party 15-- slowplay or not?

[etizzle]

both my opponents seem pretty passive so far.

Party Poker 15/30 Hold'em (10 handed)

Preflop: Hero is SB with T/images/graemlins/spade.gif, T/images/graemlins/diamond.gif.
UTG folds, UTG+1 calls, UTG+2 folds, MP1 folds, MP2 calls, MP3 folds, CO folds, Button folds, <font color="CC3333">Hero raises</font>, BB folds, UTG+1 calls, MP2 calls.

Flop: (7 SB) T/images/graemlins/heart.gif, 5/images/graemlins/club.gif, 3/images/graemlins/heart.gif <font color="blue">(3 players)</font>
<font color="CC3333">Hero...</font>

anybody bet out here?

[LarsVegas]

I think this seems like an excellent spot to bet out in, yes.

lars

[Ian J]

You raised preflop, it's your job to bet the flop.

Nobody will put you on TT here if you lead right out. If you check and come alive later, they'll be much less likely to play back.

[etizzle]

well, heres a followup question:

how tight would opponents have to be for you to check? How rarely would they have to call with overcards to make you check? If they fold everytime they dont have a flushdraw or 66-99, would you check?

these players were not necessarily this tight, but i was just curious as to how theoretically tight you think 2 players would have to be for a check to be right.

[schroedy]

"both my opponents seem pretty passive"

If hero doesn't bet, who will?

[etizzle]

probably noone. They will, however, call a turn bet if they pair up.

[LarsVegas]

...so theoretically tight that you would never want to sit in another game?

If they are that weak-tight, or even close to, you want to encourage them to continue in that vein or even get even more fond of folding, by having you betting your premier hands such as these strongly.

[schroedy]

I think we are using terms differently. To me a "passive" opponent will call, and call, and call . . . but never bet or raise. Folders I call tight.

I am not waiting to bet this hand and giving the flush draws a free card. I am not really going to worry about how to keep the overcards (and overpairs - note the overpairs will raise, and may take a three bet to four) in.

I lose more opponents by checking the flop through and betting the turn than I do by betting right out. Among other things the extra small bets in from the flop help to get the flush draws to keep tagging along on the turn. But mainly, my opponents tend to "smell a trap" when the flop is checked through and then I come right out firing on the turn.

[JasonP530]

You should bet and expect to be called in at least one spot. You would bet AK here too(esp with one heart), so you might as well take advantage of your image. I find when I check the flop, it makes he play of the hand tougher. If you check to the last guy who bets, then what? You dont want to check the turn, or checkraise the turn if a heart comes, if the last guy has bet you may knock the other person out with a raise. It seems like a perfect time to bet, and raise and never take your foot off the accelerator.

[William Jockusch]

Bet out? Hell, yeah. There are all kinds of hands that can beat you, including flush draws and gutshots, not to mention backdoor draws.

If someone has a gutshot, you certainly want to force them to call a bet or fold. If someone has a good hand, you want the money to go in there before a flush comes and slows you both down. If someone has a backdoor draw, you again want them to call a bet or get out of there.

The last reason to bet is that if you do, opponents will often suspect you of stealing.