Party Poker 5/10 Hold'em (6 max, 5 handed) FTR converter on zerodivide.cx

Preflop: Hero is Button with [7s], [7c].
1 fold, MP calls, Hero calls.

Flop: (10 SB) [3c], [3h], [2d] (3 players)
SB bets, MP calls, Hero calls.

Turn: (6.50 BB) [Js] (3 players)
SB checks, MP checks, [color=#CC3333]Hero ......

SB is a reasonably solid and very aggressive player. I think that the threat of a check-raise from SB is high here, but I'm not sure it would mean that I'm beat if he does. No read on MP, who is new to the table.

Should I bet with what could be the best hand? Or check and look for a cheap showdown?

Raise the flop. If you are 3-bet, you can peel one and fold if you don't turn a 7. In this case with how you've played it, I would check the turn and call any river bet if the river is a card less than a J.

I don't mind the flop call. My guess is that you were raising any non ace turn.

I do like raising the flop a lot more. Especially if a 3-bet means no overs.

I'm glad you bet this turn. You have to. If he c/r's, ok. We'll deal with that if it happens. Not betting this turn because you might get c/red is a mistake because of all the outs that are collectively against you.

I've been checking a lot of turns in position lately, and I think it's a vital part of your defense against aggressive players. But this situation calls for a bet.

If he c/r's with air, good for him. If the player in the middle cold calls, I think you should fold. If not, I think you should fold sometimes and call sometimes. If the river is an A/K/Q, you should fold. Anything else, you should call occassionally, but usually fold if he bets, mostly because your hand is fairly transparent, and he will expect you to call.

Raise the flop.

Bet the turn and take a free showdown.

You do realize you are playing what is basically scared poker because you fear this guys aggression?

I think you guys are right that a flop raise is probably best here. I just called because I figured that a raise wouldn't accomplish much, because I don't have an equity edge against the opponent's collective hand ranges, and I thought it was fairly likely that this villain would 3-bet AK. But, since I have just about the worst hand I could reasonably have (given my previous play) that I'd continue with on this flop, I think I can find better spots with which to make sure I get to showdown.

After I called the flop, when he checked the turn, I put him on most likely either AA, JJ, or a whiffed AK. So that would be 9 hands that beat me and 16 that I beat (but that have 6 outs). But since he's aggressive, I think he'd be more inclined to bet than to check with AK. So I'm probably beat at least half the time here. But, it seems to me that if I bet out, he might be inclined to semibluff with AK against my obvious pocket pair. So I decided to bet out to protect my hand, but I called down after SB check-raised and SB folded. But, for me to call down getting roughly 10-2, I need him to have AK here about 1/5 of the time or less, meaning he probably needs to attempt this semibluff nearly half the time that he has AK here. That seems too high without me having a better read. So I think bet/fold would have been better than bet/calldown.

If I'm ahead of SB half the time, and I have lets say 67% equity versus SB and MP when I am ahead, then checking the turn would cost me the pot about 1/6 of the time, or about 1BB more on average than bet/folding would cost if I never got raised off the best hand. Villain would have to raise AK fairly often here for checking to become a better play than bet/folding (and in that case, I think bet/calling would actually become the best play).

So on the turn, I think bet/folding would have been the best play, although my bet/calldown makes some sense. Checking would have been a weak play.

But it shouldn't have mattered because I should have raised the flop in the first place.

You say this is one of the reasons you called, but it is really a reason to raise.

does whatever color CC3333 is?

That would be bet.

I think your overthinking the hand, this is a good flop for 77, of course you'll run into a higher PP once in a while, but your hand is still ahead more often than not.

I'd raise this flop and probably call down too if 3-bet unless I'm up against a rock. I'm also value betting it all the way through unless a scare card like an Ace hits.

I dont see how you came to that conclusion.

There're tons of hands that we've been given just as much information to suspect.

You raised from the button, and he 3et from the sb. If he's at all aggressive, he's doing this with tons of hands.

I'm not too sure that's correct. With a limper, I think he'd be more inclined to semi-cold call your raise with a lot of typical 3-betting hands like Axs, KTs, and 55. I think he'd rather keep the pot small and use his relative positoin with these hands.

Still, he is 3-betting quite a few more hands than AK here.

MNG,

I like your point about him being more inclined to check a made hand than AK. Very well thought out.

[quote=screech][quote=Abbaddabba][quote]After I called the flop, when he checked the turn, I put him on most likely either AA, JJ, or a whiffed AK. So that would be 9 hands that beat me and 16 that I beat (but that have 6 outs). But since he's aggressive, I think he'd be more inclined to bet than to check with AK. [/quote]

I dont see how you came to that conclusion.

There're tons of hands that we've been given just as much information to suspect.

You raised from the button, and he 3et from the sb. If he's at all aggressive, he's doing this with tons of hands.[/quote]

I'm not too sure that's correct. With a limper, I think he'd be more inclined to semi-cold call your raise with a lot of typical 3-betting hands like Axs, KTs, and 55. I think he'd rather keep the pot small and use his relative positoin with these hands.

Still, he is 3-betting quite a few more hands than AK here.[/quote]

You're right that AQ is probably just as likely as AK, and AJ is possible (although I doubt AJ would be willing to give a free card on the turn). Maybe even KQ/AT. But as screech said, the limper being present means my hand range is tighter than if I was on a steal, and that should make him less likely to hold a resteal-type hand.

Adding more hands makes betting the turn even more preferable to checking. But I'm not sure if/how it should affect the decision of how to handle a check-raise.[/quote]

[quote]
MNG,

I like your point about him being more inclined to check a made hand than AK. Very well thought out.[/quote]

It's ridiculous how often people get cute with big hands postflop at 5/10 6-max. I swear, 99% of the time, when a normally aggressive player fails to make a continuation bet on the flop, he's holding a monster.

Most players realize this too.

Occassionally if I'm on a steal from CO or button, and a somewhat ugly flop hits, I'll check behind teh flop. This ****s with a lot of players heads and freezes them on teh turn. If they have a hand like bottom pair that they may have c/red the flop with, they are now all to quick to release it.