How did I play this tough hand?

[Godfather80]

$.05/.10 NL at Pacific. 4 players.

Play at the table ranged from loose-passive to inexplicable.

SB-$7.85
BB-$10.95
Hero-$16.35
Button-$7.00

Hero is dealt 8c8h. Hero raises to $.60. Button calls. SB calls BB raises to $1.10. Hero raises to $3.00. Button folds. SB folds. BB calls.

$7.20 in pot

Flop 9 /images/graemlins/club.gifT /images/graemlins/club.gif6 /images/graemlins/heart.gif

BB checks. Hero bets $4.10. BB raises to $8.05. Hero calls.

$23.40 in pot

Turn 9 /images/graemlins/club.gifT /images/graemlins/club.gif6 /images/graemlins/heart.gif9 /images/graemlins/heart.gif

River 9 /images/graemlins/club.gifT /images/graemlins/club.gif6 /images/graemlins/heart.gif9 /images/graemlins/heart.gifA /images/graemlins/spade.gif

Thoughts?

Result in white below:

<font color="white"> BB shows A /images/graemlins/club.gifK /images/graemlins/heart.gif for a better two pair. BB wins $23.40. </font>

[mishafp]

I gotta admit, i do not understand this play at all- why are you re-raising pre-flop here? Why are you calling his raise on the flop? without a read on this player i think this is "inexplicable."

[Godfather80]

Okay. The preflop reraise is for clarity. I have a good hand that may or may not be best right now. However, since my original raise was called by both the Button and the SB and I know 88 won't play well against 4 opponents, my reraised there will either knock them out or tell me that I don't have the best hand if called.

My flop bet after BB's check was a standard bet. I may still have the best hand (ie if he called me with overcards, then the flop missed him, but I can't let him hit his hand for free) or I may be behind a higher pocket pair or set. Either way, my bet of half his stack should define the hand and if it is called then I still have 4 outs to a straight (ie the 4 remaining 7s)

When he reraised all-in, I was left to call $3.95 to win ~$20. I don't often fold when I'm getting ~5:1 odds and am ahead at least 1/3 of the time.

I hope I explained my thought process sufficiently. I'd like to discuss it further.

[tbach24]

You won't find out much more about the strength of his hand if you 3-bet pre-flop, so don't.

[Brian462]

Well as the other poster said, I don't quite get why you reraised this preflop. I read your reply but it seems like you would be MUCH better just calling the raise and looking at the flop.

You have to think his reraise puts him on either A: big pair or B: big cards. Against that spectrum of hands you are a pretty fair underdog. I can't really imagine you are ahead by more than a few % of any hand he could (reasonably) hold, so your reraise is simply tying yourself to an unfavorable pot.

Postflop, I'm surprised you ended up ahead on the flop. If this is how people usually play AK at this level then I can understand your call. Otherwise you are drawing dead or have 2 outs(and 5 to 1 isn't near good enough to call). Another clear fold. This of course assumes no read.

I would have either just limped preflop and gone from there postflop, or raised as you did and just called his reraise hoping to hit a set and break him.

[Godfather80]

So, I should allow the Button and the SB to come along for the BB's min raise as well? This cannot be correct. If I just call the BB min reraise, then Button and SB are getting great odds to see the flop with weaker hands than mine that can easily become better when overcards flop, which they will over 70% of the time.

I feel that this line of play is way too passive. At that point, I am just playing the hand for a set, rather than playing it for the strength that it still has.

I do see your point that my reraise will not help to define the BB's hand, but it may give him the impression that my hand is slightly stronger than it is.

I feel that this slight deception, plus the additional pressure it puts on the Button and SB, makes the preflop reraise a decent play.

[Sam T.]

[ QUOTE ]
I know 88 won't play well against 4 opponents, my reraised there will either knock them out or tell me that I don't have the best hand if called.


[/ QUOTE ]

I think this is wrong. I will play 88 4-handed every chance I get, especially in a raised pot. I will fold if I don't hit my set, but when I do, I know I'm in great shape to double up.

Where 88 doesn't work is two handed in a twice-raised pot. What flop, other than a set, do you want? 257? I guess that would be nice, but TT is still going to bust you.

Sam

[Godfather80]

Sam, perhaps you're right. If I call with 88, I have decent position and if Button and SB come along, then I am getting 7:1 on the call preflop. I guess I did overplay this preflop.

What do you think of the post-flop play, given what occurred preflop.

[Verdi]

88 is a tricky hand to get aggressive with. You really need a set. I would just call and hope that I get a lot of customers if I do hit the set. If you don't, well, get out cheap and live another day...

[sawseech]

he saw it on tv

[mason55]

BAD BEAT POLICE

[jayboo]

i generally dont play 88 this aggressively when someone plays back because you are ahead by a couple percent (at best) ak,aq,aj,at,a9,kq,kj,kt,k9,qj,qt,q9,jt,j9,t9,are all coinflips and any thing bigger,aa-99 has you crushed. Thats alot of hands. But if youre gonna make youre stand with 88 by all means put him all in on the flop(adds some fold equity)but prob not much, you dont want to bet half the pot if you know youre gonna call the other half anyways(unless its a trap)but in this case that doesnt apply. Good to see youre on here trying to improve though. Jay