did i play it smart or scared

[StarlightCoast 0]

Texas Hold'em $0.50-$1 (real money), hand #607,954,222 Table San Fabian, 29 Jan 2005 02:05 AM Seat 2: bartzz ($94.40 in chips) Seat 3: Jayseki ($10 in chips) Seat 4: Fiasco ($99.25 in chips) Seat 5: Madragan X ($59.85 in chips) Seat 6: yimanya ($29.50 in chips) Seat 7: StarlightCst [QH,JH] ($19.65 in chips) Seat 9: JohnnyStyles ($55.35 in chips) Seat 10: echinacea100 ($38.30 in chips) ANTES/BLINDS echinacea100 posts blind ($0.25), bartzz posts blind ($0.50). PRE-FLOP Jayseki folds, Fiasco folds, Madragan X calls $0.50, yimanya folds, StarlightCst calls $0.50, JohnnyStyles calls $0.50, echinacea100 calls $0.25, bartzz bets $0.50, Madragan X calls $0.50, StarlightCst calls $0.50, JohnnyStyles calls $0.50, echinacea100 folds. FLOP [board cards JD,QD,2D ] bartzz bets $0.50, Madragan X calls $0.50, StarlightCst bets $1, JohnnyStyles folds, bartzz bets $1, Madragan X folds, StarlightCst calls $0.50. 3 diamonds on the flop. I raise and he reraises. I hold 2 pair,but the obvious flush draw staring me in the face. I already figure another diamond and I'm a dead man, but do you cap this or not? TURN [board cards JD,QD,2D,4C ] bartzz bets $1, StarlightCst calls $1. RIVER [board cards JD,QD,2D,4C,5H ] bartzz bets $1, StarlightCst calls $1. fourth diamond never fell, but the preflop raiser could have the flush since the flop. Do you call out or raise it since no overcards have hit? SHOWDOWN bartzz shows [ AD,AC ] StarlightCst shows [ QH,JH ] StarlightCst wins $11.40. SUMMARY Dealer: JohnnyStyles Pot: $12, (including rake: $0.60) bartzz, loses $4.50 Jayseki, loses $0 Fiasco, loses $0 Madragan X, loses $1.50 yimanya, loses $0 StarlightCst, bets $4.50, collects $11.40, net $6.90 JohnnyStyles, loses $1 echinacea100, loses $0.50

[Nacho 0]

Well, as I understand you thinking that you have top 2 pair, his raising basically yelled pocket pair, so aside from your diamond fears, you also had to be nervous about almost any card in the deck that would have given him the set...But hey, you won, so it doesnt matter now

[A3DDFAN 0]

not always a bad thing to show caution. some times laying down a "monster" is the right play. 8)

[CaptDrew 0]

There's a number of clues as to what he could have had in his hand. Because of his stack relative to the rest of the table, I'm going to assume that he is a decent player (dare I say solid?). That said, he's raising in the big blind. Did you have an idea as to the type of player bartzz was? I would venture to say that he was playing standard poker with little multi-dimensional thought. Simply put, he's not trying to fake anyone out by raising in the big blind. This is .50/1 after all. So that puts him on just a few possible hands: AA, KK, AKs, AKo, QQ, and maybe, just maybe JJ. You hold Q J , so the probability that he has QQ or JJ is remote. So that narrows it down to four likely hands, the scariest for you would be A K . We would need to find out where he really stands.But how?The good news is you had position. That will affect his betting. Bet as you did to the turn. On the turn, if no diamond fell, raise his bet. If he re-raises, call. He could have the flush already - most likely A K . Even if he doesn't, though, there is a good chance he has a diamond in his hand. Which brings us to the river. If no diamond falls, and he doesn't have the flush, he will probably check. If you know he is the type of player that will check-raise on the river with the best hand, then check right along with him. Otherwise, bet out. He's most likely got AA, KK, AKo with a flush draw. If he bets, call for pot odds. Some other things to think about here. You have to be aware of your table image. When reading an opponent, I think it's important to put yourself in their shoes. Something like: If I were a solid player in his position, what would I do if I were looking at me? What's does he think of me as player? I think, too, that if he concerned you or you didn't have a good read on the type of player he was, then you played it right. Sometimes a saved bet is a made bet. However, a general read such as maniac, solid, passive, etc., will help you make decisions that get you or save you extra money. Now if he were a maniac, forget everything you just read. If anyone wants to debunc my analysis, feel free. It will do us all some good. Just be sure to support your claim... don't flame. DN? Advice?Hope this helps.-CaptDrew

[Shaffer 0]

I would say you played it smart. Facing nothing but aggression throughout that whole hand even if you're up against a supertight player I think you need to be respectful of the possibility that you might be up against A:diamond:K:diamond:. Now, at a low limit B&M casino this might be a prime opportunity to pick up a tell, i.e. if he checks his cards or seems tense at the suited flop, you can be pretty sure he didn't flop the nut flush and can play as aggressive as you want until another diamond hits. But online, I probably play this exactly as you did.

[Wilderness 0]

I'd agree with what CaptDrew said, I think you should have re-raised on the turn after the blank fell. Yes, he might have made his flush, but I think its more probable that he holds a high pair or AKo with the A :diamond:Once the river comes, as Drew mentioned, he may check because of your re-raise, and then you'd check/bet depending on your feel for him as a player. I think the right move is to bet/re-raise on the river when that 4th diamond didn't fall.But I don't think you played it poorly, because its a tough board and not an easy situation, but I do think the above situations are the optimal play.