My first venture into cash games! First hand!

[blankoblanco]

I'm an SnG specialist, but I finally decided to try my hand at getting into NL cash games. I know there are quite a few difference between ring games and tournaments, so I'm going to be going through a learning process.

This was the very first hand I was dealt! QQ! How do you think I played it as far as bet sizes, etc. etc.? (Please let me know if I did something badly, I'm new at this.) I know there's not a whole lot to analyze, but I just want to know if I did anything wrong. Thanks, as always!

Full Tilt Poker Game #1220847598: Table Justice Creek - $0.25/$0.50 - No Limit Hold'em - 19:08:23 ET - 2006/11/09
Seat 1: DizzeeRascal ($40.60)
Seat 2: rumred14 ($48.25)
Seat 3: Soda340 ($48.05)
Seat 4: combuboom ($50)
Seat 5: jod316 ($31.60)
Seat 6: LastZion ($15.50)
Seat 7: jrhawki1 ($92.75)
Seat 8: 001802602700 ($49)
Seat 9: tarmpaket ($53.90)
Soda340 posts the small blind of $0.25
combuboom posts the big blind of $0.50
The button is in seat #2
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to combuboom [Qh Qc]
jod316 folds
LastZion calls $0.50
jrhawki1 folds
001802602700 has 15 seconds left to act
001802602700 folds
tarmpaket raises to $1.50
DizzeeRascal folds
rumred14 calls $1.50
Soda340 folds
combuboom raises to $5 Good re-raise amount?
LastZion folds
tarmpaket has 15 seconds left to act
tarmpaket folds
rumred14 calls $3.50
*** FLOP *** [Kd 9s Kc]
combuboom bets $4.50 Slightly less than half the pot. Would you bet more?
rumred14 raises to $9 What to make of this?
combuboom calls $4.50
*** TURN *** [Kd 9s Kc] [Kh] I almost certainly have the best hand now... only a K or AA to worry about.
combuboom bets $8.50 About a third of the pot, but was it actually too much? Scared him off. Or not enough?
rumred14 folds
Uncalled bet of $8.50 returned to combuboom
combuboom shows [Qh Qc] (a full house, Kings full of Queens)
combuboom wins the pot ($28.75)
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot $30.25 | Rake $1.50
Board: [Kd 9s Kc Kh]
Seat 1: DizzeeRascal didn't bet (folded)
Seat 2: rumred14 (button) folded on the Turn
Seat 3: Soda340 (small blind) folded before the Flop
Seat 4: combuboom (big blind) collected ($28.75)
Seat 5: jod316 didn't bet (folded)
Seat 6: LastZion folded before the Flop
Seat 7: jrhawki1 didn't bet (folded)
Seat 8: 001802602700 didn't bet (folded)
Seat 9: tarmpaket folded before the Flop

 

[Bombjack]

Dunno what to make of his mini-raise, maybe he was planning to use this as the basis for a bluff later? Or maybe he had pocket Nines. I might have check-raised the turn but that doesn't mean it's right... I think you played it fine.

 

[mrsnake3695]

Seems to me like it was played OK. The preflop raise seems about right, you don't want to scare everybody out but you want to try to get rid of ACE-X, King-X hands and try to get down to heads up which you accomplished.

Rumred might have thought you were making a standard continuation bet on the flop and reraised bluffed to get you to lay down any hand without a king, 9 or high pockets in it. When you called, I think he gave up and you probably wouldn't have been able to get any more money from him on the river. He obviously didn't have a king, 9, or mid to big pocket pair so he was done with the hand.

 

[OneMoreBust]

Dunno what to make of his mini-raise, maybe he was planning to use this as the basis for a bluff later? Or maybe he had pocket Nines. I might have check-raised the turn but that doesn't mean it's right... I think you played it fine.

Unless they are playing against some super disciplined player I doubt they would fold 99?

 

[pocketTWOs]

I probably would of folded, when he re-raised on the flop.
your lucky he dident have the K.
as i was reading this i put him on AK.
folding QQ is hard, but i would of folded.

 

[ChuckTs]

I think you played it fine, combu. Your reraise preflop gave your opponents sub-par odds to call, and it also got good value from your ladies. That flop reraise could have either meant great strength, or great weakness; but I think that had he held a king, he'd probably have smooth called. Either way he's giving you great odds to call, and there's no way you can lay this down vs. an unknown player. River bet was perfect amount IMO.

One suggestion I have for cash games is that you should observe the players before playing. You don't get this advantage with SnGs or MTTs obviously, and you have to learn as you go - save yourself from tough decisions and get good reads on 'em by watching them for like 10 or 20 hands before sitting down.