Help me fix my leaks

DeucesLive

So I've been out of poker for sometime, and leaks have inevitably developed. I feel like a lot of it I already know when I play badly, but some outside feedback could definitely help me re-evaluate what I'm doing. I haven't been having any luck in coin flips lately (although that started to turn today) but what's of more concern is that I'm always on the wrong end of the chipstack- in that my tourney life is generally at stake when I get my chips in so I can't recover from an outdraw. That to me is the part I need to fix.

With that being said, here's a few samples.

Player	Action	Cards	Amount	Pot	Balance
findy	Small blind		30.00	30.00	4100.00
TONYTIME	Big blind		60.00	90.00	5355.00
	Your hole cards	J J
prodyboy	Fold
alexpm	Fold
DeucesLive	Raise		120.00	210.00	2020.00
xxxx	Call		120.00	330.00	4385.00
findy	Call		90.00	420.00	4010.00
TONYTIME	Call		60.00	480.00	5295.00
Flop
		5 Q 4
findy	Check
TONYTIME	Check
DeucesLive	Bet		300.00	780.00	1720.00
xxxx	Call		300.00	1080.00	4085.00
findy	Fold
TONYTIME	Fold
Turn
		10
DeucesLive	Check
xxxx	Bet		1080.00	2160.00	3005.00
DeucesLive	Fold
xxxx	Muck
xxxx	Win		1080.00		4085.00
xxxx	Return		1080.00	0.00	51600

Is this a little too conservative, or not conservative enough? I've adjusted to minraising or slightly more than minraising, in hindsight a bigger raise here pre would have been better most likely, but it's the postflop play I'm more interested in. With jacks, would you just shut down completely four handed if an over lands? Is taking a single shot then c/f turn too conservative?

Player	Action	Cards	Amount	Pot	Balance
xxxx	Small blind		75.00	75.00	14142.50
DeucesLive	Big blind		150.00	225.00	4765.00
	Your hole cards	K Q
TOXYBOY	Fold
acepat	Fold
tomsbabe	Fold
twothrees	Fold
xxxx	Call		75.00	300.00	14067.50
DeucesLive	Check
Flop
		4 6 9
xxxx	Bet		150.00	450.00	13917.50
DeucesLive	Call		150.00	600.00	4615.00
Turn
		7
xxxx	Bet		300.00	900.00	13617.50
DeucesLive	Raise		750.00	1650.00	3865.00
xxxx	Call		450.00	2100.00	13167.50
River
		A
xxxx	Check
DeucesLive	????

This guy had been bullying the table around, but he had also laid down a hand once when someone pushed him to the river. So I felt he was a half decent player rather than a lucky fish. I went for representing the flush, on the flop I didn't want to go to war with two overs, but felt it was a little early to fold- so floated for a good turn. Flush felt right to represent, and the fact he just called and then checked river felt decent. Obviously I'm hardly ever good here at showdown, so the question is whether he's in c/c mode, or weak enough to drop to a bet. Is barrelling the river here a good play? He's pretty much given me the green light that he doesn't like his hand THAT much.

<td class="hhamt"

Player	Action	Cards	Amount	Pot	Balance
xxxx	Small blind		200.00	200.00	18262.50
mansoon20	Big blind		400.00	600.00	4810.00
	Your hole cards	8 Q
ace67	Fold
DeucesLive	Raise		900.00	1500.00	11800.00
xxxx	Call		700.00	2200.00	17562.50
mansoon20	Call		500.00	2700.00	4310.00
Flop
		3 Q 10
xxxx	Check
mansoon20	Check

Lambert180

Hand 1 - I'd 100% be making it 3x here, we're just way too deep to start minraising. I probably barrel the turn but as played I think a fold is pretty easy and good.

Hand 2 - Personally I wouldn't be letting the SB limp in against my BB when I'm as strong as KQ. As played, I don't mind calling or folding the flop. I might just flat the turn, but once we've raised, I think I feel committed to having a stab on an A river so probably go about 1250.

Hand 3 - I'd minraise pre, after that, played perfect, takes some kinda real special situation to think about folding a flop where we have TP and a good FD when we started the hand with like 30xBB.

BorinLoner

1) Pre-flop, we're not too deep to min-raise in my opinion with less than 40BB. I think we need to understand why we think min-raising is better than 3x or 2.5x, though. If we're really active stealing blinds and looking to win lots of small pots, then min-raising is better. If we're playing relatively solidly and raising only decent value hands, then 3x'ing is better. The 3x is likely to be called almost as often as the min-raise, but obviously 3BB is more than 2BB so that's a better value play. If people are folding to a min-raise as often as 3x then min-raising is a better bluffing size and gives us more opportunities to c-bet flops cheaply.

We just have to keep our raise size the same regardless of our actual hand.

If we're going to check-fold a blank turn, then just check the flop. Check-folding the turn suggests you thought you were most likely to be called on the flop by a Queen or better. If that's the case, we don't want to bet the flop. If our opponent bets smaller on the turn, say 2/3 pot, are we still folding? (Insert usual "opponent dependent" caveats here, lol)

Personally I'd say betting the flop is better because, even with three opponents, it's likely we still have the best hand on this board and there are so many bad turn cards for us four-handed. However, I think we also need to bet the turn after we've made that flop bet. We're thinking that we've been called on the flop by draws or underpairs to our JJ as often as a Queen, so we're looking to get value from those draws and underpairs. If we're raised, then we're folding as it's unlikely that we're going to be bluffed on the turn. After we've shown so much strength, a raise is likely to just be a better hand.

That said, I'd probably bet a little less than half-pot on the flop, then perhaps half-pot on the turn.


2) We're raising the button with Q8 but not raising KQ in a better situation in the Big Blind? Think about it this way; from the button you have two unknown ranges to raise into with your Q8. When the small blind makes up to your Big Blind, you know you have no further players to act behind you and you're in position against a single limper with a weak range. In fact his range is even weaker, given he's only paying half the price of the big blind in order to limp.

Raise the KQ from the big blind. Raise any strong Jx, strong Qx, any Kx or better when it's limped blind v blind: Free money.


3) I don't see why we need to 3-bet the flop with our Q8. If we just had a draw and were semi-bluffing, then that's fine. As it is, we're risking losing our customer when our Queen is the best hand and are always getting it in when it's not the best hand. Given the SPR (stack to pot ratio), I'd rather just call the raise and allow our opponent to bet the turn.