Would you have played this hand a different way?

[Ronaldadio]

Here is a one guys. Did I play it well or would you suggest a different approach. golfnpker had just won a big hand and was starting to play aggressive.

PokerStars Game #6389875221: Tournament #32427989, $20+$2 Hold'em No Limit - Level II (15/30) - 2006/09/23 - 12:10:15 (ET) Table '32427989 1' 9-max Seat #2 is the button Seat 1: ronaldadio (1450 in chips) Seat 2: HunkaHunka (380 in chips) Seat 3: nucleus123 (1430 in chips) Seat 4: Ver2non (1460 in chips) Seat 5: Jacks_Ten (1510 in chips) Seat 6: sleep6now (1325 in chips) Seat 7: GemStar78 (1570 in chips) Seat 8: golfnpker (2975 in chips) Seat 9: MyWorld333 (1400 in chips)
nucleus123: posts small blind 15
Ver2non: posts big blind 30
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to ronaldadio [5h 5c]
Jacks_Ten: folds
sleep6now: folds
GemStar78: folds
golfnpker: calls 30
MyWorld333: folds
ronaldadio: calls 30
HunkaHunka: calls 30
nucleus123: calls 15
Ver2non: checks
*** FLOP *** [6s 3s 2d]
nucleus123: checks
Ver2non: bets 90
golfnpker: calls 90
ronaldadio: raises 150 to 240
HunkaHunka: folds
nucleus123: folds
Ver2non: folds
golfnpker: calls 150
*** TURN *** [6s 3s 2d] [Kc]
golfnpker: checks
ronaldadio: bets 420
golfnpker: calls 420
*** RIVER *** [6s 3s 2d Kc] [Ad]
golfnpker: checks
ronaldadio: checks
*** SHOW DOWN ***
golfnpker: shows [As 4s] (a pair of Aces)
ronaldadio: mucks hand
golfnpker collected 1560 from pot
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot 1560 | Rake 0
Board [6s 3s 2d Kc Ad]
Seat 1: ronaldadio mucked [5h 5c]
Seat 2: HunkaHunka (button) folded on the Flop Seat 3: nucleus123 (small blind) folded on the Flop Seat 4: Ver2non (big blind) folded on the Flop Seat 5: Jacks_Ten folded before Flop (didn't bet) Seat 6: sleep6now folded before Flop (didn't bet) Seat 7: GemStar78 folded before Flop (didn't bet) Seat 8: golfnpker showed [As 4s] and won (1560) with a pair of Aces Seat 9: MyWorld333 folded before Flop (didn't bet)

 

[Stick66]

(Next time, leave the results off until later so you can get some substantial opinions. Anyone can think they're right when they know the results.)

55 in the CO PF with 1 limper? Raise! It would have thinned the herd.

Too many people in the pot to raise the flop 2/3 pot bet & call. Even a lowly 6 would cook you. Since the BB & SB were in for cheap, you've got no clue as to what they have. Right now, you don't even have odds to just call and hope for a 4 or 5. But villian has implied odds to chase the flush.

Take the free card on the turn. Be ready to check-fold the river.

 

[mrsnake3695]

There is a say in holdem when dealing with small pockets, "No set, No bet". Now that is of course very general and does not always apply, you did have a gut shot draw too after all. But with several other players in the pot you can't have any idea where you stand. A flop raise isn't bad as a semi-bluff, but after that I wouldn't want to lose a significant amount of chips with a small pocket pair.

Generally when I play small pocket pairs I'm trying to get in cheaply and either flop a set and make lots of money or get out.

 

[t1riel]

I like the raise on the flop. It certainly cleared the field a bit. I would have folded on the turn though.

 

[Dorkus Malorkus]

mrsnake is pretty much right.

Folding preflop is pretty weak considering you're likely to get away with the pot being unraised preflop and have limpers in front of you.

Raising preflop in early tournament stages at what appears to be a loose/passive table (ok so I'm only basing this view on the hand you posted and the fact it's a $20) is spewy. You raise to either get money in with the best hand (i.e. for value), or to get people to fold (either as a steal attempt or an attempt to get heads up and eliminate limpers). How likely are you to acheive any of the aforementioned aims here? There is little to steal, there is little chance of everyone folding, and you may marginally have the best hand but the chances of you knowing with any degree of certainty if you have the best hand postflop are slim.

So limping is fine. I check/fold the flop here simply because there are so many other people in with such high ranges of possible holdings as the pot had not been raised preflop. If the blinds were a lot bigger and the pot was more shorthanded, there would be more logic in a raise on the flop, but as it stands in your example I think check/folding is by far the most sensible option. The raise wasn't terrible (it was certainly better than a call), but it wasn't the best option. It's early stages, conserve your chips for now and look for better spots to get your money in.

 

[Stick66]

I like the raise on the flop. It certainly cleared the field a bit. I would have folded on the turn though.

Are you seeing the hand correctly? You want to fold the turn when there's a check in front of him? Better look again.

 

[t1riel]

Are you seeing the hand correctly? You want to fold the turn when there's a check in front of him? Better look again.

Good Point.