$2 NLHE MTT Rebuy: K7 stack of middle pair

[Dubstep]

PokerStars - $2+$0.20|700/1400 Ante 175 NL - Holdem - 9 players
Hand converted by PokerTracker 4

MP+2: 25.47 BB (VPIP: 19.21, PFR: 16.11, 3Bet Preflop: 10.24, hands: 306)
CO: 4.1 BB (VPIP: 14.29, PFR: 10.00, 3Bet Preflop: 4.65, Hands: 126)
Hero (BTN): 14.72 BB
SB: 26.53 BB (VPIP: 7.14, PFR: 0.00, 3Bet Preflop: 0.00, Hands: 14)
BB: 48.75 BB
UTG: 25.21 BB (VPIP: 15.79, PFR: 15.79, 3Bet Preflop: 0.00, Hands: 38)
UTG+1: 13.84 BB (VPIP: 30.59, PFR: 19.28, 3Bet Preflop: 2.94, Hands: 86)
MP: 32.24 BB (VPIP: 23.53, PFR: 14.12, 3Bet Preflop: 7.32, Hands: 86)
MP+1: 37.61 BB (VPIP: 20.31, PFR: 13.49, 3Bet Preflop: 3.51, Hands: 129)

9 players post ante of 0.13 BB, SB posts SB 0.5 BB, BB posts BB 1 BB

Pre Flop: (pot: 2.63 BB) Hero has K:club: 7:diamond:

fold, fold, fold, fold, fold, fold, Hero raises to 2 BB, fold, BB calls 1 BB

Flop: (5.63 BB, 2 players) 7:heart: 3:spade: A:diamond:
BB checks, Hero bets 3 BB, BB raises to 7 BB, Hero calls 4 BB

Turn: (19.63 BB, 2 players) 7:spade:
BB bets 13.08 BB, Hero calls 5.6 BB and is all-in

River: (30.82 BB, 2 players) T:spade:

BB shows 3:heart: A:heart: (Two Pair, Aces and Sevens) (Pre 62%, Flop 91%, Turn 5%)
Hero shows K:club: 7:diamond: (Three of a Kind, Sevens) (Pre 38%, Flop 9%, Turn 95%)
Hero wins 30.82 BB

 

[Dubstep]

http://www.boomplayer.com/en/poker-hands/Boom/10770185_4712BDA877

 

[Jacki Burkhart]

A few notes here.

I don't like the min raise on your button. With antes present you're giving the BB pot odds to call with any 2 cards. So unless you're trapping with or value betting your K hi; you'd like to have some fold equity on your side. As it turns out, he was probably going to call any reasonable preflop raise size, so it didn't really matter in the outcome of this hand, but for your game as a whole it could be a problem.

A strategy I've read about and played around with is to raise a little smaller from early position (2.0-2.25x) and to raise a little bit bigger from mid position (2.25-2.5x) and raise even bigger from late position (2.5-3.0x). Notice you're not altering your raise amount based on hand strength, but based on table position so this should not be giving away any free info to observant opponents since everyone already KNOWS your position. This has the added benefit of keeping pots smaller when you're in bad position as well as inducing more action with your stronger hands (early pos) and creating more fold equity with your weakest hands (late position).

What I usually do, though is just raise a standard amount for the entire blind level from every position and that standard amount will vary from table to table but is usually right in the neighborhood of 2.5x

anyways....

OK, he checks to you on the flop and it is perfectly fine and actually optimal (I think) to Cbet.

When you get check raised on this flop though....you have to pretty much figure your middle pair is no good. What is your thought process behind calling his check raise? Unless you are just hoping to suck out, this call on the flop will cost you a lot of money in the long run.

As it turned out you hit one of your 2 outs (K was no good) and doubled up, but I think the call on the flop was undisciplined.

 

[Dubstep]

Yes over the last few weeks ive changed my sb vs bb raise to a 3x because I get no respect there even tho my image is tight and a lot of othertight players where just jamming on me. so now I just 3x so I don't have to play oop and my raise looks a bit more scary. But I don't mind min betting on the button because of position but I might change that up.

 

[Dubstep]

And my thought process I don't know. sometimes when I play poker im not playing my best. I play a lot of tables and a lot of hours so I have to force myself to play through the my c game and tilt and stuff. So I think this is a mistake I would make when im playing my c game. I think Im just stubborn in spots like this where I cant let them bluff me or I might have the best hand. I think when im playing my A game this mistake probly doesn't show up.

 

[Jacki Burkhart]

...So I think this is a mistake I would make when im playing my c game. I think Im just stubborn in spots like this where I cant let them bluff me ...

good self awareness. we can build on that as long as you're open minded and humble!

yes, I'd agree with your self-assessment. When I'm at the table I call that tendency "sticky" and I've noticed in several of the hands you've posted you seem to be quite "sticky" post flop.

that is not necessarily a bad thing, but to compensate you want to be in the pot with stronger hands to begin with, and you'd ideally like to raise a little more preflop. The reason for raising bigger is that if you're playing stronger starting hands, then you're also playing fewer hands. and winning just a few small pots won't keep up with the price of rising blinds. you'll have to win lots of small pots (small ball) or a few medium pots (standard TAG poker), or a couple of big pots (long ball). anything else and you basically blind out too fast.

if you want to continue with the small ball approach (lots of small preflop raises) then you have to learn to not be stubborn in pots. You'll have to let a lot of hands go post flop. You'll have to be able to fold 1 pair type hands on a regular basis without giving it a 2nd thought.

 

[WiZZiM]

opening here depends on the blinds, particularly the BB which we don't have stats for.

Postflop it's hard for him to be fos here, players love to call with Ax type hands so gotta just give him credit here.

Think about it this way, if you missed this flop and he did this, say you have K8 what would you do? he (depending on his preflop range) rarely will have any 7x in his range, so it's either Ax or bluffs, bluffs are not that common so it's most likely an ax type holding.

Try to come up with a way to ask yourself a key question in game. For me here since we have only middle pair that is not likely to dominate him, would i get this in without middle pair (i only beat bluffs). if the answer is no, then i've come to the (hopefully) correct conclusion.

not sure if this will help you, but it helps me to ask these key questions in pressure situations in game.

 

[Rldetheflop]

And my thought process I don't know. sometimes when I play poker im not playing my best. I play a lot of tables and a lot of hours so I have to force myself to play through the my c game and tilt and stuff. So I think this is a mistake I would make when im playing my c game. I think Im just stubborn in spots like this where I cant let them bluff me or I might have the best hand. I think when im playing my A game this mistake probly doesn't show up.

You have to get this thought out of your head. If you dont get bluffed off the best hand sometimes you are calling way too much.

This hand is a perfect example of that theory. There may be some times where villain is bluffing here but overwhelmingly Villain has it here so dump the hand (even though you may have the best hand)