Question About a hand I played

[LuckyNumberD]

Hi everyone, First post here

I really like this course, I already knew most of the basics. but I'm trying to start all over again, and learn things better.

So I was playing for my first module yesterday, turning $25 into $27 When this hand came up:

#Game No : 6163120252
***** Hand History for Game 6163120252 *****
$10 USD NL Texas Hold'em - Wednesday, July 18, 16:19:06 ET 2007
Table Table 126105 (Real Money)
Seat 10 is the button
Total number of players : 10
Seat 1: yo0n2k7 ( $1.75 USD )
Seat 2: DavidRags ( $4.06 USD )
Seat 4: Domi3001 ( $4.40 USD )
Seat 5: FabsMaster ( $8.68 USD )
Seat 7: Chiangmai999 ( $12.82 USD )
Seat 8: MortyBrunson ( $5.99 USD )
Seat 9: KickersOFC1982 ( $4.14 USD )
Seat 10: naksujalka ( $1.10 USD )
Seat 3: LuckyNumberD ( $7.49 USD )
Seat 6: Snopyduu ( $3 USD )
yo0n2k7 posts small blind [$0.05 USD].
DavidRags posts big blind [$0.10 USD].
** Dealing down cards **
Dealt to LuckyNumberD [ Jh Ac ]
LuckyNumberD raises [$0.35 USD]
Domi3001 folds
FabsMaster calls [$0.35 USD]
Chiangmai999 folds
MortyBrunson folds
KickersOFC1982 folds
naksujalka is all-In [$1.10 USD]
yo0n2k7 folds
DavidRags folds
LuckyNumberD calls [$0.75 USD]
FabsMaster calls [$0.75 USD]
** Dealing Flop ** [ 2c, 7c, Kc ]
LuckyNumberD bets [$1.50 USD]
FabsMaster calls [$1.50 USD]
** Dealing Turn ** [ 2h ]
LuckyNumberD checks
FabsMaster bets [$1.23 USD]
LuckyNumberD calls [$1.23 USD]
** Dealing River ** [ Qc ]
LuckyNumberD bets [$2.50 USD]
FabsMaster calls [$2.50 USD]
LuckyNumberD shows [ Jh, Ac ]a flush, Ace high.
FabsMaster doesn't show [ 6c, Tc ]a flush, King high.
naksujalka doesn't show [ Ad, 8d ]a pair of Twos.
LuckyNumberD wins $9.94 USD from side pot #1 with a flush, Ace high.
LuckyNumberD wins $3.28 USD from the main pot with a flush, Ace high.
Game #6163125697 starts.

I realize I played AJo in first position. But that's because I saw a lot of people raising with lesser hands than this. So.. is this a good excuse to deviate from the starting chart ? Or did I really play stupid here?

Also on the Turn the pot was about $6.50 with a bet of $1.23.
While I had 8 outs x 2 = 16% = 1:5 (correct ?) but I also figured I could at least extract $2 more if I Hit my card.

so on the River I hit, and I bet $2.50 although I feel I could've bet more...

So I took a nice pot and nearly doubled. But what things did I do wrong here ? I can't help but to feel as I've lucked out.


thanks for your advice !

[The Professor]

The whole reason that you need to only play stronger hands from early position is the increased risk (with more players left to act behind you) that there is a stronger hand out there and that you get raised. Plus the fact that you are out of position and will be for the rest of the hand.

When you are first to act then you have no information about any one elses hand and you are acting blind.

A-J is one of those hands that looks nice - but faced with a re-raise you really don't know where you are. Even if you are playing at a loose table then you still don't know where you are faced with a re-raise, like you have observed your A-J could be good against a weaker ace or other marginal hand, but you could (and more likely) could be up against a hand that has you dominated A-K, A-Q or a high pair.

On a loose table and if I have the right table image (ie a tight image) then I don't mind the play of coming in with a raise from early position, because you can use your image to outplay your opponent after the flop if you get a caller.

Faced with a re-raise would set the alarm bells ringing and I would pretty much assume that my Ace was outkicked until I found out any other information to the contrary.

with it just being another 75c to call the all in and with the likelihood being that the other caller with also call the raise and have money to win if you flop big (implied odds) then I don't disagree with your call of the raise.

But I am looking to hit big here, I'm not looking to hit top pair or anything like this I'm looking to hit two pair or bigger. If all I make on the flop is top pair then I'm probably getting away from the hand.

So... The flop comes down with three clubs giving you the nut flush draw. I don't really like your bet here as there is no side pot. In general the reason you make a semi bluff which your bet was is to give yourself 2 ways to win the pot either by your opponent folding or by hitting your draw if your opponent calls. Here you had a player all in so even if FabsMaster folded you would still most likely need to hit your draw to win the hand.

Out of position I would of checked here, if only to get a bit more information from Fabmaster before I committed any more money into the pot. Then if he bets I could of done the maths and also used the information to put him on a range of hands.

Your call of the small bet on the turn was correct with the pot odds in place you had the odds to do so.

Once you make your hand on the river the question turns to how much value can you get out of the hand. The 4th club on the river is going to be a scare card to anyone unless they hold a strong club in their hand.

I actually like your small bet here. It's small enough that a hand without the club and just with a high pair, or two pair or trips may call even though there is the flush out there. Any big bet probably can't be called by anyone who doesn't have the flush.

If your opponent does have a strong flush then they will probably raise your bet anyhow and you will get your value this way.

If your opponent has a medium flush (as your opponent did) then they will probably call your small bet, but may or may not call a bigger bet.

So in my eyes the best way to get value out of this hand with the range of hands your opponent may hold is with a smaller bet.

The mistake here is that you got yourself into a big hand and big pot with a marginal hand out of position. I think you did an ok job of playing your hand once you got into this mess and you got lucky and hit your hand to take down a nice pot.

But this does highlight the problems that you can get yourself into by playing marginal hands out of position.

[LuckyNumberD]

thanks for your help.

Indeed very stupid to Semi-bluff an empty sidepot I never thought about it !

I'll keep your advice in mind and i'll be more carefull playing hand like AJo out of position.

Thanks Prof. !