I'm glad to hear that you would bet QQ on that flop and again on the turn - it's the right move but I maintain that the vast majority of players would not - it probably contributes to why you are a winning player and most players are not. Mad Genius did bet the flop but there's a difference between flopping bottom two and flopping top set. The latter is a lot less likely to get drawn out on (5% vs 14%). Too, MG raised with 8s7s precisely because he felt his opponent would put him on AA or KK - let's give MG the benefit of the doubt and figure that he knew what he was doing and that's exactly what his opponent put him on. I agree that he wouldn't have called pre-flop with AQ or even KQ but he certainly might with QJ or QT or even Q9s...I would have. There are three ways the guy could have QQ, and 27 hands he could have QJ, QT or Q9s. I think you are right that 95% of players would call with AA or KK in this spot but MG isn't just any player...he's the player who, just an hour earlier, checked on the river with a KJ on a board of KJK7A with $800 in front of him. I believe that 95% of the players I know would bet here too - to my mind it shows MG to be a good enough player to be able to make a tough laydown - and I would have put the question to him.
Mad Genius,
First of all I hope you don't mind me shortening your name to MG - I'm a 2-finger typist here You asked if I would consider making the same play ie. going all-in with Qx... yep, against you in that spot with the way the betting went - absolutely. That's not an insult - I think you play well - your thinking through the hand was more advanced than most players at that level - I'd seriously consider moving to those stakes permanently but you can make a move against a good player - and so I would have tried against you. I would have no choice at this point in our history (if I were playing against you) but to put you on AA or KK and I think your call on the turn indicated a thoughtful enough approach that I could get you off the hand - and I would have tried.
As for the other hand when he checked the underboat - to me that's not the same thing. First of all, I suspect that he would have called a bet on the river in this spot. Second, KJ is a legit hand for you to have - so is AK... there are options out there for you to have - but I still think he was looking for you to bet the river (although he would have preferred a rag to fall)
You also said, "With deep stacks like that, I think the best way to play a monster is by building the pot early on so that the pot will be big enough by the river. I think that's the only way you can take someone else's stack if you both have deep stacks." I couldn't agree more... I just don't see that quality of thinking from most $2/$5 players. You played this guy - I didn't so your read on him may be more accurate than mine and I'll defer to your personal experience of having been there and played him but I assure you that I would have played a bluff (and Qx is a bluff) exactly the way he played that hand against someone who wouldn't bet the river (correctly mind you) an hour ago with a big boat.
Another way you could have played it though was like so: When on the turn you bet $150 and were raised $250 more - if I had any remaining doubts I would have popped him again - maybe another $250. I don't believe he would go all-in at this point if he had QQ, I suspect that he smooth calls - if he goes all-in here I'm calling - but if he smooth calls and bets the river I'm gone.
Anyway, you both may be right - who knows... just my two cents worth and that's about all it's worth cause we didn't get to see his hand
TUPStatistics: Posted by TheUnknownPlayer — Fri Dec 10, 2004 3:54 pm
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