Playing $1/$2 NLHE.

Reads: MP and Button were both huge flush chasers. Button had just beat me on a pot where I had AA, flopped a set on an all board. He chased me w/ the naked 9 . Both these guys were chasing there flushes regardless of pot odds.

Stacks:

Me: $100
MP: $72
Button: $55

I'm in the BB w/ K9. EP limps, MP limps, button limps, SB completes and I check ($10 in pot).

Flop: K 9 5 .

Normally I'd never get cute w/ top two on a tricky board, but I was positive either MP or Button would make a play for this pot, so I checked. EP checked, MP bet $8, button called $8, SB folds, I raise to $30. As I said, I'm positive at least one is drawing at the flush.

EP folds, MP raises $35 more all-in, Button folds and I insta-call.

Was this play too cute or just right???

if your goal was to get it asll in on the flop, then you plasyed it just right.

I don't mind the check-raise here if you figured one of your opponents would stab at it.

The relatively small bet / push would have made me slightly nervous, and maybe put thoughts of a set of 5's or something to that effect.

Unless it's the type of idiot who pushes in with flush draws all the time.

k-9-5 isnt what i'd consider a scary board... so c/r is a very good option esp since we know it's getting bet.

unless we dont like getting our money in as a 2-1 favorite... we played it well

The only thing that made it scary was the two s. I generally try not to get too fancy when there's flush draws out there, but as I said above, I was positive that's what I was up against.

even w/ the flush draw... k-9-5 isnt scary since all straight draws are gutshots and we're trapping any good king.

if you had k-10 and checked k-10-9... then there would be need for ridiculue

Even on a good board like this I don't like to slowplay. It worked out well for you here, but if it checks around then a club comes off on turn, what are you going to do?

Who said it worked out well for me??? You didn't hear it out of my mouth.

I had to trust my read w/ these two players in the pot though, I absolutely knew one of them would bet it. There was close to zero chance it would get checked around. I'd been at this table for a couple of hours, and these two were VERY predictible.

Played it just right

The fear that someone may draw to a flush should be the thing that makes you want to get it in here and now. If someone has a flush draw they are no more a threat than someone with K and a better side card. The chances remain that they can improve over you, but you got to feel pretty solid going into this.

The play was fine so long as you honestly felt that someone would lead this flop and you could move in on them. Like someone else said, if you let a free card go and another club pops, then now what do you do? You already made someone for a flush draw, now you believe they have it, you lost control of the pot and you may let them put you into a position to fold when you shouldn't.

For those reasons I lead with that hand on that board, but at the same time, I would check if I was 90% sure one of the others would lead.

Time for results...

As I said I had K9 on a board of K 9 5 . I check-raised the flop and MP moved all-in (for a min-raise of my raise) and I instacalled, putting him on a flush draw.

He turned over Q 10 for the flush draw and a gutshot.

Of course the turn was a and I got no boat help on the river, so I lost another big pot that I felt I played correctly.

Even though he had the gutshot to go w/ his flush draw I was still a 60/40 favorite to win when all the money went in. I truly feel he would've played it the same w/ just a flush draw too (in which case I'd be 70/30), so I was pleased w/ my play, but once again, I didn't get the results I was looking for.

Your play is fine especially agianst weak loose short stack players. If you were up agianst a stronger opponent with more chips, then betting out in order to give yourself the option to fold if raised might be a safer play but agianst the type of players you described check raising is probably an optimul play. Understand who these players are and just play the ABC's of poker agianst them. (I guess ABC's could stand for always be check raising agianst chumps.) Even if the all in raiser got lucky and hit a set of fives then I still think you played it right in terms of long range EV.
Good luck.

I may get flamed for this, but if you know they go after flush draws, why not lead into them? They may just call. When that club comes on the turn, you lose less. With your play, you invited him to commit himself to the pot. This isn't a bad play, but there is no way for you to get away from your hand. Two pair on the flop against maniacs is not as strong as against a solid player. Odds don't matter to them, so they are essentially getting infinite odds because they just don't care. If a club does not come on the turn, then push in because the odds are much more in your favor.

Along with some of the other posts, this is not that scary of a board against 'good' players. I think you could have gotten away from this hand losing less and picked a spot where you flop a set or two pair without the coordinated flop.

I think the other way to play it is to lead out like you suggested. Had I done that I'm almost positive MP would've min-raised me, and then I would've either made a big re-raise, or just move all-in. I think either way we're getting it all in on the flop. In this case he has to call the all-in and he may lay it down, but at the time I felt like the c/r would define my hand, and it played out almost exactly as I wanted it to, just didn't get the results, but I can't complain about that...

I do.

Don't be results oriented. Based on your read of your opponents, you managed to get all your money in the pot as a probable huge favourite. If you lost to a flush draw (or a straight draw), he just happened to draw out on you. If you lost to a set, then you were unlucky, but I still think you played it right.

Why?

Because you were close to 100% sure you would be able to check-raise to protect you hand. You were also certain that since one of the villians was probably going to mke a play at the pot, it was probable that they were making the play with less than a set -- hence, in the long run you have the best hand far more often than the times an opponent turns over a set.

Listen to your reads and... Don't be results oriented!

Cheers,

Merby

I agree that leading into them is also a good play (it's hard to play poorly against such weak players). Nevertheless, I prefer the check-raise: it will trap more money in the pot, so in the long run you are scooping bigger pots when they aren't getting the odds to call.

Since they don't care about the odds, the ideal play is to trap as much of their money as possible in the pot when the pot odds don't justify the call. Obviously if the amount is so much that losing the pot will seriously affect your bankroll, then the lead-out bet on the flop will keep the pot smaller, hence losing the pot will not greatly affect the bankroll.

Just some food for thought...

Merby

Thanks for the food. :-)

Thanks for the food. :-)

my mistake