JT suited connector hand

[John J]

1/2 Party

I'm three seats before the button in mid-late position, dealt J /images/graemlins/heart.gif T /images/graemlins/heart.gif. One player limps, I call, another player limps after me, the SB calls and BB checks.

Flop is Q /images/graemlins/heart.gif J /images/graemlins/spade.gif Q /images/graemlins/club.gif. Three players check to me, I bet, player behind me folds, first player calls, and second player check-raises. I call looking to fold this hand on the turn, and first player calls as well.

Turn is T /images/graemlins/spade.gif [Q /images/graemlins/heart.gif J /images/graemlins/spade.gif Q /images/graemlins/club.gif]. First player checks, and the flop-check-raiser bets. I quickly try to compute what my odds are of improving to a full house, and fail to realize that if another J or T does fall and does have trip Q's it will merely give him a higher one. I call, other player folds.

River is 5 /images/graemlins/club.gif [T /images/graemlins/spade.gif Q /images/graemlins/heart.gif J /images/graemlins/spade.gif Q /images/graemlins/club.gif]. He bets, I fold.

Should I have folded this hand on the flop, after being check-raised, or on the turn after my straight draw didn't develop? How would you guys have played this?

[Brian]

Hi JohnJ,

I find that most people who Flop 3 of a kind will wait until the Turn to check-raise. However, given the relative smallness of the pot, I would give him credit here for having at least a Jack with a better kicker and Fold. But I would definitely keep an eye on him in the future. However, once you call the Flop and the Turn, I think it's pretty mandatory that you call the River and hope he was bluffing with a straight draw or ace high or that you can split with an equal or worse Jack.

-Brian

[John J]

Good call about the equal Jack, he could have had my hand and just chose to play it differently - never occurred me. You're saying you would fold to the check-raise, and wouldn't call for the potential straight?

[Brian]

Hi JohnJ,

For clarification, I will assume that the "first player" who called your bet is the SB, and that the "second player" who check-raised was the BB. I also assume that the EP limper folded to the check-raise, and that the player who folded to your bet was the LP caller pre-Flop. (I was re-reading your post and realized I wasn't exactly sure who was doing the check-raising, so correct me if any of these assumptions are wrong as they may change my answer).

So when it gets back around to you on the Flop, there are 9sb in the pot, with a probably 10th coming from the SB. Your only straight possibilities are backdoor and the pot is nowhere near big enough for that to make a difference.

So therefore, no, I would not call with my potential to make a straight. However, I might call or even re-raise depending on what I thought of the BB. But without a read on him and almost no way to catch up if you are behind to either a Queen or a better Jack, I would Fold.

-Brian

[Homer]

1) Fold to the flop check-raise. Rarely will a player check-raise this flop against two opponents with a hand worse than yours.

2) On the turn, you have to either fold immediately or resign yourself to calling it down -- don't call the turn and then fold the river. When you do this what you are saying is "My hand is not best on the turn, but I have odds to call and try to catch up on the river. If I don't catch on the river, I'll fold." Clearly you don't have odds to call a turn bet if you are behind here.

3) It seems that you did not think about what hand or range of hands your opponent was likely to have, nor think ahead to what cards you were hoping to catch on the turn/river. I believe that had you done this you would have realized that folding on the flop was best (or calling it all the way down).

-- Homer

[John J]

Homer, I completely agree with you. I think that when I was check-raised on the flop I'm used to always calling. Since I already bet once, I felt that I was surely obligated to call the raise - but if I had stopped to think about it, there is almost no way I could outdraw him to win the hand.