Starting to play right... I think?

DietChips

So, after posting a few terrible hands and taking on the advice I think I've began to make some improvements. Here's one of my recent hands...

PlayerActionCardsAmountPotBalanceStefanos64Small blind £0.02£0.02£3.9214hazza14Big blind £0.04£0.06£3.86DietChipsBig blind £0.04£0.10£2.36 Your hole cardsQQ   potty116Fold    DietChipsRaise £0.16£0.26£2.20scarterCall £0.20£0.46£2.73Stefanos64Fold    14hazza14Fold    Flop  699   DietChipsBet £0.30£0.76£1.90scarterCall £0.30£1.06£2.43Turn  8   DietChipsCheck    scarterCheck    River  10   DietChipsBet £0.80£1.86£1.10scarterRaise £1.60£3.46£0.83DietChipsAll-in £1.10£4.56£0.00scarterCall £0.30£4.86£0.53DietChipsShowQQ   scarterShowJJ   DietChipsWinFlush to the Queen£4.49
Did I play it right or could I have done something differently?

grantorino

reads?

buy in full, dont post extra bb

I'd prefer more on flop but its ok

bet turn usually

river either b/f or c/c readless

DietChips

Why bet/fold or check/check on the river and why bet on the turn? I checked on the turn to see if he had or was going for a straight and to see if a club would come up if her were to check back. The check back made me certain he didn't have a set of 9s and I was probably the strongest with my QQ. When the club came out, there was no chance of me folding.

Also, the reason I only raised pre-flop to 4BB was that was the most people at the table seemed to call if they weren't limping in and calling the BB.

KAM99

Same as others have said. Bet more on flop, as never betting sub 50% pot with that hand. Check I guess is ok on turn for pot control, but with a club in my hand I'm betting turn as well. Club on river likely C/C as the board is paired and we are only holding 3rd best flush.

As, was also said. Short stacking cash games can be viable tactics to make money, but buying in full is generally better as you can maximise the value of your good hands when you get them. To be honest though, posting a hand to say you're getting to grips with it is easy when you got QQ and no bigger card on the board. Still, always good to post hands for feedback. Day we think we know it all is normally the day start losing every session you sit down at. hehe

grantorino

bet turn for value

river you have 3rd nut flush on a paired 4flush board. Its not that strong a hand

DietChips

Well you have to have a good hand to win Kam

And the 3rd nut flush business, I felt almost certain he didn't have anything big like a K or A. Even if he did I would have been happy to accept defeat You have to take the risk!

KAM99

In Response to Re: Starting to play right... I think?:

Well you have to have a good hand to win Kam And the 3rd nut flush business, I felt almost certain he didn't have anything big like a K or A. Even if he did I would have been happy to accept defeat You have to take the risk!
Posted by DietChips

Not quite true. You can and should win a hand holding nothing but a pair of beer mats instead of cards. Its been done where players have won mini tournaments without looking at their cards (dont' recomend it though). Sure, this isn't so much the case at micros due to them having no ability to fold. Much like your friend with JJ that decides its smart play to min reraise the river on a four flush paired board with no club in his hand.

And yes, you do have to take risks sometimes at the poker table. And yes, maybe at this level 3rd nut flush maybe strong, but as you move up its less likely to be if someone is still in the hand with you at this stage. Example being if I held AK I would definately float your Cbet on flop as AK could well be good still there on that board and your Cbet is not exactly discouraging to me that you have a made hand. Which is also why your bet is not great, as you could easy see a king or ace on turn. On turn if Im holding Ace or king of clubs I'm definately likely to call reasonable turn  bet (you made none and gave me free card) as my AK could still be good, I could improve to Ace or King or hit the flush.

This is why i say that C/C is likely a better option. You are not likely to get called on the river by to much of a worse hand than you are holding, and if reraised left with a sick feeling that you are dead to a better flush or FH. Plus checking the river gives someone holding not much a chance to bluff at it, and something I commonly like to do with a fairly strong or even marginal hand. IE if I felt they were drawing and missed then checking to them like I was barreling two streets gives them a chance to bluff their missed draw when they are folding to a river bet from me.

DietChips

Okay, now that has just mashed my inexperienced head ahahh! 

It may not be the right thing to do on higher staked tables but from how people had been playing I thought it would be the right move. I guess it was quite likely that they would beat me with a stronger flush and the lucky outcome just lead me to believe I did the right thing.

Dudeskin8

Raise more pre.

Bet more on flop.

Bet turn.

River probably bet fold as can't see him minraising often without A/K clubs.

KAM99

In Response to Re: Starting to play right... I think?:

Okay, now that has just mashed my inexperienced head ahahh!  It may not be the right thing to do on higher staked tables but from how people had been playing I thought it would be the right move. I guess it was quite likely that they would beat me with a stronger flush and the lucky outcome just lead me to believe I did the right thing.
Posted by DietChips

Thats kind of the point everyones making with the betting advice. Its only a lucky outcome if you let them get there so cheaply. Yes, in this case he had nothing and was a crazy place to bluff for so little, but in the larger picture it's better to bet. Did you put him on a hand at all? If so, what?

DietChips

Up until the river I had him on an average pocket pair a little weary of the 9s. The raise on the river just came across as being desperate for me to fold though, so I took the risk.