Flopped Nuts

[sennin 0]

PokerStars No-Limit Hold'em, $0.50 BB (9 handed) Hand History Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com (Format: FCP)UTG+1 ($32.30)MP1 ($55.35)MP2 ($78.35)MP3 ($50.75)CO ($50)Button ($53.90)Hero ($54.10)BB ($50)UTG ($58.55)Preflop: Hero is SB with K , A . CO posts a blind of $0.50. UTG calls $0.50, 2 folds, MP2 calls $0.50, 1 fold, CO (poster) checks, Button calls $0.50, Hero raises to $3, 1 fold, UTG calls $2.50, MP2 folds, CO calls $2.50, Button calls $2.50.Flop: ($13) 3 , 5 , J (4 players)Hero checks, UTG bets $8, CO folds, Button calls $8, Hero ???What's the best line? No reads on these guys, just sat down a few orbits ago. Should I lead the flop, or should I checkraise? Or should I just call?

[BDPoolie 0]

PokerStars No-Limit Hold'em, $0.50 BB (9 handed) Hand History Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com (Format: FCP)UTG+1 ($32.30)MP1 ($55.35)MP2 ($78.35)MP3 ($50.75)CO ($50)Button ($53.90)Hero ($54.10)BB ($50)UTG ($58.55)Preflop: Hero is SB with K , A . CO posts a blind of $0.50. UTG calls $0.50, 2 folds, MP2 calls $0.50, 1 fold, CO (poster) checks, Button calls $0.50, Hero raises to $3, 1 fold, UTG calls $2.50, MP2 folds, CO calls $2.50, Button calls $2.50.Flop: ($13) 3 , 5 , J (4 players)Hero checks, UTG bets $8, CO folds, Button calls $8, Hero ???What's the best line? No reads on these guys, just sat down a few orbits ago. Should I lead the flop, or should I checkraise? Or should I just call?

I like the check on the flop. I don't see anyone having 2 pair here. I'm not a big fan of slow playing, so I'd probably raise it to $20 and see what happens. I'm guessing some other people may say to flat call, which probably isn't bad either, but I've seen WAY too many bad beats this way.

[Royal_Tour 0]

u have both the K, and A of spades. As much as i like a smooth call, if another spade falls. it kills all your action and you're first to act.with 2 players in and a bet and smooth call. i'd almost be certain here someone has a set or baby flush.very difficult for them to fold such a hand on the flop.i'd make a raise.i'm leaning towards 18. and hope for a push.if u just call, and a none spade non pair card hits, your best bet is to check again, and rep the A of spades and hope someone tries to price you out.but my line here is to raise to 18

[mtdesmoines 2]

PokerStars No-Limit Hold'em, $0.50 BB (9 handed) Hand History Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com (Format: FCP)UTG+1 ($32.30)MP1 ($55.35)MP2 ($78.35)MP3 ($50.75)CO ($50)Button ($53.90)Hero ($54.10)BB ($50)UTG ($58.55)Preflop: Hero is SB with K , A . CO posts a blind of $0.50. UTG calls $0.50, 2 folds, MP2 calls $0.50, 1 fold, CO (poster) checks, Button calls $0.50, Hero raises to $3, 1 fold, UTG calls $2.50, MP2 folds, CO calls $2.50, Button calls $2.50.Flop: ($13) 3 , 5 , J (4 players)Hero checks, UTG bets $8, CO folds, Button calls $8, Hero ???What's the best line? No reads on these guys, just sat down a few orbits ago. Should I lead the flop, or should I checkraise? Or should I just call?

I almost vote for a smooth call here. If there's another flush out there, no more spades are coming ... Someone is going to fire hard at that turn. With $37 in the pot, the pot/stack ratio demands that someone move on this pot.

[Acid_Knight 2]

Raise to $20 because nobody who has any piece of that should fold for that price. People will stack off with hands like QsJx on this board because they are dumb.

[trystero 0]

Raise it up and stack a set. OOP I don't see the advantage in flat-calling. If there's another flush out there we can get action right now on the flop.Incidentally I lead at this flop. A c/r on a board this scary really looks suspicious since you raised pf. I doubt sets are folding, anyway, but you're definitely representing three jacks or the nuts with the c/r.

[sabes99 0]

i would smooth-call...people are more likely to fold their one pair hands on single-suited flops if they don't have a flush card to back it up...considering that you have the A and K of spades, there is no reason to believe you could get that much action by raising, unless they had a pair with a flush draw(QsJx as has been said)...they will hang themselves on the turn either way in such a case, so i like just calling

[sennin 0]

Looks like there is an argument for every play lol. I ended up just flat calling, hoping that a spade wouldnt hit on the turn then I could check-raise all in when UTG bets again. Unfortunately, the turn came 4. I checked it again hoping someone maybe had Q but it got checked around.River came a blank, I bet 1/2 the pot and they both folded. UTG went on to call me an idiot and then left the table. So Im guessing he flopped a set, which is probably right, as the utg limp then call definitely screams pocket pair. Im still torn between raising and calling though. If I raise, he might be scared of the checkraise and fold(unlikely, but it could happen), if I call most of the time a non spade is going to hit that turn, I'll check and he'll pot commit himself with a large bet. I think both plays are about equal..thoughts?

[Merby 3]

I lead out on that flop, but that is only because I normally lead out on the flop after raising preflop (actually, I never continuation bet with air into 3 opponents, but many players wouldn't pick up on that fact and would just remember all the times I cont-bet them heads-up with A-high or an underpair). Many opponents would probably just put me on overs (like AK with the ace of spades perhaps). Expect sets/two pairs/flushes to protect their hand by raising back at me, top pair *might* do that too.

[trystero 0]

Looks like there is an argument for every play lol. I ended up just flat calling, hoping that a spade wouldnt hit on the turn then I could check-raise all in when UTG bets again. Unfortunately, the turn came 4. I checked it again hoping someone maybe had Q but it got checked around.River came a blank, I bet 1/2 the pot and they both folded. UTG went on to call me an idiot and then left the table. So Im guessing he flopped a set, which is probably right, as the utg limp then call definitely screams pocket pair. Im still torn between raising and calling though. If I raise, he might be scared of the checkraise and fold(unlikely, but it could happen), if I call most of the time a non spade is going to hit that turn, I'll check and he'll pot commit himself with a large bet. I think both plays are about equal..thoughts?

See here's the problem with being OOP and playing passively. You run the risk of losing control of the hand. If a scare card comes and you check...it can check through. You're also giving a set a free card. There are just a ton of things that can happen on the turn that you don't like seeing.Now I don't think he's going to fold to a checkraise on the flop, granted, but the c/r gives him an opportunity to do so. It's just too suspicious of a play. You probably aren't doing that with one pair type hands. Lead at the flop instead so that you'll get raised, and then you can shove. Now your range, while including the nuts and a set of jacks, also includes AAs, KKs, or AsKd, and there's no way he gets away from his hand. Leading makes this hand that much simpler.When you flop a monster your reaction can't immediately be to slowplay it and hope someone catches up or hangs himself (but I'd be more in favor of flat calling if you were actually in position). You have to ask yourself what you want from the hand. Here you want to stack sets, two pair combinations, and smaller flushes. You can only do this by playing the flop fast and hard. You also want to charge weaker spades to draw dead. Now if you slowplay you run the risk of shoveling money in when you're the one who's drawing dead - when the board pairs, for instance. Don't be afraid to take a pot down uncontested when you have the nuts. Yeah, it sucks when it happens, but unless you're playing a total idiot then you'll only win big pots off big hands, and you'll only find out if someone's got a big hand by playing back at him.

[sennin 0]

^ Ty for that reply.The reason I didnt lead out was because I never c-bet against that many opponents on a flop like that so I thought that if I bet they would know that I have a hand. However, this is 50NL and I shouldn't be worried about that like Merby said. I'll definitely lead next time.