Getting aggressive with baby two pair

[MRBAA]

Riding that train, playing that game -- $1-5 spread stud, $1-10 on the river. On fifth street the boards are as follows:

Me: (3s5s)53Qs
Mr. Loose: (xx)9T4
Mr. Maniac: (xx)8JK

My cards are totally live and only one spade seen. I called the $1 bring in on 3rd, bet out $5 on 4th and three players folded. The two still in are bad, bad players who could have called with almost anything. Mr. Maniac now bets out $5 on fifth (he thinks I'm weak tight because I don't play most of my hands to the river, as he does and likes to try to push me around, which can be very profitable. He's capable of betting his king with as little as overcards, a three flush, three str8, small pair...almost anything). There's about $26 in the pot with his bet, so I pop it to $10 trying to get Mr. Loose out and play the hand head up, with the possible ability to take a free card on sixth or river as needed.) Mr. Loose foils my plan by calling and Mr. Maniac calls.

Sixth:

Me: (3s5s)53Qs9s
Mr. Loose: (xx)9T4A
Mr. Maniac: (xx)8JK4

They both brick, I pick up a four flush. They check to me and I toss in $5. They both call.

On the river they check, I look at my card and bet $10 and they....

How'd I do so far?

[BeerMoney]

Well, what did you have on the river?

This line of play is reckless, you look like a genius when it works, and feel like a maniac when you see someone else stacking your chips.

[MRBAA]

Beer, beer, beer. Surely you would not fold your two pair getting 5-1 when a known maniac bets into you?

Surely you like getting 2-1 with a live 4 flush and live two pair on sixth (not to mention the slim chance of folding an opponent with one pair who might draw out on you)?

Given that, how would you play it differently?

[nate1729]

If by "reckless" you mean "correct," then yes, his play was reckless. Nice hand, MRBAA. (I'm assuming you were betting regardless of what you caught.)

[MRBAA]

Having failed to blast 'em out on 5th or 6th, with a mountain of bills in the middle, I'm not sure about betting unimproved last to act on the river. Heads up, it would surely be right. Against two, I risk betting someone's little two pair for them -- so it could be time to take my free card?

[timmer]

[ QUOTE ]
Riding that train, playing that game -- $1-5 spread stud, $1-10 on the river. On fifth street the boards are as follows:

Me: (3s5s)53Qs
Mr. Loose: (xx)9T4
Mr. Maniac: (xx)8JK

I pop it to $10 Mr. Loose foils my plan by calling and Mr. Maniac calls.

Sixth:

Me: (3s5s)53Qs9s
Mr. Loose: (xx)9T4A
Mr. Maniac: (xx)8JK4

They both brick, I pick up a four flush. They check to me and I toss in $5. They both call.

On the river they check, I look at my card and bet $10 and they....

How'd I do so far?

[/ QUOTE ]

How much check raising have you been doing up till now?

I think you doing ok.

timmer

[MRBAA]

Virtually no checkraising (note that on fifth I didn't c/r.

[Michael Davis]

The river bet is close because their cards do not appear to be dead at all. It depends what is out on 3rd street. Note that with your image even the maniac is less likely to call with junk like one pair.

-Michael

[CJC]

Hello,

Everything looks fine till river...

On the river... assuming you didn't improve ( You failed to mention what you caught on the river.. on purpose I assume /images/graemlins/grin.gif )......... the bet is fine if they routinely will call with just one pair... If they only call with hands that beat you the bet is worthless... Only you can make that judgement...

Brave against 2 opponents with live cards..

I have other thoughts, but wont mention them till after your results..

CJ

[nate1729]

Yeah, but I still think it's right. You're probably not going to get raised, they're pretty likely to bet if you check (?), and you'd better call if they bet. In exchange you often pick up two extra bets. Close here, but I like it, given what you said about these guys.

[MRBAA]

Mr. Loose will call with one pair, Mr. Maniac will lay that down, especially if Mr. Loose calls.

The key to this hand for me was that my strategy changed on every street.

On 3rd I limped because the game is very loose and passive on 3rd and I'll get paid off if I hit lucky. On 4th I hit baby two pair and bet $5 hoping to win the $8 or so in the pot right there or get head up with one pair.

On fifth, I took advantage of Mr. Maniac's propensity to bet with weak hands to try to knock out Mr. Loose and take control.

While I didn't KO Mr. Loose, I did take control. Had they caught good I may have been able to take a free card. Since they caught bad and I picked up a flush draw, I bet for value.

On the river, again I had the option to take a free showdown if I missed or get paid if I hit.

I would not have bet unimproved closing the action against two opponents -- too good a chance of betting Mr. Loose's lousy two pair for him or getting c/r by Mr. Maniac (which I'd have to call assuming Mr. Loose folded to my initial bet).

Anyway, a fifth spade rivered for me, Mr. Loose called my $10 bet, Mr. Maniac made a reluctant fold and MHWG.

[BeerMoney]

I wouldn't play it differently. However, I had just come off of a huge downswing, and was being results oriented when I said it. Anyway, please tell me you won the hand.