Could I have protected my hand better here?

[jason_t]

This is my first post.

I know I played this weakly, but would like to hear your thoughts. My previous read on MP1 is that he is a decent player and MP2 is a bad player.

I think I should have reraised the flop and led the turn if a blank hit. Is this correct?

PokerRoom 3/6 Hold'em (8 handed)

Preflop: Hero is UTG with 8/images/graemlins/spade.gif, 8/images/graemlins/heart.gif.
<font color="CC3333">Hero calls</font>, UTG+1 folds, <font color="CC3333">MP1 raises</font>, MP2 calls, CO folds, Button folds, folds, BB folds, Hero calls.

Flop: (6.33 SB) 3/images/graemlins/spade.gif, 7/images/graemlins/spade.gif, 4/images/graemlins/diamond.gif <font color="blue">(3 players)</font>
<font color="CC3333">Hero bets</font>, <font color="CC3333">MP1 raises</font>, MP2 calls, Hero calls.

Turn: (6.16 BB) 2/images/graemlins/diamond.gif <font color="blue">(3 players)</font>
Hero checks, <font color="CC3333">MP1 bets</font>, MP2 calls, Hero calls.

River: (9.16 BB) 5/images/graemlins/heart.gif <font color="blue">(3 players)</font>
Hero checks, MP1 checks, <font color="CC3333">MP2 bets</font>, Hero folds, MP1 calls.

Final Pot: 11.16 BB
<font color="green"> Main Pot: 11.16 BB between MP1 and MP2. </font>

[Nick C]

You could 3-bet the flop and lead the turn. Some thoughts, though:

Unless MP1 will always raise overcards in this situation with that flop, the chances he has an overpair instead went up when he raised the flop.

If you 3-bet the flop and MP1 caps, there's a really good chance that what MP1 holds is an overpair and you're way behind. (Plus, he might just call the 3-bet with his overpair and wait until the turn to raise again.)

If he just has overcards, then a 3-bet makes him pay to draw (although if by some chance he has a flush draw to go with those overcards, then your hand would be roughly a coin flip against his at this point if the hand were heads-up).

There's not much of any way to put more pressure on MP2 that's to your benefit. He called two cold on the flop. If you lead the turn, MP1 probably won't raise again with just overcards. If MP1 does raise the turn and face MP2 with two cold again, you're probably way behind.

Also, incidentally, given the cards you hold and the board, there aren't many turn cards that could fall that are complete blanks. Most cards will be an overcard or will put four to a straight on the board, and in either case the turn card could also put the third of a suit on the board. (Still, some overcards would be less scary than others.)

Anyway, I think 3-betting the flop with the plan of leading a turn card that isn't too scary is a reasonable plan. And even if you just called the flop raise, you could consider leading the turn once the 2 /images/graemlins/diamond.gif fell. But, given the cards that fell and your description of your opponents, I don't think there's much you could've done that would've led to your winning the hand.

[bdk3clash]

Preflop looks fine.

On the flop, I think I would checkraised and taken it from there. Most of the time, when someone 3-bets this flop they have an overpair, and when they don't they have overcards, are waiting until the turn to raise, or play like a big girl.

If I had bet out like you did...MP1 raising is actually a great thing for you since it forces MP2 into what is likely a significant error in calling 2 cold, getting like 9:2. Anyway, once it's back to you you really have a lot of viable options.

I think the line I most prefer going from MP1's flop raise to the turn is to call the flop raise and lead the turn to any non A/K card. If MP1 is a "good" player he would likely raise the flop with overcards, especially if he has a backdoor flush draw or a flush draw on this flop.

On the turn, he'd probably raise with an actual overpair. If the turn is a small /images/graemlins/spade.gif I would still fold to a raise, though there's a chance MP1 would semibluff here.

As you played the turn there's no way you should be fodling the river for one bet.

[Nick C]

[ QUOTE ]
As you played the turn there's no way you should be fodling the river for one bet.

[/ QUOTE ]

This is a good point. (When I first responded to this thread, for some reason I thought MP1 bet the river and MP2 raised.)

[Lmn55d]

why do you favor checkraising over betting out? Doesn't betting out give us the best chance of making MP2 call 2 cold while also making sure the flop doesn't get checked around?

[tripdad]

when you check/raise, you are just building up a pot when you may be behind already. i think this poster played this hand the only way he could, other than the flop 3-bet, which i would argue against.

myself, i would have led again at the turn and folded to a raise.

cheers!

[sfer]

[ QUOTE ]
As you played the turn there's no way you should be fodling the river for one bet.

[/ QUOTE ]

How can you call the river? You're behind overpairs and any Ace.

[Lmn55d]

tripdad, can you explain why you favor a flopcall/turnlead over a flop 3bet. Thanks.

[chesspain]

[ QUOTE ]
As you played the turn there's no way you should be fodling the river for one bet.

[/ QUOTE ]

The river is a super easy fold, especially since he is not closing the action. Not even considering what MP2 could have, the only hand that MP1 could have which is behind Hero's hand is KQ.

[bdk3clash]

Oy. Missed the one-card wheel. Fold the river. Blecch.

[ecooke]

PF and Flop look fine.
I lead the Turn and call a raise, using MP1 to protect.
Fold the River.

[jason_t]

[ QUOTE ]
As you played the turn there's no way you should be fodling the river for one bet.

[/ QUOTE ]

I respectfully disagree with this; I think that the river is an easy fold. There is really no reasonable holding for my opponents to have that I can beat.

[Nick C]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
As you played the turn there's no way you should be fodling the river for one bet.

[/ QUOTE ]

I respectfully disagree with this; I think that the river is an easy fold. There is really no reasonable holding for my opponents to have that I can beat.

[/ QUOTE ]

bdk3clash retracted what he said about the river, and I'll now retract what I said about the river as well.

Unless you think MP2 is making a play since it was checked to him and MP1 will fold a better hand (under those circumstances, you might be able to raise the river successfully), there's not much to be done on the river except to fold.

[jason_t]

[ QUOTE ]
bdk3clash retracted what he said about the river, and I'll now retract what I said about the river as well.

[/ QUOTE ]

My bad for missing his retraction which I didn't see until after I wrote my reply.

[ QUOTE ]
Unless you think MP2 is making a play since it was checked to him and MP1 will fold a better hand (under those circumstances, you might be able to raise the river successfully), there's not much to be done on the river except to fold.

[/ QUOTE ]

At the time, I thought it might be possible that MP2 was making a play, but I couldn't give him any credit for being that imaginative based on my previous read. I decided he probably had Ax for the wheel and that made it an easy fold. MP1 called with A /images/graemlins/diamond.gif, K /images/graemlins/heart.gif and MP2 had A /images/graemlins/club.gif, 9 /images/graemlins/diamond.gif to split the pot.