first post. great forum!

[stoxtrader]

I've loved lurking on this forum for a few months now and wanted to wade in a bit - I think most of the people posting here are extremely good players, and generous with analysis and advice - I've even gone so far as noting the names of posters and trying to avoid them at tables online!

New to online poker, but trying to learn quickly...Been playing 1-2 ring games on party, as well as the 10/1 buy in NL hold 'em SNGs. Placing in the money 36% of the time (23/64), but only 4 first place finishes...getting into money (when i do finish in top 3) shortstacked most of the time.

PArty SNG NL hold 'em

Level 3 - blinds 25/50, 8 players left, I am large stack at 1670. dealt 3 /images/graemlins/spade.gif 4 /images/graemlins/diamond.gif in the BB. 4 callers to me, i check my option. pot has 250.

flop: 3 /images/graemlins/diamond.gif 7 /images/graemlins/club.gif 6 /images/graemlins/diamond.gif
Sb checks, I check, EP player to my left bets 50 gets one caller. Easy fold here? (i fear I may be displaying my ignorance, but hopefully it will decrease in stages!)

thanks in advance.
stox

[Zag]

Since he has one caller already, this is a very easy laydown. You are probably behind, and you don't have a single clean out. If you get the straight, you have the ignorant end, and it might be a flush card, anyway.

Without the caller, you might consider a check-raise semi-bluff, but this is a play which you would only do if you were pretty sure that the bettor will lay it down, and even then you would only do it a small percentage of the time. In this case, the pot would have 300 back to you, so you would want to raise to 400 at least. If this is enough to cripple the other player, put him all in.

But again, in your case, where there was a caller already, just lay it down.

[sillyarms]

you will get a better reply if you repost in the tournaments forum. Sounds like an easy fold to me. Bottom pair and an inside straight draw. If you hit the straight inside straight it isn't the nuts and if you hit your two pair someone else could have the straight. It's too early to chase a holding as weak as this. If it was late in the tournament and my stack was small compared to the blinds I might play this agressively as a semi-bluff. but in the situation you described it's a pretty easy fold.


silly

[sam h]