I haven’t played a single hand for a week and a half, so I don’t have anything to report. However I wouldn’t mind discussing a hand that appeared on the forum in a little more detail, specifically my opinion. The forum received plenty of comments but for different reasons. As I expected, I was the only person who thought the way I did. Everyone else said the exact opposite. This is the hand;

Seat 1: Plochman ($28)
Seat 2: noseeds ($6.10), is sitting out
Seat 3: Cdn Chris ($34.80)
Seat 4: kibbles n bits ($46.80)
Seat 5: ICanJamThePot ($52.60)
Seat 6: Big Kahuna Dude ($28.05)
Seat 7: warcoug ($67)
Seat 8: RedFury0o7 ($57.75), is sitting out
Seat 9: Krukmakargatan2 ($25)
Cdn Chris posts the small blind of $0.10
kibbles n bits posts the big blind of $0.25
The button is in seat #1
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to Plochman [Qc Jc]
ICanJamThePot calls $0.25
Big Kahuna Dude has 15 seconds left to act
Big Kahuna Dude raises to $0.85
warcoug folds
Plochman calls $0.85
Cdn Chris folds
kibbles n bits folds
ICanJamThePot calls $0.60
*** FLOP *** [3c 9c 7s]
ICanJamThePot checks
Big Kahuna Dude checks
Plochman checks
*** TURN *** [3c 9c 7s] [2c]
ICanJamThePot bets $2
Big Kahuna Dude has 15 seconds left to act
Big Kahuna Dude folds
Plochman ?????

My advice=Fold.

I know I am on my own here. I know 99% of everyone who reads this will disagree and I can totally understand their reasons why. Indeed, my first reaction was raise. However, that was before I studied not just the hand, but the circumstances surrounding it.

Now before we start, let’s consider the background information. Simply, there isn’t non. We have no information on the other players, they tightness of the table etc. Therefore we need to take this hand on face value. This means we need to take into consideration that this is a $0.10-$0.25 NL cash game table and not a high stakes game. We also need to take into consideration this is actually a cash game and not a tournament. If this was a tournament or the stakes were larger, let me re-assure you; I would be raising this hand.

So why am I folding?

Firstly, the hand just doesn’t add up. Something doesn’t smell right. What hand could IcanJamthePot have, on a six seater table, that made him limp from UTG preflop and then a still call the preflop raise, yet then made him check on the flop and bet 2/3rds of the pot on the turn, when the turn card could give someone a flush and he’s out of position? He’s either a really crap player or he has a good flush. If he is a crap player, could he be playing Ace-junk or King-junk of spades? Of course he can. So should we take this hand seriously? Of course we should.

Secondly, look at the betting pattern of Plochman, I don’t like the position he has put himself in. He had the chance to take down the pot on the flop and didn’t take it. Now he is playing catch-up. I don’t like reacting to the other players moves, I like to make my own. I like being the aggressor, the one in charge. Now that I’m chasing the hand, I’m not in control. I think I’ve missed my opportunity and am now trying to over compensate for my previous mistake (by not betting on the flop).

Finally, pocket QJ suited is a reasonably good starting hand, but they are not designed for this purpose. It’s like getting pocket fives and hitting 367 on the flop. Yeah it gives you out’s, but you don’t want to be wasting money, time or effort playing it. If you get pocket fives you are looking for trips. End of.

I don’t disagree with anyone who suggests calling or raising, I just think this hand could get me into a lot of trouble. Therefore I’m saving my money for another day.

[Update; I've played 45 minutes tonight. I wanted to play longer, but just don't have the time. The session was a story of AK's. I got dealt it twice, raised preflop twice, got called by two players twice, made continuation bets twice and ended up a total of $9.60 up.]
9 hours play. 180 seater sng’s = -$26.40, 9,18 & 45 seater sng’s = $0, cash tables = +$49.60

it's not showing the cards...

Just noticed, thanks. (Quick response BTW!)

Would you lay down the K-high flush here?

Good question diamond and one that i considered in depth before writing this blog.


Lets get my take on this in perspective. I hosted a home game on Friday night with my mates. I'm on button and get dealt J6 spades. Everyone folds around to me and I raise. Both the SB and BB call. The flop is 39T spades. The SB bets the pot, the BB raises all-in and I call. Now I know the pot odds make this slightly different, but the principle is the same. Would I of made this move online? No, because I don't have enough information on the players. I know all my mates inside out.


In the right situation QJ suited is the winning hand. In the wrong situation it could be the losing one.


I don't think K-junk changes my thought process much. On these stakes players hold onto Ace-junk all the time. Therefore by removing K-junk from the equation, you are not removing 50% of the hands, more like 30%-40%. Effectively I wasn't fearing K-high as much as I was fearing A-high on my original explanation.


I am really enjoying my poker at the moment. I'm playing really loose and playing cards i shouldn't in positions i shouldn't. However, until I learn about the table, the players and the betting patterns I sit tight. Over the course of a session I can usually out play most people on these stakes, but I need to learn about them first. (In all fairness, if I can't beat them, i find another table and keep grinding.)


In the above scenario we have no information on the other guy and we've still got a lot of poker to be played. If I call and he bets big on the river, we could easily be beat. If I raise now and he re-raises (or even flat calls) and then bets on the river we could be beat as well.


If I was near the bubble in a tourney, on the bigger stakes or in the same situation but short stacked, I'm pushing all-in with King or Queen junk.


In this case, I'm folding.

Folding is horrible in this situation, u got a flush! with no reads at NL25 u can assume u are good vs his range

Way horrible. Jimmer, buddy, I got respect for you, but I think you are way off base to even consider folding for a single bet here when you have zero information on opponent's hand other than a gut feeling.

I've got a lot of respect for you too Diamond. Thanks for your comment (and you Kompis). I will totally admit I could be wrong on this one and understand how tight/narrow minded/stupid/weak/lazy/poor/padantic (delete where appropriate) this makes me look.



I'm still not 100% sure I want to play the hand. I'm nowhere near 100% sure i should be folding either. Today I've been trying to take myself away from this hand and picture myself in with the same cards in a different situation, trying to see f this makes more sense. I still can't come to a conclusion either way.



I need to sleep on it.



Once again, thanks for your opinions.

I think your reasonING is good, but you don't have adequate reasonS for it yet. This would be decent thinking if you raised and he 3-bet, but I am not convinced he has anything, let alone one of the two better hands that beat us.

Wow my hand still lives on. LOL

As things turned out, icanjamthepot turned out to be a crappy player. In regards to a hand like this, I find it hard to read a player who is playing 8 tables at once. Are they contemplating that hand or involved with five other hands that is making him slow.

Did you know he was playing 8 tables? Cause this makes a big differance to my my thought process.



When you originally posted the hand, you had no other information.