Tales of an overplayer, pt. 2

How have I gotten this far in poker while still being so easily trapped? All I can figure is that I've relied on aggression and trickery well enough to win money from weak-tight folding stations and loose calling stations.

_Don't go bust with top pair, top kicker. I swear I'm getting better at this, but I trapped myself (again) with AK today. The situation was that I raised from under the gun and got about six callers. When I hit my King on the flop, I checked it to the button and then check-raised. He called, and I pushed on the turn because my opponent was already pot committed. He turned up bottom set.

At the time, I thought my check-raise would be a good way to narrow the field and control the pot size. Unfortunately, the pot had gotten quite large by the time the button called my raise.

I was talking to Vic about this hand, and he suggested betting out on the flop and folding to a raise. Another option would have been to check-fold the turn after he called my check-raise.

_Information bets. If I had bet out that AK hand, I probably would have gotten a better idea of where I stood.

One problem I always have is that it's hard to determine how much information bets are worth. You can put a percentage on most moves in poker, but information bets are difficult to define in terms of value.

Perhaps I'm thinking about the concept incorrectly. Maybe I should bet out for value and get out of the pot once I realize the pitiful state of my equity.

_Controlling the pot size. I would love to be able to play a small pot with TPTK or an overpair more often, but I don't know how. I worry that too often, I'll find myself making a laydown of a potential best hand on the flop.

I need to convince myself that I'll make more money by folding a marginal winning hand in a small pot than I will by pushing a perceived edge when I may well be drawing dead.

This should be basic information. Eventually, I'll get it through my thick skull.