PLHE hand

Playing ultimatebet.com's 1/2 PLHE tonight the following hand occurred which I'd like input on.


It is a typical lineup of mediocre and bad players. I have 99 in the BB. 3 players limp including the SB. I bet the pot and the UTG player folds, other 2 call. The flop is 742 rainbow. The SB bets the pot of about $30. I think about it a while, notice that the SB only has $27 remaining after his bet, I have him and the other player covered. I call. The player behind me surprises me by calling as well. The turn is an A, and The SB bets all in for his last $27. I fold. Player behind calls. River is a 6, and the SB shows down A7o for top two and the other player shows A8o for a pair of Aces(calling a huge flop bet with essentially nothing).


I feel like I made the right preflop play and I feel like calling on the flop was the not that bad. Should I have reraised the flop? I certainly considered it, but my feeling was that the SB was pot committed and had to call anything I would raise with. On the other hand, if I just call, I can still get away from the hand. My play turned out for the best, but still leaves questions in my mind.


thanks,

hubt

I think you are being results oriented in your thought process here. First of all, I don't like the raise out of position before the flop. You make the pot big allowing yourself to get outplayed if overcards flop. In limit, its a good raise, but in pot limit it can be disastrous and make the hand much harder to play. The flop (besides hitting a set) is about the best you can hope for. And since it's pot limit, you can actually protect your hand! So why don't you? It is highly unlikely that the SB has an overpair based on preflop action...when he bets the pot, you should raise him all in. You might take it down right there and you will likely get the player behind you out with overcards or any other hand, which you want to do). Plus the SB may fold and you could win the pot there. If you're playing, play hard here...a call is weak.


JMO

Jeff

For me the only hand i would fear here is a set. If the small blind has one you can't lose to much more, so raise the pot and get the 3rd player out. The small blind probably will call, and you lose, but you're getting yourself headsup against a weaker hand for all his money, which can never be a bad thing.

I discussed this hand with hubt when it happened -- I was at the table at the time.


Preflop, I think raising big with a medium pocket pair against a bunch of limpers is fine. You might be ahead now, you're very likely to take it down, and it provides cover for the times you do it with QQ or AK. I wouldn't do it every time, but it's a perfectly reasonable play.


On the flop, though, I think calling is the worst option. If you think you're beat, you can lay it down. That's a pretty big laydown there, though, given that the sb probably thinks that you have AK, and is betting pretty much any pair. It's unlikely that he has you beat right now:


He could have a set, in which case you're in big trouble. But that's it. He could have TT, I suppose, but with JJ-AA he most likely would raise preflop. (I know JJ doesn't necessarily merit it, since it's not really any better than 99, but people fall in love with it all the time.)


So pump it up, get the money in while you're sure you're ahead. And when he hits his 5-outer on the turn, well, that's poker.


- target