Small Stakes No-Limit Hold'em

Live FR $1/$2 NL cash. Generally loose game, and as usual, many weak hands being shown down in BIG pots.

Preflop: I limp UTG w/ KK. 2-3 callers, MP raises to $7. 3 players call the raise and back to me.

I make it $25 to go. All fold around back to loose-agg. LP player who calls additional $18. I have ~$300 and he has ~$240 remaining.

Flop: 7 7 3 rainbow.

I bet $75 into a pot of ~$80. Villain shoves for ~$240 total. I reluctantly call $165 more.

Villain shows 76o.

Turn and river: no help

Hate the pf limp? Re-raise more pf? Check-call the flop? Bet-fold the flop? Played it well but got unlucky?

Whaddyathink?

I don't like the limp up front with KK. I have done it on occassion when I had allowed myself to get somewhat shortstacked and there is not going to be a commitment problem. Especially if I don't get oblidged with a raise behind.

 But , you gambled and it paid off, and well. 3 limpers, raise with 3 callers. Once you put your Additional $5 in the pot is over $40. You have to raise more than 18 here. You are offering better than 3-1 preflop and he's a 4-1 dog. That's not terrible mistake. And if someone else calls your raise it's automatic.

When you stick money in the pot have a plan, even limping upfront for a rr.  My original plan would have been someone else hopefully riase light, trap him and all the loose callers in the game for extra money. You got the dream result , now pop it HARD. Your plan is not to build a big multiway pot out of position. I would raise minimum 40 here, maybe more with 8 players currently invested in the pot. If heads-up, that 's different, but I still wouldn't raise less than half the pot.

Also, if your loose game is like the ones I am sometimes in, calling huge raises is one of the major weaknesses. And yes, he might have called a 45/50 reraise, but that's fine. You have no decision to make once  the flop comes, barring an A maybe. And you must charge this type of player hard for the gazillion times he misses the flop, flops a draw or weak top-pair to make up for this  type of result.

You're going to get stacked in a loose game, for sure. The other nite in 1-3 it went limp, limp, lite raiser raises, clueless woman on 3rd buy in(short) and a tought player flat call. Gets to me in BB, I have AJs. Pot is 65 once my 15 goes in. I know lite raiser is out and tough player won't call a huge rr. I make 65 on top. UTG flat calls , leaves himself 140 (calls 1/3 stack) women calls leaving herself 25. All others fold. flop comes Jxx, I shove.  Both of  them call me. UTG old man had JJ, woman had QQ. I'm third. I mean, I bust out laughing. Not in a mean way, just like oh man, i'm third and i'm putting the money in. And I was not the least upset.  I mean, wow. I liked my play and this is a great game. couldn't wait to get to cage to beef my stack back up.

My hand was nowhere as good as yours preflop but point is , in  these loose games don't get coy, get  that money out there and build big pots. If a king had come instead of a jack I know JJ is folding, QQ i don't know. She was all over the place. But this hand goes down the same if it's TT and AK, except I win.

So pop it hard. Hey , they all fold, you pick up 20+BB uncontested, that's not a terrible result.

Good points on making the preflop raise larger to punish/simplify commitment on the flop.

Thanks guys.

I think otherwise good players tend to over do balancing their range wayyyy too much in live games (where the competition is mostly much weaker than your standard online non-micro games).  Balancing your range is very important against other good players.  Against clowns, it's only costing you money.

I'm with Hitman here.

You didn't mention location, but if this is a typical casino 1/2 game, you're engaging in Fancy Play Syndrome here.

I don't like the limp PF, unless you're almost 100% sure someone behind you will raise.  The worst possible outcome for you would be to play a 6-way limped pot, with significant money behind.  Blech.

In an ideal world, you want the pot size to match your hand.  You're playing a 1-pair hand that's unlikely to improve.  Get the money in as early as possible.  Raise big, early, and often.

In these types of games, you can get away with all kinds of things that you can't get away with in tougher games.  For instance, most players at this level pay no attention to raise size, stack size, or pot odds.  So, raise big with big hands, and small with small hands.  Bet small when bluffing, and big when value betting.

Some players might catch on, but I assure you that most won't.  Unless you're playing with the same players a lot, don't get too fancy.  When I'm playing 1/2, I remember advice I heard when I was first starting to play in live casino games: Assume 1/2 players are borderline retarded until proven otherwise.  It isn't perfect, but it's a good first approximation.

I don't like the limp either, but you're going to try this a time or two at some point when you play at these crazy live 1-2 tables.  Lets talk about what you do once you're in the situation.

I hate the flop bet.  It may be the 'right' play online, but at a live table in a casino you're in a rare situation where you are about to see someone turn their cards face up.  Connectors are percived as gold by most of these folks.  so 87o and 67o are totally in play here as are 97s and 57s.  Of course they shouldn't be but they are.  

When the flop comes and the action is to you you need to stop and reasses.  If the guy has a 7 you are way way behind.  If he doesn't have a 7 you are way way ahead and you've pretty much already won the $80 in the pot.  

Check.  If the guy fires a big bet(and he won't, he'll bet $20 or less…mark it down) it is an easy fold and  you tell him good bet.  Your at the 1-2 table and half the folks are drunk or board.  Of course he has a seven.

If he bets $20 you're in the only tough spot he can put you in.  He could be slow playing you tune of about $120 a hand(20-40-60).  That is way less than the $260 you lost when you pushed. And chances are you either catch on by the river or he gets board and puts in a big bet that you fold too.

1 time out of 12 you're king is going to come and you're going to win his remaining $210.  You could also runner runner flush the guy 1 out of 14 times.  And lets not forget the many times he doesn't even have the 7 and you take the hand down with your two pair.

All of this to say that I don't like the c-bet when the board pairs in a crazy game like this. All your doing is giving the guy the opportunity to know that you have a hand when he knows his hand destroys you.  You've got two streets to value bet if you get the information you want on the flop.  Check.