The check raise?

The art of the check raise? Should it be done all the time? Should I mix it up? No, unless I'm playing against the same people all the time, then you should use it and use it big time. Here are 3 mistakes from playing at Graton, Caribbean and Fortune poker rooms. I lost about $800 total on these 3 hands (which is quite a bit for me at least!). So if you flop a strong hand and you are out of position and against multiple people and with a resonably wet board, what should you do? Of course it depends. So I'll explain what I did and what I should have done...

* Hand #1: Misery at Graton * ATc UTG. I just call (mistake #1?). about 4 people call. Button raises to $15. I call, so does 3 players including a player who posted a missed blinds.
Flop AT4. I was texting and then I decided to attack the pot. I normally would have checked. 1 caller. I bet like $30 or $40. Turn 5. I check. I put my only opponent (the player who had posted the missed blind), on 2 pair or set. He checks. River blank. I check again. He bets like $50. I instacall. He show 23. What I should have done: pre-flop: raise to $15 or call $15 from button flop: check. then CHECK-RAISE. To about $75 to $100. That should have done the trick.

* Hand #2: Surprise at Caribbean * in SB with 44. Pot is raised to $12. 4 callers.
Flop: K45 2 diamonds. I check. Late position player bets $25. I call so does BB. Turn: 6. Check, Check. He goes all in for about $80. I raise all in. BB folds recluently. River: 8. He shows a straight on the river. What I should have done: pre-flop: call is fine. flop: check. then CHECK-RAISE to $100 to $125. turn: if called. Go all in...would have like $200 left. That could have worked. I could have nicely represented the K.

* Hand #3: Aggression at Fortune * in SB with 99. Post is raised to $12. 3 players. Flop: QT9 rainbow. I check. Middle player bet $15. Next player raises to $30. I have like $500...just won a good pot...after many hands of boredom and had asked for a table change. I raise to $200. It seems the middle player is tanking, but he had thought the player before him had cards...when he relazies its his turn, he quickly calls the $200. I think he has a straight J8. Other player folds. Turn: 6. I think for a bit. Maybe he has 2 pair or a straight draw. I go all in for around $280. He calls. River: 2. I lose. What I should have done: pre-flop: call is fine flop: check, then raise to $100. If the player quickly calls, then I should get it that he has me beat (usually). turn: check, call. river: check fold.

Anyways, seems like a common theme...early position with a strong hand and not being able to correctly make the right action. The third had was the toughest, but it should have been the easiest. I could have easily been beat with a higher set or straight draw.

So I'm a big losing streak. Might have to slow down a little bit and think things through a little bit more. Games are so much tougher then a few years ago and I'm not getting any luck. Variance is a bitch.