$7 NLHE STT: $7 NLHE STT 9 man - heads up force V mistakes!

[Transitley]

Hello All,

I'm posting this for analysis as it took a few twists and turns and I don't want to be results orientated - for once, I thought I played it quite well but interested in thoughts on the hand as well as my analysis. The consideration for me was, was my analysis 'sound' and if it was then was my action correct? I like to think i would have posted this even if the result was different.


First poker for a month and was on a heater throughout so want to calibrate my rose tinted glasses

CardsChat Poker Hands Converter

V is playing passively but no HUD stats.

Pre-flop: Quite early in the heads up match so planning to be aggressive initially to see how he responds and adjust from there. As he calls, I took 99+, AT+ out of his range as would expect a reraise (on reflection may have been the opposite ie more likely to raise 99-, and slowplay JJ+, hard to say)

Post-flop: Based on above and 1/3rd pot bet, I'd stopped thinking about range (oops) I put him on a flush draw, trying to control the amount to see the turn. I felt like he'd have bet more to protect overpairs and Jx. So I decide to raise - felt it was enough at the time but maybe not. Wanted him to make a mistake and if he was on the flush draw he did, that said - (1) should I have bet more? At the time, didn't want to scare him off and it worked..

Retrospectively, looking at his range, I put it at basically Jx, overpairs and flush draws.

Turn: If my read was right then he's made his flush, the check convinced me even more. Some of his overpairs he may have wanted to protect against the flush & straight draws.
So check behind and I think I would have just about given up on the river (hopefully) if he had bet big. I had a high spade in my hand so felt I had some equity to gain from a free river.

River: Well, played itself really.

 

[Sidetracked]

NH.

Obviously you got lucky on the flop, he got lucky on the turn, and then you got lucky on the river.

I *think* the chips would have gone in on the flop if you'd raised.

 

[fundiver199]

Preflop
Not exactly a premium hand, but heads-up we should open anything but the worst 10-15% of hands with this stack size.

Flop
We flop two pair, and he lead (donk bet) into us. Great situation and a clear raise for value, which you did.

Turn
Flush comes in, and I think, its fine to check back. Its not, that he always have a flush, or that we should be super scared of it. Its more, that its a scare card to all the hands, we are trying to get paid by, so its probably difficult to get 4 streets of value now with our hand. So its a check for pot control, and to avoid getting check-raised, which would be terrible. We also have Js, so even if another spade comes on river, its not the end of the world.

River
Easy jam for value.

Conclusion
Well played hand and nice to put a fast end to a heads-up match this way. Obviously also a very lucky runout for you and equally unlucky for the opponent. The title indicate, you think, he made mistakes in the hand, but I dont agree with that. He played his hand absolutely fine, and it was just a big cooler, where you ended up being on the good side of it.

 

[Transitley]

Thanks for the response.

I was struggling of how to title this, the ‘make V make mistake’ was focussed at the mathematical level such that if the V is not getting the right odds to call at each stage then he has made a mistake with the hand he actually has and in this case I was right. Ties a bit into Slansky’s (think it was him?!?) theory
that if u deviate from how you would have played your hand if everyone’s cards were face up then it is varying levels of mistake.

EF pre-flop: If face up I made a mistake by raising against a better hand, he made a mistake by not reraising.
Flop: He made a mistake leading into 2 pair then calling reraise
Turn: He made a mistake by checking
River: He made a mistake by betting then stacking off

With that logic, I was after verification of my decisions and your analysis is exactly that and particularly appreciate the ‘turn’ decision thinking which is a learning for me

I appreciate the ha da we’re not face up and as played the V’s play was logical based on implied odds although as it was so transparent I don’t think those implied odds are there. Would have been a tough river decision but stack sizes may have forced a call (although I said I was prepared to fold 😁)

 

[fundiver199]

As for the opponents line leading the flop might be a little unconventional, but I dont think, its decidedly bad, and I certainly dont think, its face up, that he would only lead with a flushdraw. He could lead with lots of other hands here like a straightdraw, top pair, a set, or even pure air.

Typically the reason why, we check our entire range to the preflop aggressor, is, that he has a range and nut advantage. But that does not really apply in heads-up, since you are probably opening like 90% of hands, and he is also defending nearly as much. Maybe you can argue, that he cant have JJ+, because he would have 3-bet, but both players ranges are very wide, and then it cant be that bad to lead.

Also even if he had taken a more conventional line and check-called or check-raised, the result would have ended up being the same. He is not supposed to fold a flushdraw on the flop heads-up, or fold a flush on the river, and you are not supposed to fold two pair on the turn. And this is why, at the end of the day this hand is just a cooler. Everyone goes broke, when they run a K high flush into a boat in heads-up poker with 45BB effective stack, and if they dont, they are giving up value elsewhere.

 

[Transitley]

As for the opponents line leading the flop might be a little unconventional, but I dont think, its decidedly bad, and I certainly dont think, its face up, that he would only lead with a flushdraw. He could lead with lots of other hands here like a straightdraw, top pair, a set, or even pure air.

Typically the reason why, we check our entire range to the preflop aggressor, is, that he has a range and nut advantage. But that does not really apply in heads-up, since you are probably opening like 90% of hands, and he is also defending nearly as much. Maybe you can argue, that he cant have JJ+, because he would have 3-bet, but both players ranges are very wide, and then it cant be that bad to lead.

Also even if he had taken a more conventional line and check-called or check-raised, the result would have ended up being the same. He is not supposed to fold a flushdraw on the flop heads-up, or fold a flush on the river, and you are not supposed to fold two pair on the turn. And this is why, at the end of the day this hand is just a cooler. Everyone goes broke, when they run a K high flush into a boat in heads-up poker with 45BB effective stack, and if they dont, they are giving up value elsewhere.

Great analysis 👍 I think my learning is that I’m definitely too passive at the moment so may have folded at some of the critical decision points, playing a bit scared. I need to not worry so much about the top of their range!