2 replies to this topic

[akishore]

how the heck do you play top two pair on a super-coordinated flop in an eight-way action pot???do you play it aggressively, not giving away free cards, or do you play it like a drawing hand with only four outs to a boat???0.25/0.50 Hold'em (10-handed)Pre-flop: akishore is Button with J 10 .UTG folds, UTG+1 folds, UTG+2 calls, MP1 calls, MP2 calls, MP3 calls, CO calls, akishore calls, SB completes, BB checks.Flop: J 10 9 (8 players, 8 SB)SB checks, BB checks, UTG+2 bets, MP1 calls, MP3 calls, akishore calls, SB calls, BB calls.two cold to me just to call. i figure the raise may be for a free card or may be something like QJ or AJ or something, so i three-bet to make it unprofitable for any gutshots to call (though it might still be profitable for OESDs to call). was the three-bet correct?Turn: 2 (6 players, 16 BB)SB checks, BB checks, UTG+2 bets, SB folds, BB calls, UTG+2 calls.a blank hits the turn, yet it's still bet and raised. i realize it's time to way slow down, and i'm drawing to 4 outs most likely. even if there's no made straight out there, someone might have a set. there's very little chance my top two is good right now, i figure. even with four outs, i have odds to call two cold to see a river, yet it gets capped again. should i have folded to two cold here since it might be capped?River: 3 (4 players, 35 BB)BB checks, UTG+2 checks, MP2 bets, BB folds, UTG+2 calls.if it was two cold to me, i would have folded when i didn't fill up. for one bet, though, i figure i can see a showdown, since one of the two cappers didn't bet this round (scared of the flush maybe). should i have folded here for just one bet, even though the pot was 36 BB??thanks,aseem

[Briguy]

With that flop, you had to raise to make sure KQ or 78 was in play. The turn call was a bit marginal, if you were sure that it would be capped (~7 or 8:1, depending on who you thought would stay in the betting). But if you thought the original bettor would just call the raise from MP2, then you had the odds to chase. Obviously, you have to call the last two turn bets, getting 15:1 or so. There's no way in hell you can fold that river, getting 35:1 on the call. It's remotely possible that the straight isn't there, and that the bettors were raising the flop with the nut flush draw or KJ, QJ. Unless you are 97% sure that MP2 has KQ or trips, you have to call it down.It sucks this one time, but it sure rocks when one of your four outs hits. Or when it turns out that you were up against KJ, QJ, or J9 the whole time.

[MrNiceGuy]

Man, this is a tough hand. On the flop, one or both raisers could be value-betting the flush draw, but it's likely that at least one of them has a straight when they both keep going after the turn blank, particularly since microlimit players are on average less likely to value-bet a draw and more likely to have and overplay the ass end of straights.The three-bet on the flop seems like the best play, but here it didn't slow down either raiser on the turn - as you suggested, the only reasonable place to fold is the first time around on the turn.It's possible that you're against pocket jacks and drawing dead, or agianst pocket tens and drawing slim, but they're unlikely both mathematically and because nobody raised preflop.I think, marginally, the best play would be to fold on the turn - but it's hard to fault you for sticking around (I'd probably call also.) Looks like basically a crapshoot hand.