Another $5/$10 PLOH hand..

[Moose]

Decent PLOH game, $5/$10, almost always several limpers.

I am in middle position with AKQQ, K and Q of diamonds. Two fold to me, I call, one caller behind me, button makes it $25, SB calls, I and the other call.

4 players see the pot. Flop comes Kx4d2d.

SB bets all-in for almost $100. I call, Button goes all in for almost $500.

Things I considered in this hand:

1> This is as obvious a 'shut-out-the-tight-guy-so-I-can-isolate-all-in' play as I've ever seen. The button player is solid enough to understand the concept and generally frisky enough to try such things.

2> Regardless of the above, he's not that frisky that he'll make the play with the 4th nut flush draw, and since I have K and Q, if he has a flush draw at all, it's the nuts.

3> If I am up against 2 pair, I only have 5 kicker cards to hit instead of six. On the other hand, the queens give me a big hand of course.

Results to follow. Critique please!

M.

[Moose]

.. offsuit queen hits the turn, ten of diamonds hits the river. Original all-in-bettor had AKJx for broadway, player next to reraiser saw the hand and claims that the reraiser had top two.

M.

I probably would have raised the max pre-flop. You probably have the best hand, so you might as well raise it up. If I'm in a game where people will raise and call raises with three card hands (as it seems you are in your results) then maybe I'll even try to limp-reraise. You have a hand that you want to get a lot of money into the pot with.

On the flop, I probably would have folded to the small blind's bet. You have top pair and an OK draw. He can't have less than top pair or a monster draw, and there's the raiser to act behind you. Against a rather clever SB, I might guess that he likely has a King and the Ace of diamonds, and figures that he probably has the best hand now with no nut-flush draws out, since you're a tight player who limped and the button raised. Now I might call.

If I have the $500 to cover the button's all-in, I probably fold. I give him credit for a hand that is at least 50-50 against mine, and quite possibly better (He could have Aces, a set, or a king with a better flush draw). If I have about 200, then I'd call, but then again I would have pushed all-in instead of calling if that's all I had.

[Lurker]

"3> If I am up against 2 pair, I only have 5 kicker cards to hit instead of six."

Even if he does have top 2, unless he has a better flush draw than you, you are still winning. Good call.

[Piers]

A pre flop raise looks good. Maybe a reraise too if the others usualy call, although I don't want to be heads up against aces.

On the flop I wuold fold in my sleep, both times. Maybe I play too tight, but it looks to me that you are behind and likly drawing dead. If my stack is small enough to call here then it must have been rigth to put the chips in pre flop while you were ahead.

If you take any action on the flop, an inital raise looks better style, but with the pre flop raiser still to come, yuck!.