If I bet, I'll be giving away my hand

[lil']

5-10 online. 2 people limp, MP raises, LP cold calls. The SB calls and I call in the BB with 10 /forums/images/icons/heart.gif 7 /forums/images/icons/heart.gif . $60 in the pot.

Flop:
9 /forums/images/icons/club.gif 2 /forums/images/icons/heart.gif 7 /forums/images/icons/club.gif
Raiser bets, LP calls, SB folds. I call getting 14-1, hoping my longshot comes through. EP also calls. $80 pot

Turn: 7 /forums/images/icons/spade.gif
I checked with the intention of raising, but it got checked around. As soon as I checked I felt I had erred and should have bet out with my trips, even before it was checked around. I felt that if I had bet I could pretty much turn my cards over since everyone would know where I was at. But then I thought, who cares if they know what I have, if they want to pay to try and draw out on my sevens, let them. Now I gave everyone a free shot at drawing out.

Would you have bet and given away your hand?

[marbles]

I would have folded preflop.

Given previous action, yes, I'd bet that turn. Not everyone will believe you have a seven, and a lot of draws will call anyway.

[TobDog]

Check-raise in this spot is a good play to knock out some players, but you have to be careful not to let that free card on the expensive street and allow someone with 2 clubs to snag a third on the river to make a flush on you, when your pre-flop raiser checks here, he is marked with 2 big cards, not a pair, he would be afraid of giving free cards too and your plan would have worked, unfortunately, anyone with a flush draw in this situation will call you anyway, but you do want to charge them for the pleasure.

[marbles]

"Check-raise in this spot is a good play to knock out some players"

--Exactly who is he going to knock out with a checkraise here? There are only 3 players, and the initial raiser/better is to his immediate left. The only way a checkraise knocks anyone out is if the initial raiser checks and LP (who has been nothing but passive this hand) wakes up and bets. And even then, he's only knocking out the guy with a 2-outer at best.

[MaxPower]

Yes, I would have bet and given away my hand. Your hand is not strong enough to slowplay - you don't want to risk a free card.

But, I think the most important thing here is that the pot is large - you want to win it right now. Go ahead and bet the turn and you don't really care whether they call or fold.

[Louie Landale]

Betting and turning your hand face up is MUCH better than letting it get checked around and hope to get a river call. However, betting is by no means the same as turning your hand face up: it very well stop them from betting or raising but it won't stop them from calling. Checking is fine so long as you believe someone will bet.

But back to the hand. Your flop thinking is wrong for this one. Only the tightest pre-flop raisers are favorites to have a pair when the bet out on a small flop. There are a total of 30 hands featuring pairs TT or higher, but 96 hands featuring two cards J or higher. You have a VERY strong hand against the raiser. The LP caller may have you beat, but since he didn't raise its not that likely.

The pot is big enough for you to draw again on the turn (even if you know you are beat), you may have the best hand right now, raising gets other players out and MAY get those with close to lagitimate draws (like AQ) to fold on the turn. You can GREATLY increase your chance of winning by investing an additional bet or two by raising now. The worst that can happen is you get raised on the turn by the big pair and end up paying 1.5bb extra. But that's not so bad since you can save the river bet. The best that can happen is one of the limpers has a 9 but cannot stand the raise.

Raise on the flop, bet the turn, so long as the pre-flop raiser is reasonably assertive.

- Louie