sometimes I get lucky, too

Playing in a 10/20 game with a 1/2 kill, a middle position player opened the pot with a raise. It was a kill hand, so the action was 15/30.
The player who posted the kill folded, the small blind called, and I looked down to pocket 3s.
I don't love taking small pairs against an open raiser, especially short-handed. I also had only been playing with the raiser for about an hour, so didn't have a great read on his play. I knew he was pretty tight and a fairly solid player.
It might have been a bad play, but since my call would close the action, and since I was 'getting a discount,' I decided to see the flop, and called the extra $20 (my big blind was $10, but since this was a 'kill hand' the pre-flop raise made it $30 to go). The pot was laying me $75 to $20, and I had a feeling the raiser was on AK -- unless an Ace or a King hit the flop, I'd be in a good position to steal the pot with my little pair.

The flop came J, T, 8, rainbow. The small blind checked and I fired. The pre-flop raiser popped it, and the small blind called the two bets cold.

All of a sudden, I hated my pre-flop call, hated my bet on the flop. But, with $170 in the pot, I was getting pot odds of more than 10 to 1 on calling and seeing the turn. I put the small blind on a 9, sitting with an open straight draw and playing it a little timidly. The raiser could have Ace King, and be raising with overcards and a gut-shot to the nuts, looking to get a free turn if he missed.

I called the $15.

The turn was a wonderful 3. The small blind checked, and before my brain could stop me, my arm bet $30. If I had thought about it, I might have gone for a check-raise. But, since I put the raiser on a possible AK, betting and denying the free card was good, too.

He raised! Uh oh! The small blind mulled and thought, called TIME, and thought some more before folded (he later told me that he did have a 9 for an open-ended straight draw; given that the raiser might have AK, and that I might have flopped the straight, he decided he was drawing too thin to cold-call 2 bets).

Now I revised my thinking: did he flop a set? It was very possible. It would cost me to find out, but given the general loose action in my game, folding a set is not a profitable play, so I called.

The turn was a 4. I checked. He checked behind me! He turned over pocket Queens -- my set of threes was good!

He was shocked at my holding. I was shocked I won the pot, catching a two-outer on the turn with a very scary board. My opponent went on tilt, and the game got better, and everyone started giving me more action, which also helped my bottom line. It turned out to be a very nice session, all because sometimes, I get lucky, too.

argh! some hands are just frustrating - could I have played this better?

In a very loose and aggressive $10/20 game with a half kill, I was in the Big Blind and looked down at pocket Kings.

It was a kill hand, so a late position player had posted the mandatory third blind.

An early position player limped, the next player raised, and three players called the raise, ncluding the "kill poster" and the small blind, and I made it three bets.

We took the flop 6 handed.

The flop came J, 9, 7, rainbow. I fired, three players called and the "kill poster" raised. The small blind cold-called, and I three bet. The pre-flop raiser folded, and the rest of the field called.

The turn was Ace, putting four suits on the board. I fired, everyone called.

River paired the jack, I checked, the player in front of the "kill poster" bet, and everyone folded to me. I called, and he showed K, J, suited in hearts, so he made trips on the river and won the pot.

My questionable moves:

Should I have 3 bet the pot with KK? My thinking was, in such a loose game, I am getting great value, and want to win a big pot. I also want to represent my big hand to discourage chasers. Raises from the blinds often command a little more respect than from other positions. I like the three-bet, though, smooth calling, then making a play on the flop would have been a great option.

Should I have bet the flop or tried to check-raise? Even though I three-bet pre-flop, showing strength, someone would have bet the flop, letting me check-raise. But, with possible straight draws out against me, and hoping a player with a jack would put me on AK and raise, letting me three-bet, I led into the field. Also, I wanted to drive out runner-runner draws, and make it clear that it was going to be expensive for anyone to see the river against me. I think check-raising would have been a great play, as it might have cleared a bit more of the field (though, there were a bunch of fish in the game), but I wanted to build the pot with my KK, so I liked betting, figuring to get raised and be able to re-raise.

Should I have bet the turn when the ace hit? Given my competition, it was likely someone was holding an ace. But, given my pre-flop and flop-betting, it was also possible an observant player would put ME on AA, AK, or KK. If I get raised, bummer. But, checking and giving a free card would be a disaster, given that there are a lot of possible draws.

I think the river call is automatic. Even though I put him on three jacks, I was getting 23 to 1 on my call.

As I tossed this hand around in my mind, I wonder if the winner of the pot played his hand well.

He cold called 2 bets pre-flop with KJs. Given the texture of the game, a common play. He called the raise pre-flop, pretty automatic, given the pot size.

He smooth called the lead-bet with top pair, 2nd kicker on the flop, then smooth called two more bets on the flop (it was raised and re-raised after his initial call).

He called on the turn after a scary overcard hit.

He bet the river when his card paired.

If I was in his shoes: I think his pre-flop play is a little loose, but not horrible. KJs is a strong speculative hand that can flop the nuts or a nut draw.

On the flop: I either play my hand fast or fold: I would raise on the flop to see where I'm at. Since many aggressive players will re-raise from the blinds with any pair from AA - 99, and also with AK or AQ, if I raise I can define his hand, and also see where the other jacks are. I can also charge any player with QT the maximum to draw against me.

But, he smooth called. Then, the action was raised and re-raised. At this point, I would be strongly considering throwing my hand away. Clearly, someone has any overpair to jacks -- or a set -- and given the board texture and number of callers, making two pair with his kicker (king) would likely make an opponent with QT an straight. His only outs are the two remaining jacks. And, if the raiser has a set, he will cap the action.

On the turn, he smooth calls when the ace hits. Now, I would have to throw my hand away. If the big blind was over-playing AK or AQ, he just got there (and, if he has AK, shares my kicker). If he has AA, he just hit the set, and I'm drawing dead. If he has KK, my kicker is crap, since hitting it makes him trips (and, as noted, makes a possible straight). And, someone could be slow-playing T,8 (having flopped a straight). Based on the betting, once the ace hits, my only outs are the two remaining jacks.

I may have overplayed my kings, and losing this pot stunk. But, I have to be glad that my opponent was willing to invest so much money with such a mediocre holding, contributing $120 to the pot in order to see the river card, which, unfortunately for me, was one of the two in the deck that could help him.

Given the size of the field, though, there were other bad river cards for my hand: On the turn, the board was: A, J, 9, 7. I think any K or 8 makes someone a straight, and it's possible that any 9 or 7 makes someone else trips. As it was, I was shocked that no one had an ace.

drawing to the nuts... and getting there

I love drawing to the nuts... and getting there.

On the button, with J, T off-suit, I limped behind 6 callers. Small blind completed and the big blind checked and we took the flop 8 handed.

A, Q, rag hit the board, with two clubs. An early position player bet, and there were two callers to me.

There were 10 small bets in the pot (5 big bets), and I was about 11 to 1 to catch my inside straight on the turn, so the pot was laying me a nice price. The only problem was that any club might kill my hand, so I couldn't count on the King of clubs. Still, the game was playing loose-passive, so I thought it likely a few more players would call behind, making the price even better.

They didn't disappoint, and 5 of us saw the 8 of diamonds hit the turn, giving me a double-belly buster straight draw (any 9 or K makes my hand, both of which would be the nut straight).

The action was bet and raised to me. With 9.5 big bets in the pot, if everyone folded behind me and there were no more raises, it was close to a break-even call (I'm about 5 to 1 to make the straight, and the pot is laying me 9.5 to 2 on the call, which is 4.75 to 1). Of course, the 9 or king of clubs might make my straight while making someone else a flush, reducing my odds a bit.

But, there were a few things to keep in mind: if I made my straight, it would be the nut straight. If I made it with the 9 or king of clubs, I might lose to a flush, but I might not. Also, I figured at least one other player to cold call the action, and knew the bettor to be somewhat passive -- I didn't think he would make it 3 bets. I also knew that if I made my hand, I would get paid off, creating some implied odds.

I called the two bets, as did another player, and the initial better just called, putting 14.5 big bets in the pot.

The beautiful king of spades hit the river, making me the nuts. It was checked to me, I bet, and got called in two spots.

Every call I made in this hand was close to neutral, meaning that over the long haul, calling or folding would yield close to the same result (in this case, in large part because of the possible flush draw). But, with a draw to the nut hand, it's a lot easier to take a card off, since getting there means stacking the pot.