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Well, I don't agree with a shove at any point. That's just too agressive for the pot size and you've already been successful in isolating the play to just one opponent with your preflop raise.
I would suggest the following alternative plays:
1. Preflop - Raise to 4-5x the big blind. The goal is to reduce the field to just one opponent and being first to act is an issue here. A weak raise will usually entice several players into calling. Once one calls, then every subsequent player is getting even better odds to call. In your case, it was fortunate that only the big blind, one of only two players to be out of position to you, called.
2. On the flop -- With no real draws on this flop for a big pair and not many for the most likely hands your opponent may be holding (a weak or suited Ace, a Q or a small pocket pair), it is important to protect your big pair from everything (top pair making two pair, an ace, a smaller pair hitting a set, potential draws). The problem with big pairs is it's harder for them to improve, and if they haven't improved by the river, they are nothing more than just one pair. In this instance, the only hand with a big draw that your opponent is most likely to be holding is J9 (probably not KJ since you can account for 3 Ks). If she's holding pocket 10s or 7s, she's not going anywhere, no matter what you bet. But you should try to find out how much she likes her hand. Also, you don't want her controlling the action and you don't to take the chance of her turning a set or a card that gives her a monster draw for free or at her price. With a $110 pot, I would have bet $75-110. If she comes over the top, I would reraise. If she calls the reraise or repops again, I would consider the possibility that my Ks are beat and likely fold to any further big betting by her. Only good players can lay down a winning hand.
3. On the turn -- The 5s is not a scare card. Still no flush draw and if your opponent is holding J9, she didn't get there. If your flop bet was called (not reraised), then it's quite possible your opponent has a Q. I would suggest a bet of about 75% of the pot. I want to make sure my opponent is not getting the odds to call. But if she does call and gets there, I can be confident in knowing that I made the correct play and she made a bad call. In the long run, I'll be a winning player and she will be a losing one making such calls. If your opponent called your flop bet and now comes over the top on the turn as she did here, I would reraise to find out how much she really likes her hand. Again, if she calls or repops, you may have to consider that you are beat and be prepared to lay the Ks down depending on the size of the bet.
4. On the river -- ok .. there's been no improvement to KK. If I were first to act, I would check and hope my opponent checks behind. But if she is first to act or bet, as in this situation, I would just call. No reason to raise here. If you get called, you are likely beat.
In this particular situation, it's hard to know whether the BB would have folded to a bigger preflop raise .. maybe. Q8h isn't that strong of hand, but maybe she saw hearts and royalty and fell in love. And, once she flops the Q, it's hard to know if any size bet would have gotten her off -- especially since she thought her top pair with 8 kicker was good enough to check-raise on the turn. So, in retrospect, you may have saved a ton not betting KK any stronger. The only way you could have saved more in this particular situation would have been by just calling, not raising, the river bet.
I hope this was helpful and the kind of exchange you were hoping for.
Cindy Albert
Poker Peach
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