[6-max] Marginal TP vs. maniac and third guy

[Kumubou]

Have not been around much, school will do that to you. Of course, it has stunted bankroll growth (or erosion) as such. :x

UTG is unknown and is just finishing up his first orbit.

The CO is nuts. Pre-flop he is roughly 60/40, and has taken great pleasue in three-betting every open raise I have made in the last five orbits. We have been having an e-penis battle for a while now, and thankfully I keep outflopping him.

PokerStars 2/4 Hold'em (6 Max, 6 handed) lolihunter.com (for all your loli hunting needs) (http://www.lolihunter.com)

Preflop: Heroine is BB with 8/images/graemlins/diamond.gif, 9/images/graemlins/diamond.gif.
UTG calls, <font color="#666666">1 fold</font>, <font color="#CC3333">CO raises</font>, <font color="#666666">2 folds</font>, Heroine calls, UTG calls.

<font color="blue">Yeah.</font>

Flop: (6.50 SB) 6/images/graemlins/spade.gif, 3/images/graemlins/spade.gif, 9/images/graemlins/heart.gif <font color="#0000FF">(3 players)</font>
Heroine checks, <font color="#CC3333">UTG bets</font>, <font color="#CC3333">CO raises</font>, <font color="#CC3333">Heroine 3-bets</font>, UTG calls, CO calls.

<font color="blue">My original intention was to checkraise the maniac, which did not go as planned due to UTG's donk. His donk probably means something (but what?), but CO's raise means nothing. Honestly, I was hoping to blow UTG straight off his hand by three-betting here. I figure him to have nothing better than top pair at this point since he did not cap.</font>

Turn: (7.75 BB) 2/images/graemlins/heart.gif <font color="#0000FF">(3 players)</font>
<font color="#CC3333">Heroine bets</font>, UTG calls, CO calls.

<font color="blue">Trying again... damnit, no one is seemingly going anywhere. I figure CO has to have a weak made hand here, as he would have either continued raising or folded by now.</font>

River: (10.75 BB) K/images/graemlins/heart.gif <font color="#0000FF">(3 players)</font>
<font color="#CC3333">Heroine bets</font>, UTG calls, CO calls.

<font color="blue">Damnit, UTG called. I am highly confident in being ahead of the CO, but UTG... not so much. In a vaccum, I think I should check and raise a bet from CO (trying AGAIN to get UTG to fold, because I would rather not have him call, all things considered) and fold to a bet from UTG, regardless of what CO does. However, such a line of check-3bet/bet/check looks downright bizarre and makes no sense for any possible hand.</font>

Final Pot: 13.75 BB

-K

[Harv72b]

Sooted connectors are the crack of LHE. Seriously. You mess with 'em once, win a big pot, and you keep playing them and playing them no matter how much it costs you in the long run.

Now, don't get me wrong--sooted connectors rock in the right situation. A 3-handed, raised pot in a 6max game isn't the right situation, even getting an expected 5:1 preflop pot odds. A 5-way, raised pot in a full ring game...now we're talking. So I fold preflop, even if I think that CO is F.O.S....he's probably F.O.S. with a better hand than 9 high, which means that I'm just going to be forced to fold to the inevitable flop bet the vast majority of the time. Now, if he's a full-on maniac postflop, that's another story...because even though you'll have to check/fold a lot, you'll also get paid off handsomely if you do hit a flush or straight.

Okay, preflop's out of the way. /images/graemlins/grin.gif

I actually like your plan on the flop...at least, the initial plan. When it goes bet/raise back to you instead of check/bet, I think you need to reevaluate. You've got top pair, which is normally golden in a 6max game, but it's a pretty crappy top pair with a very crappy kicker. I don't know that I'd fold the flop, but I don't like 3-betting. I think this is a situation to call 2 &amp; reevaluate on the turn.

If you do that, the likely turn action then goes check/check/bet, and with a perfectly harmless deuce coming off, now you can try to isolate on CO with a check/raise. This looks a lot scarier to UTG, as it simulates a flopped monster that's trying to protect against the FD. If you're going to get UTG off a better 9, I think this is the best way to do it. If he calls 2 on the turn, then the river becomes very interesting.

Especially if you've gotten rid of UTG, but even if you haven't, I like a check/call on the river. As above, your hand isn't really all that strong, and even LAGs get real hands every so often (or catch a K/backdoor flush on the river). And of course he's going to bet it if it's checked to him, because he's all about betting whether it's for value or not, eh? /images/graemlins/wink.gif

Just my thinking. /images/graemlins/smile.gif

[LoaferGee12]

Calling this 3-handed is perfectly fine. It's a lot better than calling with something like A5s. You can be pretty sure both your cards are cleaned.

[Harv72b]

[ QUOTE ]
Calling this 3-handed is perfectly fine. It's a lot better than calling with something like A5s. You can be pretty sure both your cards are cleaned.

[/ QUOTE ]

In a full ring game this might be true (although you still have to worry about being up against an overpair), but in 6max, and especially with one unknown &amp; one LAGgy opponent, you could very well be up against A9/A8, K9s, J9...you name it.

[Aaron W.]

Preflop is good.

The flop check-3-bet is good, but check-folding is okay with the unknown leading. It may get to be expensive and your hand is decent, but not great.

Turn bet is good.

The river is interesting. I might check to see what happens. I don't mind seeing the river checked through at this point. If aggro-villain bets, I don't mind calling his bet. A river check-raise would be an awesome display of anti-overcaller-ism, but I don't know if it would actully work.

[MrWookie47]

Good to have you back. This is reasonable river value bet. At 2/4, you'll see a 6 do this often enough to bet. At lower limits, the players tend to be so passive that they'll have a 9 here.