Calling bet with KJ preflop

[Ch4nc3]

Hello everyone...

Here's the hand history

pokerstars Game #4867894299: Hold'em No Limit ($0.02/$0.05) - 2006/05/08 - 00:40:49 (ET)
Table 'Bolzano' 9-max Seat #5 is the button
Seat 1: goredbirds93 ($1.04 in chips)
Seat 2: studboy1 ($6.85 in chips)
Seat 3: Lincon$Shot ($9.15 in chips)
Seat 4: parker62 ($3.73 in chips)
Seat 5: phelan42 ($2.23 in chips)
Seat 6: Ch4nc3 ($2.56 in chips)
Seat 7: cernig ($4.85 in chips)
Seat 8: Sjung11 ($5.19 in chips)
Seat 9: mike0582 ($17.66 in chips)
Ch4nc3: posts small blind $0.02
cernig: posts big blind $0.05
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to Ch4nc3 [Js Ks]
Sjung11: calls $0.05
mike0582: raises $0.15 to $0.20
goredbirds93: folds
studboy1: folds
Lincon$Shot: folds
parker62: folds
phelan42: folds
Ch4nc3: calls $0.18
cernig: folds
Sjung11: calls $0.15
*** FLOP *** [Kd 4c Qc]
Ch4nc3: bets $0.50
Sjung11: folds
mike0582: calls $0.50
*** TURN *** [Kd 4c Qc] [2h]
Ch4nc3: checks
mike0582: checks
*** RIVER *** [Kd 4c Qc 2h] [Th]
Ch4nc3: checks
mike0582: bets $1.25
Ch4nc3: raises $0.61 to $1.86 and is all-in
mike0582: calls $0.61
*** SHOW DOWN ***
Ch4nc3: shows [Js Ks] (a pair of Kings)
mike0582: mucks hand
Ch4nc3 collected $5.12 from pot
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot $5.37 | Rake $0.25
Board [Kd 4c Qc 2h Th]
Seat 1: goredbirds93 folded before Flop (didn't bet)
Seat 2: studboy1 folded before Flop (didn't bet)
Seat 3: Lincon$Shot folded before Flop (didn't bet)
Seat 4: parker62 folded before Flop (didn't bet)
Seat 5: phelan42 (button) folded before Flop (didn't bet)
Seat 6: Ch4nc3 (small blind) showed [Js Ks] and won ($5.12) with a pair of Kings
Seat 7: cernig (big blind) folded before Flop
Seat 8: Sjung11 folded on the Flop
Seat 9: mike0582 mucked [Ad Qd]

I didn't save the comment but mike0582 said I shouldn't have called that from the small blind.

Is that correct? Why shouldn't I have called that? Granted, he had me dominated before the flop, but I liked the KJ and the flop was good for me. If I hadn't hit on the flop I would have folded, but I did so I bet it. After all, I had top pair.

I am open to any suggested or advice anyone can give.

Thanks you!

Jim

 

[robwhufc]

Tell mike0582 it was 18 cents to call. 18 cents.

He wasn't correct. You've got money at the table, you can bet it on which ever hand you want. If he wants to be able to control the action by raising, he needs to stop playing 2c/5c no limit. Your call with K J Suited from late position was fine - you miss the flop you lose 18 cents, you hit the flop you have the chance of hitting big - well played.

 

[Ch4nc3]

Thanks Rob. Much appreciated.

If this were a higher stake game would this not have been a good play?

Jim

 

[Dorkus Malorkus]

I dislike the river check much more than I dislike the preflop call (which is fine tbh).

 

[Ch4nc3]

In this hand, after I made my post flop bet of a whopping .50 cents and he calls, then I thought hmmm... Maybe he has a King to. So on the turn, out of confusion, I check and then to really perplex me, he checks to so then I was really puzzled and I got the impression maybe I still had a live hand, I check on the River and of course he puts me all in. I have to admit, when I called his last bet there was no insight into it. At this point I really didn't know what he had but it was late and this was my last hand so I called.

Out of curiousity, what would you have done if you were in my situation? Is checking on the river bad?

I knew he was a tight player and only got involved when he had premium hands, but when he checked me on the turn then I got the impression that he either missed the flop or caught the queen. When I checked on the river he probably thought I was bluffing, which I did in an earlier hand and got nailed for it, so he probably thought that he had the better hand or that I caught the queen too and of course he had the higher kicker.

In retrospect, if I were a more experienced player I may have done the same thing but for different reasons. By him checking on the turn should have told me that he didn't have top pair. Because my table image was pretty much shot on account of some bonehead moves I had made earlier then he probably thought I was bluffing or had mid pairs or something. So to enforce that I check on the River making him think I'm weak. He then puts me all in which gave me +EV (hope I'm using that right), and I call knowing I have the best hand.

Yeah it all sounds good once the play is over.

I really need to improve my observation skills when it comes to other player's betting patterns.

Thanks for the input.

Jim

 

[Osmann]

Here's how I would have played the hand.

Preflop:
I would not call with KJ out of the sb. There are just to many hands that I'm behind, and a lot hands has me dominated. Besides I'm going to have to play the rest of the hand out ofposition.

Flop:
I think you did the right thing by leading into him. This will give you a lot of information about his hand, and there's a good chance you will take down the hand right there. Wich is a good thing with this board.

Turn:
I would probably still lead, even though there is a chance your opponent also has a K and is slowplaying you, but I think there's a bigger chance that he is on some kind of draw or 2nd pair. But if you're in doubt, checking isn't bad.

River:
Check/calling would also be my choice here. If he had a draw, your only chance of winning ekstra money is by allowing him to bluff. And since you showed so much weakness, there's a very good chance he will try this. If he was playing AJ and hit his draw, you might get away cheaper by check/calling instead of bet/calling. Anyway, the board is looking scary now, and you are probably only going to get called by hands that have you beat, so not much idea in betting for value.

 

[senadiel]

here's why i'd typically fold K J in this situation. when your opponent raised, he easily could have had AK, AQ AJs, KQs, high or middle pocket pair. all of these hands have you beaten preflop. i think he would have raised more with AA, so that's not too worrisome (although he may have been raising only 3x the BB in order to ensure a caller or two). obviously the smaller pairs are not a concern post flop when you've hit your king, unless they've made a set (which he would have told you with a healthy reraise after your bet on the flop).

the real hand that concerns me here is AK, or even KQ. these are very legitmate possibilities in this situation, and can both cause you to go broke. while a jack is a decent kicker, you have to be cautious. i think post flop you played the hand well, but as i said -- you have to think about what your hand is really worth. KJ is worth calling in an unraised pot, but beyond that you're really only drawing to two pair or a straight. even if you pair your King or jack, its just too likely that you'll be outkicked.

anyways, that's my $.02

 

[ChuckTs]

The whole thing is that we can't really apply common strategy to micro games though...
i mean you say that you shouldn't call because most of the time your hand will be dominated and you'll need a whole lot of help from the board, which i would normally agree with you on.
But at the 2c/5c games, people will raise with KT or K9 hands and worse if they're anything like the micros i've experienced.
Its much safer just not to call a PF raise with KJ, especiallly out of position, but sometimes (at the micros) i would have to say that it's not a bad play.
Opponents often raise with A9/QJ/TQ type hands so if you hit, then you're sittin pretty, but at the same time you could both hit the K with villain having AK and you'd lose a whole lot of bets.