2/4 hand looking for thoughts

[WillMagic]

2/4 table at Ultimate bet, game is six-handed. I'm in the small blind with Ad Jd. Game is pretty average - i guess a little loose from six-handed.

UTG, UTG+1 both limp. Both LP's fold, and i call from the small blind. Big blind checks. (Also of note - I took a very large pot off of the big blind two hands ago - almost a third of his stack, so he could be on tilt)

Flop: Js 7h 4h

Ahh, a nice flop. Got to worry about the heart draw, but not much else.

I lead off in the small blind with a bet, and the big blind raises me. Other two guys fold, I three-bet, he caps, and I call.

After he capped, I thought he might have flopped two pair. He could have anything, really, after checking in the bb.

Turn: Td

I check, he bets, I call.

River: 7h

I check, he bets, I call.

He turns over Qs Jh? and I have him outkicked by a mile.

My question in regard to this is, is checking and calling here correct? Would you raise on the turn/river? I think my play was right, but I'd like to ask the experts.

Thanks,
Will

[Dynasty]

With the exception of your failure to raise pre-flop, you played the hand well.

[arod4276]

I'd be more worried about two 7 /images/graemlins/heart.gif on the board.

arod

[Ed Miller]

You should raise preflop, but your play postflop was fine.

[lil']

Since the game is loose, you likely have the best hand and should raise pre-flop. You probably have a hand or two dominated. If the flop really misses you, you just toss it.

Other than that I would have done the same as you.

[Bob T.]

I would raise preflop with this hand.

Because the flop was two tone, I might have bet out on the turn, but the result would probably have been the same.

[ccwhoelse?]

[ QUOTE ]
I'd be more worried about two 7 /images/graemlins/heart.gif on the board.

[/ QUOTE ]

i don't think the flop would get capped if he was only on a draw.

[nummerfire]

Both Dynasty and Majorkong now have said that you should raise preflop with this hand.

They have avoided to give any reason.

I see that there will be a multiway pot, but in my mind you are essentially raising with a drawing hand out of position.

Could someone please elaborate, why it is correct to raise preflop.

Kim

[Joe Tall]

This is an easy raise preflop. However, I'd play the hand the same way given the actions.

Welcome to the forum,
Larry Joe

[Bob T.]

You probably have the best hand, given that noone has raised so far. You may as well charge them for their weak limps right now. If both the limpers miss, and the BB folds, it is very possible that you will win the hand with a flop bet. If one of them hits their hand, and you bet, they won't know where they are in the hand, and won't be able to maximize their profits, and at the same time, you may very well be drawing live.

Even with two players in, with two suited big cards, you will probably flop good to great, more than 40% of the time, so you are getting value on your bets on this round. If the Big Blind calls, you have less chance of winning the hand, but with many of the hands that should be called in the big blind, you may be getting even more value from the hand.

Finally, you can neutralize some of the disadvantage of position by being the aggressor in the hand.

You also have to raise out of the blinds with hands other than AA, and KK, so that your opponents can't play accurately against you when you do raise out of the blinds. Two big suited cards, is a great way to do this, because you are probably getting value with your raise anyway.

One time, when I raised with AT suited out of the blind, and got a magic flop of Kxx in my suit, my opponent who was unfortunate enough to have QJ suited, went 7 big bets with me on the turn and river, because he was clever enought to know that I couldn't have a flush because I raised out of the blinds, and he thought that I would only do that with a big pocket pair.