give opponents odds to draw on me or bluff shove because they sense I'm weak.
Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
NL Holdem $0.25(BB)
HERO(SB) ($39.4)
BTN ($32.3)
Dealt to Hero: A♥ K♣
UTG Folds, HJ Folds, CO Folds, BTN Raises To $0.75, HERO Raises To $2, BB Folds, BTN Calls $1.25
Hero SPR on Flop: [7.13 effective]
Flop ($4.25): 2♥ 7♦ 9♥
HERO Bets $2.62 (Rem. Stack: 34.78), BTN Calls $2.62 (Rem. Stack: 27.68)
Turn ($9.49): 2♥ 7♦ 9♥ K♠
HERO Bets $6.24 (Rem. Stack: 28.54), BTN Calls $6.24 (Rem. Stack: 21.44)
River ($21.97): 2♥ 7♦ 9♥ K♠ Q♣
HERO Bets $10.98 (Rem. Stack: 17.56), BTN Raises To $21.44 (allin),
HERO?
HERO Calls $10.46 (Rem. Stack: 7.10)
BTN shows: T♣ 9♦
HERO wins: $62.85
BTN shows: T♣ 9♦
HERO wins: $62.85
This is something I struggle with, controlling the size of pots while not appearing weak and simultaneously denying odds to draw against two pair, straights, and flushes. Especially when I hit with AK, I feel like I get way too overzealous about protecting my hand.
At the same time, having seen with my own eyes at this level of a play that a fair number of players will try to bluff you off a high card with lower pocket pairs like 99-QQ, or bluff the river if they missed their draw, or rep the draw if the scare card comes because they called all the way down with a lower pair and didn't catch two pair, it makes really hard for me to know when to fold sometimes against all but the nits and loose passives who rarely bluff.
I didn't have much time to decide in this case, it being zone poker and all, but something like a gut feeling based on how the hand played out from the beginning told me to call. I had a brief flash of terror that maybe he called me all the way down with KQ but I felt it would be negative EV to give unknown villain credit for KQ here too often. I thought a missed draw or a straight bluff made more sense, and I didn't really put him on a set the way he was just snap calling every street and never raising. Waiting to the river to make a move on a set on that board seems like a risk a lot of players at these tables don't usually take. Most players at micro-stakes here are trying to get all their money in on turn or flop, flop especially when there is a straight and a flush draw.
But, I REALLY HATE being in these kinds of positions with TPTK, too often I feel like I do run into better hands and end up often getting 4-1 odds or better to call, 5-1 in this case, that he might be straight bluffing here or trying to buy the pot with an underpair.
I hate losing whole stacks to playing TPTK too aggressive, building pots too big, then feeling like I'm committed to call because of the odds at the end. But I don't want to give opponents odds to draw on me or bluff shove because they sense I'm weak.
Any advice would be greatly appreciated.