Alright, guys, I decided to post this hand from the villian's point of view, Iceman style, in an attempt to illustrate a point.

At any rate, you (the Villian) are on the button. You have about $950 behind you, and have been relatively quiet for a while. The two relevant people in the hand are Crazy Russian Guy (CRG) who raises to $28 preflop with such gems as K4o and 95o (with which he flopped a boat). His stack is currently in the $700 range, after calling all in ($250) on a AKQx board with a flush draw and sucking out on a flopped broadway. Also relevant in the hand is your friendly neighborhood Gishaclaus (Hero), who is sitting on a stack of about $1400. His buddy was the one upon whom the CRG sucked out on the river, and Hero was rather obviously frustrated by the incident. You've been involved in one medium pot with the Hero, who made you fold on the river with a $200 bet, and then flashed his cards to his buddy while raking in the pot. I guess Hero didn't know the show one show all rule, so the dealer flipped over the cards and showed a total bluff . . .

At any rate, you look down on your button to see . CRG deviates a bit from his standard raise of $28 preflop and decides to make it $50. Hero calls quickly. You reraise to $100. CRG and Hero both call, three to a flop of:

($300)

CRG checks his cards and then checks, and Hero checks as well. You lead out for $100, and CRG grimaces and folds. Hero quickly raises you to $300. Your move?


Thanks in advance,

Eric

Fold. Hero flopped a set. Or else hero is treading in dangerous water knowing you most likely has AA or KK.

I wouldn't have played QJ for the raise to begin with, whether the raiser was a rock or a maniac. QJ just spells trouble in big pots. Really you are only looking to hit QJx or a straight - I'd much rather play lower connectors where making a set doesn't scare off a big pair so easily. But, if you did indeed call the $50 raise with QJ then I guess you would have to call the additional $50.

I would never play AA like this so it kinda defeats the point?

I'd either come in for a large reraise or a cold call (risky, yet rewarding vs that maniac.) Most of the time I would make a large reraise to knock out hands like QJ, 10J, and low pocket pairs that you may hold. I'd be willing to chance it with crazy man however.

I'd also be betting the pot on the flop. I never deviate my flop betting. It's either check or the pot....unless the pot is incredibly massive. That kind of bet makes a check-raise bluff a lot more risky for you, and surely you wouldn't reraise "someone possiblity on tilt" with a draw.

hmmmm.....I think i should play live games more often. Too bad the one in charlotte got busted before I ever got the roll.

For what it's worth, I think I (=friendly neighbourhood gishaclaus!) either would have led into that flop hoping to get raised, or just called the weedy flop bet (once CRG is out) hoping that AA-guy grew some balls on the turn (there aren't too many draws on the board, so not too many cards kill the action).

As it is (assuming you have QJ and not 77), there's a risk that you've put $100 in the pot with a dodgy hand, hit as good a flop as you could have hoped for, and then let AA-guy off the hook for only $100 (unless he suspects you're making a move, he has to suspect QJ or 77, surely?)

Wow, you guys really think I suck . . . I had 77, of course. My reraise on the flop was about the right size, I thought, to make folding or pushing his only option. Luckily he chose the latter and I stacked him .

The point I was trying to make is twofold. The first point in that minraising is never, ever, ever, ever, ever correct, especially with AA. All it does is build a big multiway pot and guarantee that you have no idea where you stand, as no one who has limped (even if they call with a hand as crappy as QJ ) is going to fold preflop.

The second point (in Iceman style) is that game selection is key. The service is crappy, the dealers suck (for the most part), and you get no comps, but the players make everything worth it. Search out a game like this and you won't be disappointed.

Many people here, however, have to adjust their thinking a little bit I think. Playing so called "perfect poker" and playing optimally to win the most money from inferior opponents are two different things. It never even occurred to him that he had the worst hand; he said as much to me when I flipped over my set (after all, he did have AA). His $100 bet was designed, he said, to seem weak and have me come over the top of him. God, I love Bally's . . .

The irony is that I wasn't even after him, I was after CRG. Did I get him? Read my next post to find out . . .

Thanks for the replies (especially to the people who didn't effectively call me a total retard).

Eric