A hand for the sharks

Six player max game.


Everyone folds to the cut-off who is a good aggressive player who limps. Small blind completes. I have 7-6h and check.


Flop comes A-5-5. Two spades. Now I know the cutoff doesn't have an ace or a pocket pair because any hand of that variety that he would play, he would have raised. He undoubtedly has a really weak hand.


Small blind checks. I could bet to steal but he might call me with king high or something, and see if I follow through. I was planning to checkraise bluff. Forcing him to laydown king on the flop. If I had an ace I would likely play it this way.


To my surprise he checks.


Here is where it gets good.


Turn comes a seven of spades. Completing a flush.


Small blind bets. I am pretty sure he has nothing. So for all you shorthanded sharks out there. Do I call, allow him to bluff off his money in a small pot and not risk a reraise if he slowplayed something. Or, raise, likely win the small pot here, to drive out overcards and a possible singleton spade draw. Also, raising drives the guy out behind me.


If there were no three flush on board, i think i should call since six outs is not getting the right price (for the bet I collect on the river-on the follow through which I think is coming). However, the player behind me and the three flush changes things.


I like raising and folding to a three bet.


I called. however.

I called. And to my suprise the player behind me called. The river was a seven. Giving me a fullhouse. The small blind bet. I raised and both folded. Confirming my read the small blind had nothing.

Havent read the results yet.


If the SB is not the extremely aggressive player who could 3-bet here if he believes you dont have it either then I think raising is the best option.


There is a good chance your hand is good, because SB could be betting anything, like a single good spade or a pure bluff. The pot is only 1.75BB when it comes to you, so your raise will almost certainly get the cut-off out, unless he was slowplaying a very good hand.


I would rather raise here instead of calling, because as you stated there are 3 flushcards on the board. When you just call, and dont give him a chance to fold he could very well steal the pot of you on the river when a spade falls. If you raise here he will either fold (if he was on a pure bluff) and most likely call if he has a Ks for instance hoping any flushcard or his hole cards pairing might be good. And if cut-off has a spade and two overcards to your 7 I also want him out (for a single BB; it's close, but I think it makes your riverplay easier and you're not prone to make incorrect folds at the river if he can be tricky).


So I like your thinking (not your action :-), because the flushdraw changes everything IMO.


Regards