How do I play this hand better???

I am a generally tight/aggressive player. Probably didn't have too much of a table image at the point this hand was played. Didn't know anything about the limper in the hand.

FullTiltPoker Game #835271751: Table Tulip - $0.10/$0.25 - No Limit Hold'em
Seat 1: kumba83 ($15.35)
Seat 2: Tressemy ($18.10)
Seat 3: petedan0 ($21.50)
Seat 4: StukOnStupid ($38.80)
Seat 5: irabat ($9.90)
Seat 6: TheTooth ($41.10)
Seat 7: 2sorbettor ($5)
Seat 8: LuckyChip777 ($9.40)
Seat 9: coldcoldcold ($8.90)
StukOnStupid posts the small blind of $0.10
irabat posts the big blind of $0.25
2sorbettor posts $0.25
The button is in seat #3
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to Tressemy
TheTooth folds
2sorbettor checks
LuckyChip777 folds
coldcoldcold folds
kumba83 folds
Tressemy raises to $0.50
petedan0 folds
StukOnStupid folds
irabat folds
2sorbettor calls $0.25
*** FLOP ***
2sorbettor checks
Tressemy bets $1.35
2sorbettor folds
Uncalled bet of $1.35 returned to Tressemy
Tressemy mucks
Tressemy wins the pot ($1.30)
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot $1.35 | Rake $0.05
Board:
Seat 1: kumba83 didn't bet (folded)
Seat 2: Tressemy collected ($1.30), mucked
Seat 3: petedan0 (button) didn't bet (folded)
Seat 4: StukOnStupid (small blind) folded before the Flop
Seat 5: irabat (big blind) folded before the Flop
Seat 6: TheTooth didn't bet (folded)
Seat 7: 2sorbettor folded on the Flop
Seat 8: LuckyChip777 didn't bet (folded)
Seat 9: coldcoldcold didn't bet (folded)

Is the proper play to check the flop and turn if necessary? Do I bet less on the flop? How could I have milked this for more money?

How do I play this hand better???

I am a generally tight/aggressive player. Probably didn't have too much of a table image at the point this hand was played. Didn't know anything about the limper in the hand.

FullTiltPoker Game #835271751: Table Tulip - $0.10/$0.25 - No Limit Hold'em
Seat 1: kumba83 ($15.35)
Seat 2: Tressemy ($18.10)
Seat 3: petedan0 ($21.50)
Seat 4: StukOnStupid ($38.80)
Seat 5: irabat ($9.90)
Seat 6: TheTooth ($41.10)
Seat 7: 2sorbettor ($5)
Seat 8: LuckyChip777 ($9.40)
Seat 9: coldcoldcold ($8.90)
StukOnStupid posts the small blind of $0.10
irabat posts the big blind of $0.25
2sorbettor posts $0.25
The button is in seat #3
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to Tressemy
TheTooth folds
2sorbettor checks
LuckyChip777 folds
coldcoldcold folds
kumba83 folds
Tressemy raises to $0.50

This is tight passive, not TA. You have very few posts here so I wont be TOO harsh (LOL)...Not a popular move around here and rightfully so. Don't do it, and ESPECIALLY don't do it pre flop. 4X bb is a good place to start.

petedan0 folds
StukOnStupid folds
irabat folds
2sorbettor calls $0.25
*** FLOP ***
2sorbettor checks
Tressemy bets $1.35
2sorbettor folds
Uncalled bet of $1.35 returned to Tressemy
Tressemy mucks
Tressemy wins the pot ($1.30)
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot $1.35 | Rake $0.05

Is the proper play to check the flop and turn if necessary? Do I bet less on the flop? How could I have milked this for more money?

You did overbet the pot slightly if I counted correctly, bit that's quibbling. You have to have a REALLY good reason to check this and I can't think of any, especially at the lower levels. I bet this ...You can't force thewm to have a hand!

I love that book on so many levels.

Hey Everyone,

Thanks for the replies.

Interestingly (at least to me), the issue with the hand as I played it turned out to be my pre-flop play rather than my bet after the flop.

To respond to the question or criticism that several of you posted, my min raise pre-flop was motivated by a few things. First, I had good position on the hand and only decent cards. Obviously, KJ is not a premium holding, but from very late position, with only one limper in front of me, I felt them worth playing.

So then, I had to figure out how much to invest in the hand. My min raise was based upon a desire to weed out the field, but still not invest a bunch in a hand that I might have to get away from if the flop was ugly. For example, a min raise will often force out the small blind and occasionally the big blind. If my min raise got rid of either of the blinds, I would have been happy.

I did not throw in a standard pre-flop raise of 3-4x BB because I did not want to get into the hand too much before the flop. My thought is that on most hands, I won't hit anything and then I am put to the test if I have invested 3-4x BB already. Do I walk away from the hand? Do I play at it again? Those decisions are much tougher if I have invested more in the hand. If I have a min raise into the hand, it is easy to dump the hand if the flop misses me.

Imagine if the flop came up . At that point, I have some interesting draws, but I am also facing a limper in front of me with an Ace on the board. Could he have limped in with Ace + rag? Certainly! At this level, its even probable. So when he bets at the pot, I probably have to walk away from the hand. And that is much harder to do if I have invested 3-4x BB.

I know that there are lots of ways to play every hand. But my thought process was to see the flop, relatively cheaply, and to still weed out the field a bit (pre-flop). I thought the min raise accomplished those goals as best as possible.

Please, please, please let me know if my reasoning is off here.

Thanks again for the input.