Poker plays with PokerPeaker - Top Pair against a minimum pre-flop raise
I'm playing $50 NL on Bodog Poker.
I have A♠ - J♦.
A player in early position raises the minimum to $1.
I'm definitely calling here, but I'll do so with caution. Minimum raises either mean the player really doesn't know how to make a proper raise at a cash game, or it means he or she wants action.
Well, the flop is a good one, J♠ - 4♦ - 9♣. In fact, that's probably about as good as I could have hoped for. There's nothing out there that scares me. Now I have to figure out if my top pair is good or if in fact my opponent was mini-raising with a monster.
I do have position, so I'm in good shape. My opponent bets the pot, $3.
That's an interesting bet, but I'm not folding just yet. That board is pretty non-threatening, so he could be betting, correctly, with A-K or A-Q. He could also have a mid-sized pocket pair. That could also be good here.
I contemplate raising. It wouldn't be a bad play. If I get called, I could be done with the hand right there, and if I'm re-raised, I could pitch it. The min-raise and his bet does make me think I might be against an over pair here.
But I just call. Let's see how serious he is about this hand.
The 6♥ falls.
He bets $6, two-thirds of the pot. OK, he's fairly serious.
That eliminates a high Ace. I don't think he has the stones to fire at the pot again with nothing. My call should have told him I have something. So he must have something as well. If he doesn't then my hats off to him.
My opportunity to raise was on the flop. I don't want to raise here because that means putting in at least $12. And I really should put in $18. And I'd have to do this with top pair. Why would I want to build a big pot with just a pair and a strong feeling I might be beat here?
So why call? Well, I still have a good hand, and two calls, without much of a draw, means something. If he makes a big bet on the river, I can fold with confidence that I'm beat.
The insignificant 5{c} falls on the river. Not much has changed.
When he bets $10 on the river, that tells me I'm beat. I've lost $9 on this hand. That's not a lot, and it's what I would have lost had I raised on the flop. I am almost positive I'm beat, and that's enough for me to prevent calling off another $10.
When I fold, he shows me Q-Q. That's exactly the hand I put him on.
And I've saved myself some money.
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