[lork]

Hi All,

I'm new here, but was browsing around and your forum looks like a good place for advice. Background on me : played a weekly no limit game for very small stakes for about 3 years, usually play low limit 2/4, 3/6 in casinos only on rare trips to vegas. Ie casual player but looking to take my game to the next level.

So I was playing a .5/1 NLHE pretty basic hand last night and I really don't know what I should have done. I think this may be a beginner question but it is eating at me so advice would be appreciated.

We had about 8 players, I am tight, trapped a few people early with check raises but after a while most of the table pegs me as a tight/conservative player. I have about $60 before this hand, player on button has $100. Pre-flop betting : first to bet folds, person in second raises to $3, which does't do much as the whole table was calling $3 pre-flop raises often. A caller in front of me, action comes to me in middle position, I call with King Spade Jack Hearts , and three callers behind me including BB. Pot has about $20. Flop comes out Queen Clubs Jack Spade Three (trey) Diamonds . First player checks to me, I bet $10, cause I like the jacks and think that many people will fold due to my previous play. Person behind me folds, button calls, BB folds, second pos folds. Just me and the button, who has position on me. He is a decent player, and with the loose pre-flop calling I can't really put him on much. I think there is a chance he has KQ or Qsmall, but could be drawing on A-x or sutied conectors. Turn comes blank, likeFive Hearts , action to me. I want to figure out where I stand so I bet again, another $10 into the $40 pot. In retrospect this was a bad bet -too small to get info - and the button calls. I did this at the time cause I only had like $40 left at this point and didn't want to be pot commited with second best pair. Pot is around $60. River comes another blank likeSeven Spade .


Now I still think there is a change I have the best hand, with Jacks, so I bet another $10. (I know small bet but at this point I didn't want to have to go all in if I had any sort of read that my opponent had me beat). Opponnent raises me all in.

I thought for a while about what to do - does he have the Q or not? I just folded after thinking I was too much in the dark. Its just that at the turn or river, I would have had to be pot commited to pay enough to see if I had the best hand. And people were scared of my $10 cause of how I was playing earlier...

Advice?

[arcfinn]

I think I would have either check/folded the flop, or bet more. The problem with your 1/2 pot bet is that if he’s holding KT, AT, or T9, you are giving him good pot odds to chase the straight. So you still have no idea where you are at. If you would have bet $15.00 into that pot... you could have more likely known that you were beat if he called and check/folded the turn, saving yourself $15.00 and not having as tough of a decision.

[DeepBlue]

I'm with arcfinn on this one - I personally wouldn't like to be in on that hand, and your low bet is giving him reason to suspect that you haven't got the strongest of hands, so he may look to extract as much as he can from you into the pot, and with the chances of a straight on the cards, so to speak, I wouldn't like to be in that hand following the flop.

[BigAl]

Hmm... you're a bit short on that hand unless something comes up on the flop and if your concerns are true then I would probably get out of that hand beofre investing too much in a dead hand.