Poker - Analyse my play

[ScottyB 2,086]

I thought it would be a good idea for us to post our plays and for us to analyse it and give feedback which should help us all improve over the long run. 

 

If you want, add a backstory of how the opposition has been betting so we can see the bigger picture. 

 

Please quote the persons play you're commenting on so they know they've received feedback and know which play you're taking about. 

 

 

What do you guys make of this play??

 

 

(Edit: it might be worth putting a poker subforum on the site as I do have a few other topics to talk about and I'm sure other would as well)

Edited July 19, 2017 by ScottyB

[pete_95973 4,383]

This analysis comes with knowing nothing about the villain (your opponent in the hand).  When we post hands like this lets give a summary of how the villains were playing if we can to give us a bit more info.

I like the raise preflop but I don't like the sizing. I always favor a 3X or 3.5X (times the size of big blind) size preflop raise.  Doesn't mean that he would have folded, but by betting more you are giving him a worse price on his hands.  Sometimes it is easier to narrow a players potential hand range too when you bet a little more.  By only raising the minumum you are giving him 3.5 to 1 odds on his call.  In that situation he is getting a good price, which you don't necessarily want.  Giving him that good price widens his range which makes it tougher for you to put him on  a hand or range of hands.   A min riase gives the player good odds and requires much more skill and hand reading after the flop on your part.

I like the bet on the flop and the size was probably ok to see where you are at and charge his weaker hands.

I probably would have bet the turn although I don't hate the check:

Reasons for a bet on the turn: Yes there is a Queen on board but in a heads up situation in a three handed game the range of hands people play expands and there are still many non Queen hands that you can beat.  I would like to bet the turn to get more value out of the hands I am beating and also by keeping the betting lead on the turn and in position, it means it is more likely he will check the river which means you can always check back safely and show the hand down if you don't like the river or suspect you are beat. 

Reasons for a check on the turn: Two reasons I do like to check hands like this on the turn from time to time is Pot Control and Disguising Hand Strength.  By checking you are keeping the pot small and not pot committing yourself or the villain.  Because when it comes down to it, though I like your hand, you still only have one pair.  You can afford to maybe call a bet and keep from getting bluffed off the river because you kept the pot smaller and therefore (usually) his bet smaller.  Another reason checking here is not a terrible play is because it can often induce a bluff from a weak hand.  Bad poker players believe in the cliche that checking always means weakness.  By checking the turn you will get a lot of Ace highs, missed flush draws, and missed straight draws to bet into you.  You might also get a hand like 55 or A3 to bet into you.  They do this because when you check the turn you are weak in their mind but ultimately your hand is not that weak.  If you check the turn you almost always have to be prepared to call the river (unless a particularly scary card hits maybe).  I have made a lot money playing poker in real life by checking turns like this and calling bets on rivers with guys who have nothing.  It almost always follows with "I thought you were drawing," or I thought you didn't have anything."  From time to time they will hit that river and bet and beat you, but that is just part of the game.  Again, this is often so dependent on your opponent and how they are playing as well.

Based on the way you played the flop and the turn I like betting the river.  The only realistic draw that got there was 54.  If he has a 7 he will pay you off every single time.  If he has 88 he will pay you off, if he has 55 he might pay you off.  If he has A3 of clubs he might pay you. Because you checked the turn I feel a bet is in order on the river.  HOWEVER, when he makes the check raise on the river I think you probably should have laid it down.  He didn't have that much more money, but still it is hard to imagine a check raise on the river you can beat here.  I mean if he is a habitual bluffer, then maybe.  Again, I don't know how he was playing before this.  So that could have influenced your thinking.

Overall I don't think you played the hand bad.  The only significant mistake I think you made was calling the check raise on the river. I also would have preferred a slightly larger preflop raise.  That wouldn't have likely made him fold, but on the hands you play in the long run you want to charge these donkeys a price for playing with your premium hands.  I think it is not a huge difference but I also would have bet the turn with a plan to have it go check check on the river.  But who knows, he may have check raised if you bet the turn.   You just got an unlucky turn.  Overall not a poorly played hand IMO.

[ScottyB 2,086]

Wow, so much information! Thanks so much for that @pete_95973. In hindsight, I came to the conclusion that I should have picked up on his final bet and folded but I had already made the decision that I'd had him beat without taking that bet into consideration. I hadn't even considered the other tips which is something I'll be keeping in mind in the future.

The villain was playing very loosely, bluffed and bullied a lot. This should have alerted me that it's very possible he had a rubbish hand and could have had the 6, but I was convinced that even he wouldn't have called the preflop with that hand. After the flop, at best, I assumed he had a low pair and that I'd have him beat especially since he checked on the turn.

My bet on the flop was to insinuate that I was either going for a straight or flush draw (which is why I checked on the turn since it missed). Because he didn't bet when he hit trips, he threw me off which is why I never considered he had the 6.

If I had of raised higher on the preflop, It's likely he would have folded. I have no idea why he called on the flop as he had the lowest pair, so I guess this risk paid off this time but he was very lucky.

 

I'm at the stage now where I'm learning all of the more technical stuff like pot odds and just need to put it all to practice. The hard thing that I've noticed is that most people (on prominence poker and especially the lower the rankings) don't take any of this into consideration (like the example above haha) so it can be difficult to get a read on what to do.

 

Thanks again for your advice on this. As you said, there were several other things I should have done which may have resulted in a different outcome and at least these are some more things to take into consideration when playing to help improve.

[Braldy 335]

http://wwos.nine.com.au/2017/07/22/09/13/amateur-decimated-mammoth-hand-10-million-dollars-world-series-poker

[pete_95973 4,383]

On 7/21/2017 at 6:06 PM, Braldy said:

http://wwos.nine.com.au/2017/07/22/09/13/amateur-decimated-mammoth-hand-10-million-dollars-world-series-poker

I was watching this live on ESPN when it happened.  Crazy!