by Chips->Middle » Thu May 22, 2008 7:08 am
I would have said ya both butchered your hands but the more I look at it, I'm not so sure. The way your opponent plays the hand, I suppose you are justified in reading him for a draw.
A) If the xx in the 44xx are genuinely not involved in this hand then I can't really see a way that it can be a playable pre-flop hand.
B) If the guy on 66 had re-raised the flop and you got all in on the flop it would have been a reminder of point A.
C) On the flop, your opponent either likes middle set or doesn't. I like middle set. I re-raise you. Other people don't like middle set and might lay it down. Not sure calling your flop raise is an option.
D) Your opponent calls your raise and then your turn bet but folds on the river. Presumably he can't get it out of his head that you might have QQ and the big river bet finally convinces him. This is something he should have decided on the flop. If he had, you would have just lost the maximum possible on a weak hand.
I'd have to say I dislike his play much more than yours. You were very aggressive which is good but can get you in trouble. This is one of the spots where it should have got you in trouble but your opponent screwed up. I kind of like the flop raise (although I don't think I'd have done it) cause it takes the pot down often and bottom set is crap. It lets you know where you are to a point. When he calls the raise on the flop he's showing some commitment to the hand but he might have draws so you are in a pretty awful spot and betting isn't bad. If I'm in your spot though, there isn't much could happen to make me feel good about my hand.
A lot of how well you played this hinges on whether you fold the flop if he re-raises you?
I'd have bet smaller on the river but in this particular spot that would probably have got a call and you'd have lost so, who knows.
If you are willing to bang out full pot bets like this on bottom set for all 3 streets against someone who obviously isn't going anywhere (although he did in the end), you should watch out for players smart enough to realise this. Calling down all 3 streets with middle set will make someone a lot of money if they know you will fire and keep firing.
I run into this problem frequently.