100 Poker Hands

  I recently lost a hand with a pair of Queens having faced a shove on the flop. Let’s break down the hand and assess my key decisions. Preflop Action Hero (playing from the HJ. 105BB): Dealt [Qc, Qh] Player1 (big blind. 190BB):  I know nothing else about this player but we are playing microstakes on a zoom game.  Preflop Analysis: I'm opening the action with a standard raise of $0.05, and Player1, sitting in the big blind, re-raises to $0.20.  I could flat Queens here. I think about possible ranges and assume that Player1 has predominantly value 3 Bets and some bluffs mixed in. I'm mentally assigning a range that looks like this: TT+, AJs+, A5s-A3s, KQs, T9s, 98s, 87s, 76s, AQo+ This gives some decent hands to 3 Bet but also some bluffs with the suited connectors and suited aces that could flop a strong hand.  Against this range my Queens are about 60%. I'm responding with a 4 bet to $0.62, an appropriate sizing given the strong pocket pair. Since Play...

When you’re playing at microstakes in No-Limit Hold'em (NLHE) , extracting maximum value from strong hands is essential to building your bankroll. In today’s post, we’ll break down a 6-max Zoom hand where we (the hero) hold 8♥ 8♦ on the Button against a villain who raises from early position (UTG). In this hand, we’ll focus on how to best maximize value from a set of eights , and understand the thought process from preflop to river . Preflop: Calling with Pocket Eights on the Button Hero’s Hand : 8♥ 8♦ Villain’s Raise : UTG raises to 2.5bb Villain’s Estimated Range : 55+, ATs+, KTs+, QTs+, J9s+, T8s+, 97s+, 87s, 76s, AJo+, KQo Stack Sizes : Both players have 100bb When the villain opens from early position (UTG) , we can estimate their range based on the given hands: strong pocket pairs (55+), suited connectors (ATs+, J9s+, T8s+), and offsuit broadways (AJo+, KQo). This range is pretty standard for an UTG open. Our hand, 8♥ 8♦ , is a solid pocket pair, and the best way to ...