Pot-limit HE hand

1-2 blinds, I am in middle position with 79h. Many callers- 5 or 6 I believe. Everyone limps. Flop comes down 8h5h10. Early position bets a little over half the pot, mid pos. calls. I debate about raising, but decide to draw cheap and see how I like the turn. Turn is a J. I like it, but so does player between us as he raises the early position better. At this point I think that I am most likely the winner and that mid just has 2 pair like j10. I re-raise all-in, turn is a blank, and mid pos. player shows down q9os and drags the pot. My question is this: With a str8 and flush draw, should I have been content to draw cheap, especially since I could make a non-nut hand both ways, or should I have raised the max early on and tried to take down the pot right there. I put early pos. player on a high pair like QQ, KK, or AA, so I figured there was no way he'd fold on that flop, thus my decision to call instead of raise my draw: in hindsight of course, my raise would have all but certainly gotten out the gutshot draw that beat me and saved the pot for my second nut str8...What would you do?

I'm wondering what the actual bets and stack sizes were

because that matters, but that's a good lesson about playing mid-range suited connectors -- you have to play cautiously and be ready to fold if you make the non-nut straight against big bets. Obviously, the higher the cards the more likely people are to have bothered limping in -- therefore if its the type of game where you feel comfortable playing 79s in mid position, then you can expect that someone else won't play Q9.


One thing I'm learning in my own PL play is that you definitely want to avoid situations where you're likely to be second best. You want to play dominating hands, so that when you're betting, you have to be beaten by a hand a whole class higher. In other words, don't get caught with weak flush, non-nut straight, top pair with puny kicker, etc. If you play strong, its too easy to be second best, and if you're weak, then you make no money on your hand when you do get it. You want a hand you can play strong, and then when you get a caller with a dominated hand, you get paid.


Without saying more, if I were betting your hand, I would not bet at all after the flop unless I expected more than 2 callers. If I thought I could get 3 or better 4 of the 6 to call, I'd go ahead and make a value bet, with the added benefit of probing for strength. The alternative would be to make a very strong bet designed to knock out other drawing hands, but you'd need to have enough money left in the appropriate stacks that you'd have a chance to win at least another pot-size bet, preferably more, if it was called.


Anyhow, I don't think your play was wrong, although the bet sizes and stack sizes matter, but playing 79s in mid position seems tenuous at best.

If you're gonna play these hands, you have to play them fast when you flop to them. Winning the pot right there would be just fine. Making your hand would be ok too. The str8flsh draw is especially appealing because it's impossible to be drawing dead to a single player.


Raising in pot limit has the additional benefit of defining your opponent's hands (limit too, but less so). A call from behind marks most players pretty clearly on a flush draw, almost surely a better one than yours. Now you might have the chance to get away if the flush card comes. A call from in front is usually less clear, he may have 2-pair or even a set, and, depending on what he thinks of you, could be waiting for a blank on the turn to let you take the lead. This is when you have to know how deep it is. With the A-A and shallow money, he may just push at you, close your eyes and call, you have plenty of outs (heads-up). As has been written before, it all comes down to knowing your opponents and thinking at the third level.


You have to play your made hands the same way, of course. It must be in the back of their minds that you will make the maximum raise with the nuts (because you do). They also must believe that you will fire again on the turn (which you often will, but perhaps less than they think).


dangerous dan