07-28-05, LearnTexasHoldem:

Board Paired Flops

Question: I played a hand today in a $0.50/$1 game, in which I got a free look at the flop out of the big blind with a hand of 24o. I think the small blind and two others were in. The flop was Q4Q, the small blind checked and I bet, thinking there was a decent chance I had the best hand at that point, and figuring that if someone had a queen they might raise.

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One guy called, and the turn was another 4, giving me a full house.  I bet, and now he raised!  Leaving me in the difficult situation of wondering whether he had a queen, the other four, or was trying to out-bluff me.  I ended up having to pay two more bets to see that he did indeed have a queen.  I'm sure I played this hand wrong, but I can't figure out what the best play was. 

I think the bet on the flop was justified, but then should I have checked and called the turn and river and paid 2 big bets rather than 3 to showdown, or would I have been better to respect the information I was getting from his raise on my turn bet, and fold?  Clearly in this case, the latter course would have been preferable, but in general terms I'm really not too sure.  Any suggestions?

Richie

Answer: Hands like this when the board is paired are very difficult to play. I try to avoid them when possible. My first consideration on playing the hand is how many players are in the hand with me. If there are only two players in the hand, your chances are a lot better than if you have 7 players in. The other two considerations are the strength of my hand and my position relative to the opponents.

For example, if I have a hand like AA, I will be much more likely to pay someone off if the board is paired than if I have JJ and the flop is KKQ or 24 and the flop is QQ4. The AA can't beat trips, but it can beat anything else. Next, how I play the hand depends on my position too. Late position has the advantage of being able to save some money. Let's say I have the AA this time and the flop comes back J-J-6. The two opponents check to me and I bet. Now one of them calls and one of them folds.

Given the opponent's previous play, I'm fairly sure he has a Jack. What I might do is give him a hollow turn, by checking in back of him after he checks and then just calling the river bet. This saves me from getting checkraised on the turn and paying two more big bets. This might seem like wimpy poker, but not all great moves are aggressive. Sometimes you need to slow down and just play a hand as cheaply as possible.

You might argue that you should bet the turn and if raised fold, but I don't like that. I think it is better to keep my hand live than paying the same amount and having to fold. Also, look at it from the perspective of the opponent. If the player doesn't have trips, the trips look just as scary to them. By checking the turn you might actually get an extra bet that you wouldn't have otherwise from a weak hand. Now, obviously the stronger your hand the more options you have. We 24 in the above hand, any turn card looks bad besides another 4.

I think the two options you had were to either check and fold the flop or to bet the flop, check and call both the turn and river since you filled up. If the 4 didn't come on the turn, I would just release the hand and wait for a better spot. If he didn't have you beat and you folded, who cares, it isn't as though you had a great hand yourself; you aren't giving up that much. Learn to pick your spots well and you'll do well in poker. Don't be like that cartoon bear that drops an arm's full of fish to grab one more off the beach.

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