Protect this hand?

Newbie here; I've been reading SSHE. I don't know if this was an appropriate situation where I would want to "protect my hand" by raising. Also, once I did (and got Villain heads up) I didn't know how to behave on the turn and river. I'm sure this is probably a pretty elementary situation; sorry if it's not very interesting. Any thoughts would be appreciated...

BisonBison didn't seem to work w/ this site's hand history, so I tried to do it by hand...

Texas Hold'em $0.15-$0.30
Hero is BB with 8/images/graemlins/diamond.gif, 8/images/graemlins/spade.gif, Villain is in MP3, MP1 payed a forced bet.
Reads: EP3 and MP2 are both very loose passive. No real read on Villain because he just arrived at the table a few hands ago.

Pre-flop
4 players call (including the forced bet and the loose-passive guys I mentioned), Villain raises, 2 folds, SB calls, Hero calls, everyone else calls.

I called here thinking the odds are big enough to try to flop a set, especially since the loose-passive guys are likely to call for one more bet.

Flop: (12 SB) 5/images/graemlins/diamond.gif,5/images/graemlins/spade.gif,4/images/graemlins/diamond.gif
SB checks, Hero checks, 4 more checks, Villain bets, SB folds, Hero raises, everyone else folds, Villain calls.

So I flopped an overpair, but it is pretty weak since any card higher than an 8 could make someone a better pair, and there is also a flush draw. I figure Villain probably has 2 overcards or a reasonably high pocket pair. I may have the best hand right now if he has AK or something, but probably not.

Going on stuff in SSHE, I figure I would try to protect my hand by checking to him and trying to raise to make everyone face 2 bets, but I was a little worried that the two very loose-passive players in between may have called anyway. They ended up folding. Is this hand worth protecting, or should I have just folded?

Turn: (8 BB) 3/images/graemlins/club.gif
Hero bets, Villain calls.

I have no idea how to play the turn here. I decided to bet because he only has to fold a small percentage of the time here for it to be worth it. Maybe he'd be afraid of a straight or trip 5's.

River (10BB) 7/images/graemlins/spade.gif
Hero checks, Villain checks.

Again, not really sure what do here. Maybe I should've bet again in case he would fold, but I figured because he called the turn that he was likely to call. If Villain had bet here, I would have called because I would've been getting 11 to 1---would that have been correct?

[GTSamIAm]

I'd prefer betting the flop instead of check-raising. It's only worth trying if SB is very weak. Definitely bet the river. The rest looks fine.

[cold_cash]

Nice hand.

How you play the river depends on what you think the villian is most likely to do with his possible holdings.

Are you a bigger favorite when you check and call, or when you bet?

Is he more likely to call w/ AK than he is to bet with it? Is it possible he somehow hit that board with a hand like A4? Etc.

[Songwind]

*grunch*
I like the preflop call. 88 isn't a strong enough holding to 3-bet with, but if you hit your set in this large field you'll be in great shape.

Flop; You're right, you have a good hand, but vulnerable. Getting it heads up with Villain is good. If he has two big cards (AQ or some such) the odds are in your favor.

Turn: I like the bet. Since there are just two of you, I gotta think that villain raises with a 5 or a big pair. since he doesn't, I'm feeling pretty good about my hand.

River is a brick, so I would bet. Villain hasn't shown you any aggression since the flop.

If villain would have bet what would you have done. This card is scary, but I probably would have bet the river.

Very well played hand. I'd play it the same except I bet the river. There is no need to worry about a straight IMO, and you would probably get more action from a bigger pair.

[silkyslim]

bet the river!!!!!!! value bet that shite!!!! gotta bet the river!!!!! value bet!!! value bet!!!! VALUE BET!!!!!!

[silkyslim]

[ QUOTE ]
I'd prefer betting the flop instead of check-raising. It's only worth trying if SB is very weak. Definitely bet the river. The rest looks fine.

[/ QUOTE ]
I think this c/r is all too sexy.

[Jaran]

Bet the river and I like the hand.

-Jaran

[bozlax]

[ QUOTE ]
This card is scary

[/ QUOTE ]

You must scare easy...BOO!

What do you think Villan would have raised preflop with a bunch of limpers that contains a six (I presume you don't think he's got 3 pocket spades)? Or do you think he raised and kept going with, specifically, 77?

I probably bet the river after he flat-calls the flop raise and turn bet.

Thanks everyone for the comments.

Betting this river does seem to make sense now, given that he didn't raise me on the turn. Something like AQ, AK, etc seem likely enough that it probably makes money in the long run. Plus, maybe he folds something like 99 or TT a small percentage of the time, because he is afraid I have a 5.

[masse75]

[ QUOTE ]
Thanks everyone for the comments.

Betting this river does seem to make sense now, given that he didn't raise me on the turn. Something like AQ, AK, etc seem likely enough that it probably makes money in the long run. Plus, maybe he folds something like 99 or TT a small percentage of the time, because he is afraid I have a 5.

[/ QUOTE ]

I don't know if your 'bet' would have indicated to him that you have a 5. If he views you as a straightforward donk, maybe. He'd probably figure you're trying to scare him and he'd test you with a raise.

I'd bet, expecting him to raise with 2 overcards. Consider 3-betting to put him to the test. Then he definitely is considering folding TT or 99. You're still a bit vulnerable (but still ahead) to overcards--half the deck-- on the turn and river.

Good turn bet.

A brick like that on the river: bet it.

[marchron]

Grunch: nh.

Preflop is cool. You're getting 9-1 immediate odds, plus all four of the limpers will probably call. That's more than enough for set value, but you don't have enough hand to 3-bet.

Flop: Take a bow; that was beautiful. You likely have the best hand, but it's vulnerable, so you let Villain do the work, SB folded (great result), and your raise powered out the rest of the field.

You don't quite seem sure about this, though; you say, "Going on stuff in SSHE, I figure I would try to protect my hand by checking to him and trying to raise to make everyone face 2 bets, but I was a little worried that the two very loose-passive players in between may have called anyway."

Here's the thing, though (and I missed this the first few times I read SSHE — it took reading threads here to understand it): no matter what the other players do, you have done your job. You have offered all four of the remaining players the worst odds possible for them to continue drawing at their hands. If they fold, that's fantastic — one less hand that could overtake you. If they stay in, paying more for their hands than they should, then that benefits you, too, considering you probably have the best hand. If they suck out, oh well. Them's the breaks. Not even David Sklansky's massive evil brain can force people who don't want to fold to do just that. We can only offer them poor odds and -EV situations, making it +EV for us.

Turn: excellent. That card probably didn't help Villain, and he didn't signal a pocket pair bigger than your eights by raising. Let's hope for a good river.

River: good card, but you did wuss out a little. I guess a check isn't terrible; if he was feeling froggy and raised with pocket sixes, then his belated Christmas miracle has just arrived. Plus, if he has overcards (an almost certainty given his actions) he'll probably bet because he has to bet to win. Then you can call and snap him off.

The mistake here was assuming you were behind: "Maybe I should've bet again in case he would fold, but I figured because he called the turn that he was likely to call." In that case, BET!! If he has pocket nines or tens, then he played them like a girly man. But take another look at everything that happened here: how likely are you to be behind? Not very. If you bet and he raises, now you've got a dilemma. But since you did check, if he bet, you must call. If you're behind, you're not behind less than the one time in twelve it would take you to consider folding this river.

All in all, though, nh. Keep up the good work.