Your views on this...

Firstly this was me standing in for DJ. THF Sunday League game.

No problems here with Blackinks play and I expected him to play back at my raise should he have a part of the flop. Even if Black holds high overs I might half expect him to bet aggressively here. I couldnt put him on as many outs as he did have. Are you calling the 440? How did I play this?- and do I owe DJ an apology for taking this risk so early in the game?

PokerStars Game #9554865458: Tournament #44255750, $5.00+$0.50 Hold'em No Limit - Level I (10/20) - 2007/04/22 - 16:42:08 (ET)
Table '44255750 3' 9-max Seat #3 is the button
Seat 1: stevie.maus (1100 in chips)
Seat 2: rw11687 (3540 in chips)
Seat 3: gobluejrm (820 in chips)
Seat 4: J0NAH (1420 in chips) is sitting out
Seat 5: Blackinks (800 in chips)
Seat 6: DJUCKET (1530 in chips)
Seat 8: dud54 (1170 in chips)
Seat 9: xtra money2 (1620 in chips)
J0NAH: posts small blind 10
Blackinks: posts big blind 20
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to DJUCKET [7h 7c]
DJUCKET: raises 40 to 60
dud54: folds
xtra money2: folds
stevie.maus: folds
rw11687: folds
gobluejrm: folds
J0NAH: folds
Blackinks: calls 40
*** FLOP *** [3s 4d 5d]
Blackinks: bets 100
DJUCKET: raises 200 to 300
Blackinks: raises 440 to 740 and is all-in
DJUCKET: calls 440
*** TURN *** [3s 4d 5d] [Kh]
*** RIVER *** [3s 4d 5d Kh] [Jc]
*** SHOW DOWN ***
Blackinks: shows [Jd 6d] (a pair of Jacks)
DJUCKET: shows [7h 7c] (a pair of Sevens)
Blackinks collected 1610 from pot
DJUCKET said, "n1"
rw11687 said, "nh"
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot 1610 | Rake 0
Board [3s 4d 5d Kh Jc]
Seat 1: stevie.maus folded before Flop (didn't bet)
Seat 2: rw11687 folded before Flop (didn't bet)
Seat 3: gobluejrm (button) folded before Flop (didn't bet)
Seat 4: J0NAH (small blind) folded before Flop
Seat 5: Blackinks (big blind) showed [Jd 6d] and won (1610) with a pair of Jacks
Seat 6: DJUCKET showed [7h 7c] and lost with a pair of Sevens
Seat 8: dud54 folded before Flop (didn't bet)
Seat 9: xtra money2 folded before Flop (didn't bet)

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May/June '07
....Team:7 Black Balls
.... Sunday Lge Team Champs

Nov/Dec '07
....Team: 7Balls
....Sunday Lge Team Champs
....Sunday Lge Individual RunnerUp

Jan/Feb '08
....Sunday Lge Individual RunerUp

June/July '08
....Midweek League
....Winner

Well, you need to look at a couple factors here:

Blackinks play:
-He's the table short stack, only has 800 chips to start the hand. While that is well over the 20 blind mark that we like to stay above, it won't be for long. You generally don't have too many big pots either at 10/20 and 15/30, so looking to go all in here isn't too unreasonable. While he doesn't have a made hand, he has a large number of outs - 8 on the open ended straight draw, 7 on the flush, and 3 for his Jack (while he should be putting you on a pocket pair, he doesn't know how strong...it really is unknown if his J is an out). Still, that leaves him with 15 definite outs, possibly 18. You still count your 7s, because he doesn't know you have 77 obviously. His play post flop was a little loose, especially since your raise was under the gun...but thats my only problem with his play.

Your play:
I'm not quite so sure about your UTG raise with 77...what if someone had reraised you - it pretty much forces you out, and you could actually have the advantage (what if they hold AK or something similar). Anyways, as for your post flop play...I'm not sure I would have called the reraise all in by Blackinks...isn't it a possibility that he is holding a monster and was slowplaying? While it's equally likely that he holds something like AK and is making a stand, believing that he has you beat.

In reality, I can't complain with a call or fold here. You're getting paid 1100:440, 2.5:1 odds. If you are behind right now, you have 6 outs, giving you roughly a 25% chance to come back. While you aren't getting good enough pot odds to make a call in that situation, there's a good enough chance that you are in fact, ahead. In the end, I think you need to put yourself at 50% chance of being ahead right now in order to make the call.

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1st place, March/April 2008 Sunday League

Fault always lies in the same place, my fine babies: with him weak enough to lay blame.

Thanks for the input mars, appreciated.

You make some good points. Yes, there was always the possibility that Blackinks was playing a big hand. All I can say is at the time my feelings didnt tell me so.

Just a little previous to this hand Blackinks had lost chips and to me it seemed he was playing aggressively and wanting to secure his position in the game. So that had a bearing on my decision I guess.

I liked Blackinks play here, some may find his preflop call doubtable but in the circumstances I find it hard to fault his play at all. He's playing fast to get his chip stack in order - he was intending to outplay me post-flop and probably did.

Blackinks was kind enough to contact me about the hand after I posted and gave me some inside informtion on his thinking.

As turns out our reads on each other were pretty good. He put me on pockets and I put him on a straight draw or flush draw (but not both of those as it turned out he had)

I think it was more gut-feeling in the game but I geuss I'd have to be putting him on 2-2,6-6,6-5, or a 6 or 2 with a high card. I think my feelings were more towards an A6s or similar.

For some reason I didnt put Blackinks on a high Ax or high pockets.
I thought he'd play the flop stronger if that was the case.
A set was a possibility too but again I thought he'd play that differently.


My small raise UTG here which you mentioned. Yeah I agree not such a suitable play in most circumstamces.
At THF games I'll sometimes do odd things and this was one of those. I think it can add a little deception to the hand. In many cases I'm wanting to limp here (or in some situations, to raise-standard and represent - not a suitable play here though I thought)

The small raise UTG is a funny one and when other people do that( particularly the players in THF games) it's a tricky one to read at times.
-Are they weak? Are they playing a monster?
I might be holding AJo in middle position or whatever and I'm unsure what to do with it when I face that kind of raise. Anyway, I'm sure you know what I'm saying.

My raise on this occasion was simply to add a little deception to my middle pockets and I just felt here that I'd like to spend the chips to pay for that deception that rather than limping in.
The raise isnt too expensive for me. I'm hoping to hit a set of course but I think I can play an Axx flop fairly strongly after that raise UTG. I think, I can also play a low flop, and straight/flush opportunities with strength or for information.
In the event, I'm not sure what that raise said to the table and possibly it didnt have the desired effect as Blackinks did infact read my hand well and middle pocket pairs were one of the two hands he had in mind.

Anyway, thanks for the input. I agree with much of what you said.
Was just looking for some views on my play. On the whole I think Blackinks played this hand better than I did.

I'd probably make the same call again sometimes but it was an interesting hand and I think I've learned something from it.

I'm beginning to think though that I should of folded to his allin re-raise.

Any other views are welcome too.

__________________
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May/June '07
....Team:7 Black Balls
.... Sunday Lge Team Champs

Nov/Dec '07
....Team: 7Balls
....Sunday Lge Team Champs
....Sunday Lge Individual RunnerUp

Jan/Feb '08
....Sunday Lge Individual RunerUp

June/July '08
....Midweek League
....Winner

No appologies 7, i saw it but i thought you were allin preflop...

You won it so very well done mate