$2/$4 kill hold 'em, nine-handed

no kill this hand.
no reads whatsoever.

i am SB with A 9 .
..., EP2 limps, ..., MP3 limps, ..., i complete, BB raises, EP2 calls, MP3 calls, i call.

(8 SB) A J 6
i check (???), BB checks (???), EP2 bets, EP2 calls, MP3 calls.

(8 BB) 2
i bet, EP2 folds, MP3 folds, i fold face-up immediately.

i felt violated/slowplayed when BB raised preflop, check/cold-called the flop, then raised a brick turn.

i was also at a loss for what to do on the flop. should i have led out, hoped for BB to raise? i thought about that, but wasn't sure. i decided to check and see the action behind me--was this wrong?

i hated the BB's cold-call. i decided right then that i would bet the turn and fold if BB raised. the inevitable happened.

help...?

aseem

i think you should lead this flop

the pfr will likely give your bet less credit since you are in the blind and hopefully he will raise (if he's agressive)

this is a better way of protecting your hand than c/ring

but what's really tricky is that i'm usually wa/wb against the big blind.

some passive players will only raise my bet on this flop when i'm wb. when i'm wa, they may just call, so a bet doesn't protect my hand any better. this means i'm isolated when i'm wb but fail to protect when i'm wa.

i was really confused as to how to play this.

i should just assume that the BB will raise with somewhat equal probability whether i'm wb or wa? and i just want to protect my hand and get it heads-up so i can c/c it down in the process?

i like that thinking.

aseem

I'd guess he has a set of jacks. Whenever someone raises from the blinds I automatically think he has to have a hand jacks or better AK or AQ. In this case his cold call on the flop and raise on the turn makes me think JJ or possibly AJ as no way he makes this play with KK or QQ and he'd most likely jam the pot on the flop with AK or AQ.

betting and letting BB raise isnt the right line.

on the flop or on the turn?

aseem

either

if he raises he most likely has you beat pretty bad. Why get heads up with a hand that's most likely way better than yours?

i noted the same thoughts above in my reply to tim.

but, i don't think this is always true.

i think if i bet the flop, he often will raise with KK/QQ/TT/etc if he is aggressive enough to raise those preflop from the big blind. a lot of players do this, right?

and then i can c/c down or whatever, play it wa/wb if i manage to isolate him. this also protects my hand when i'm ahead.

aseem

I dont see it much.

fwiw, i think you played the hand well.

fwiw, as soon as I saw who OP was...I said to myself

"the concept of Wa/Wb will factor in here"

Wa/Wb is the new black.

I think it's being over used.

not this hand necessarily, just over all as a remedy.