Turn cap with top set on straightboard.

[Kharnage]

No good read on the villain, but he seems pretty standard with 25/16/0.7 over 40 hands, not very aggressive and havent seen him out of line postflop.

Party Poker 10/20 Hold'em (6 max, 6 handed) pokerhand.org hand converter (http://www.pokerhand.org)

Preflop: Hero is BB with 6/images/graemlins/spade.gif, 6/images/graemlins/heart.gif.
<font color="#666666">2 folds</font>, CO calls, <font color="#666666">1 fold</font>, SB completes, Hero checks.

Flop: (3 SB) 5/images/graemlins/spade.gif, 6/images/graemlins/club.gif, 4/images/graemlins/diamond.gif <font color="#0000FF">(3 players)</font>
SB checks, <font color="#CC3333">Hero bets</font>, CO folds, <font color="#CC3333">SB raises</font>, Hero calls.

Turn: (3.50 BB) J/images/graemlins/club.gif <font color="#0000FF">(2 players)</font>
<font color="#CC3333">SB bets</font>, <font color="#CC3333">Hero raises</font>, <font color="#CC3333">SB 3-bets</font>, <font color="#CC3333">Hero caps</font>
How easy do you see this cap against a pretty passive postflop villain? And would you ever just call his 3-bet to raise the river?

[Lmn55d]

very easy. I would also raise the river and call a 3bet. Calling the turn 3bet to raise the river is pointless.

[Spicymoose]

Any merits in raising preflop?

[wackjob]

I would raise PF and raise/call the river.

[Kharnage]

I seldom raise 66 here, I might if I feel CO and SB are bad players. I always raise 88. Should I extend that range in this spot?

[dave44]

[ QUOTE ]
very easy. I would also raise the river and call a 3bet. Calling the turn 3bet to raise the river is pointless.

[/ QUOTE ]
I think raising the river after capping the turn would be pretty bad. What are you putting this guy on?

[StellarWind]

Both players seem to be reasonable people who probably recognize that their opponent is also a reasonable person.

I don't see Villain 3-betting the turn with less than two pair and quite possibly that isn't enough. Also I know I usually like to bet the flop with hands like 54 and J6. Is there something about Cutoff that would inspire a flop checkraise?

Flopped straights outnumber all two-pair and set hands put together. You can sift through all the hands and ask questions like "is J5 a possible hand", "is 73 a preflop complete", and "would he try to isolate preflop with 55/44".

But in the end you have to think you aren't the favorite anymore. I'd call the turn 3-bet expecting that there is no EV to be gained by capping. On the other hand there is a nice EV gain in raising the river after the board pairs. He won't like the board pairing against his straight, but you won't have shown enough strength to excuse a river checkcall instead of betting out.

Also a turn cap can lose a bet on the river if his two-pair get counterfeited. If you only call the 3-bet he's apt to make a crying checkcall but hearing you cap the turn easily justifies a river checkfold.

[Lmn55d]

after counting some combinations I rescind my response. I would call the river.

[ArturiusX]

The villian isn't c/r the flop with many hands that beats the hero for mine.

I cap and see how he reacts on the river.

Against an opponent like this I'd just call and raise the river if the board pairs.

[ QUOTE ]
I seldom raise 66 here, I might if I feel CO and SB are bad players. I always raise 88. Should I extend that range in this spot?

[/ QUOTE ]

no. i for one would not want to play it in a raised pot oop. my standard hand there is also 88.

[Victor]

just read a couple responses and if he leads the river you should just call (obviously if you didnt fill.) raising is bad there.

[Victor]

[ QUOTE ]
Any merits in raising preflop?

[/ QUOTE ]

raising pf here is bad. you are killing your implied odds where your equity isnt that good.

[elindauer]

Before tonight, I'd have capped and bet the river too, and cursed the poker gods at dealing my opponent a straight. After counting combinations though, if you think he has to have at least 2 pair to 3-bet the tuin, then you should just call and only raise the river if you fill. Amazing.

-Eric

[Grisgra]

[ QUOTE ]
Before tonight, I'd have capped and bet the river too, and cursed the poker gods at dealing my opponent a straight. After counting combinations though, if you think he has to have at least 2 pair to 3-bet the tuin, then you should just call and only raise the river if you fill. Amazing.

-Eric

[/ QUOTE ]

Interesting--care to show us lazy people the math? I'm surprised that there are more possible straights than two pair hands he could have, which is what the case would be if you're saying call, don't raise. Right?

[Danenania]

Don't forget hero has two of the remaining 6's.. that kills lots of two pair combos.

[Catt]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Before tonight, I'd have capped and bet the river too, and cursed the poker gods at dealing my opponent a straight. After counting combinations though, if you think he has to have at least 2 pair to 3-bet the tuin, then you should just call and only raise the river if you fill. Amazing.

-Eric

[/ QUOTE ]

Interesting--care to show us lazy people the math? I'm surprised that there are more possible straights than two pair hands he could have, which is what the case would be if you're saying call, don't raise. Right?

[/ QUOTE ]

Possible Two Pair Hands:

54 = 9 combos
J5 = 9 combos
J4 = 9 combos
65 = 3 combos
64 = 3 combos
J6 = 3 combos

Two pair combos = 36 two-pair combos

Sets we beat:

55 = 3 combos
44 = 3 combos

Sets we beat = 6 combos

Sets we lose to:

JJ = 3 combos

So, before running the straight combos, we are ahead of 42 combos and behind 3.

Straights:

23 = 16 combos
37 = 16 combos
78 = 16 combos

Straights = 48 combos.

Without any weighting of various hands, we're behind 51 combos and ahead of 42 combos. It's pretty close because we'd probably almost entirely discount JJ (no-pre-flop raise) and some of the straight combos (particularly 37 and probably most of the 23 combos), as well as some of the two-pair combos, though (the Jx hands particularly). StellarWind made the same point above without laying out the combos. I'm pretty sure I'd cap this turn when playing; a closer analysis makes that less clear, but doesn't rule it out as the correct play depending on how one estimates the weighting.

[Kharnage]

I think the most of us will cap this turn without thinking to much about it, because its one of those 'If he flopped the straight so be it' situations, even though it might not feel to good against a pretty tight villain. What happened is that he checked to me on the river, I bet, he calls, and he turns over 55. I looked at the hand afterwards and started wondering if I should wait and see if I get my house on the river before raising, and it seems to me that this is correct in this specific situation. Thanks everybody for your posts.