Tough situation (made a mistake with the last post, sorry!)?

Question

Me: KQ offsuit, next to villain
Villain: UTG

Villain limps in from UTG. I'm desperately low on chips and near the bubble so I call. Thankfully, we get about 5 calls afterwards and no bets. Flop comes down nicely:

Kh Jd 7h

Villain puts in one BB bet (about $120 at this point) I raise it to $360. Everyone folds around to the villain who calls.

Turn: Kd

Villain checks. At this point I'm thinking maybe a KJ slowplay, but more likely K-trash. AK is ruled out because he only limped in from UTG, so let's find out if he has KJ. I raise to $480 this time and again I get called. Both villain and I are down to about $900 chips and the pot is about $2000.

River: 2c

No flush draw and and the only hands I can imagine being in this hand that have me beat are KJ or 77 (JJ and AK would have raised from UTG, I figure), so when I'm pushed all in, I take my chances and call to see...

22.

The question: Where did I mess up?

Read it carefully, that's what I edited: Not KJ, KQ.

I don't remember exactly but yes, we both had approximately $2000 in chips and the blinds were at 60/120 or thereabouts.

Answer 1

Simple answer: you didn't mess up.

Your opponent paid very good money to draw to his two outs. He got lucky and hit... and as we all know hits happen.

Your bet on the flop seemed to be of the proper size and from such a position as to prevent flush or straight callers. That bet coupled with your considerable bet on the turn had to broadcast exactly where you were at.

Had you been playing against someone with any skills whatsoever (which, given the way he played that hand, it's safe to assume he was not), though, you might have folded. That opponent would have known you had a king, therefore his all-in couldn't be a bluff as he couldn't possibly expect you to lay it down. So that leaves the interesting dilemma of what exactly he could be holding that could beat your trips.

No decent player would play K7 or K2 UTG or have gone to the river with 22. AK and JJ would probably have raised pre-flop. Someone holding 77 would likely check-raise the turn increasing the likelihood of you calling (since, with a card to come, you might still have outs in case you suspect you're currently beat). That leaves just KJ, which is what I'd have put him on from that position and given the play.

Still you can't really fold since many players in your spot would play AJ the same way you played your king. Some might even play a flush draw, in particular if holding the Jh, the same as you played your king. So, if your opponent suspects you're overplaying your hand, he's now more inclined to push all in with K-9, K-10, or even AJ (hoping to drive you out and avoid the split).

Bottom line here is probably whether you feel beat. If so, fold, and live to die another day (hopefully in the money). If not, or if you're playing to win rather than simply finish in the money -- and feel it's necessary to win that $2K pot to have any shot at 1st -- call.

Answer 2

I can see why you called preflop instead of not raisng so thats fine.

The flop is a little mediocre because you can only beat AJ, K10, or a flush draw. Now the pot is 840. Someone bets 1/8 the pot or 120. Okay villian is first to act and has 7 people left to act after him. Why would he bet so little? Maybe he is just being a fish and trying to buy the pot wiht as little as possible with like 88, K4, J10. He may also being betting to make the pot bigger if he has a set. You raise it to 360. Unfortuanetly it really doesnt do much because villian is still get a great price. the pot has 960 if im correct so reraise to at least 600-900.


On the turn is a great card. Theres now a lot smaller chance that someone else has the other king, but if villian really was a set and was trying to build the pot you are in big big trouble. As played, the pot is now 1560. You bet 480 or 1/4 the pot and if he calls he will only have around 480 left. Again this bet of 480 doesnt do much because even if he had K3 he would still have to go allin considering the pot is already twice his stack.

On the river he is either bluffing you with a busted flush draw (which is incredibly stupid considering all the fullboats out there) has pocket 7's or has a low king, or KJ. I would never put him on 22. Considering the type of player he is (a complete complete fish and cold caller) I would have to call. If i was up against a solid player i would still call because you would only have to call 480 to win like 2000 or something. If the stacks were somewhat deeper and villian didnt bluff with draws AND i wasnt on tilt it would be a clear fold.

In a lot of threads, you are usually up against some fish that do some incredibly stupid stupid things. You dont really learn from playing these fish. Instead start playing cash games at .25/.50. Players are definitly a lot better and you will learn more. I think one of the reason your bet ratio to the pot ratio is so small is because stacks arent big enough, In a cash game you can always reload and have at least 100x the bb. Btw if you do follow my advice (try it like for a week plz) you need at least 500 dollars and preferably a thousand dollar bankroll.

Answer 3

You misplayed the hand a little, but against that Doofus, I'm not sure it would've made a difference.

You both started with about $1800-1900, right? ($120 preflop, $360 post-flop, $480 post-turn and about $900 post-river.) And I assume you're both near the short stack (desperately low on chips.)

Post flop, you had top pair, Q-kicker, and a pot of around 900-1000. I would've raised more here (in fact, I would've made my stand here and gone all-in, pot's big enough to win right now!), but since you were obviously willing to let this hand go if you got reraised, $360 was a very nice bet to find out where you stood.

Post turn, the pot's up to $1500+, he checks, and you're looking at 2 different flush draws and a straight draw. You HAVE to go all-in now. There's no way you fold if he raises you all-in, so take the initiative and don't give him any reason to stay.

Bet the remaining $1,400(ish) instead of $480.

Of course, that moron probably would've called anyway, and then got his boat, but that was your best bet.

Answer 4

I assume by the term Next to the Villain who is UTG you are on his left? Also I think by the numbers you listed the blinds are 60/120 and you have about $1400 in chips.

The only other way you could have played that hand was to go all in after the flop. That does not guarantee a win because I think he had it is his head he was going to make a stand no matter the bets made since he was on a short stack as well.

Simply put your opponent got lucky on the river and won the hand even due to his poor play. .

Answer 5

It looks like you were about equal in chips at the start of the hand.

In my opinion, Villain made a big mistake calling with 22 UTG. And then he made another mistake calling a raise with two big overcards on the board. Then he made an even bigger mistake calling with a pair of Kings on the board.

After the turn, he was a 95% underdog. Anybody with a brain would have known he was beaten and would have folded.

You can't blame yourself for this one.

Answer 6

From what I could read from your post you should have won the hand. Follow me:

1. You have KQ in the hole.
2. The flop shows : Kh Jd 7h. At this point you have 2 pair. There is a straight and flush draw on the board. Villian puts out a feeler bet. You re-raise and he calls.
3. The turn shows up a Turn: Kd. You have a set.
4. The river shows:2c. He is holding ducks in the hole and has a full house.
5. Pre-flop, flop, turn his betting didn't reveal he had a better hand than you. He was calling hoping to suck out which he did.

After further review you were up against a maniac. He sucked out on the river. By all means he should have folded but didn't have enough sense to know when to quit.

Probably what you should have done was to go "all in" on the Turn. At that point he might have folded, but then again maniacs don't know when to quit. Just my 2 cents.

There is a real good article on 10 Costly Texas Holdem Mistakes that should be read, especially on "suck outs." "Suck outs" are not fun, but they happen! Learning to anticipate will help you to become a better poker player.

Answer 7

WOW Judas - I would try to give you advice about how you could have played this hand different - I'm not sure you played it all that badly.

If this would happen to me - I would punch the guy in the nose and quit poker for a couple weeks. It also would be the wrong week to quick drinkin and smokin. I dont tilt often but I know when I'm on tilt when my opponent turns up his hole cards and I say one of two things "You cant be serious? OMG" or "You are on fricken crack dude, I cant believe you made those calls"

Answer 8

you played this hand fine, you just got insanely unlucky against a really bad player...you limp the K-Q which is ok with your chip stack, then you raise with top pair expecting to have the best hand, bet strong when you hit trips, shove in on the end hoping to be called by a worse hand, and lose to a two-outer...nothing wrong with it i don't think

Answer 9

tough situation mistake post