Quiz: QhJd in small blind

I've got a lot of good responses on 'my quizzes' so far - so here is another one.


Quiz: QhJd in small blind - Paradise - $1/$2


You are in the small blind w/ QhJd - there is two limpers to you (middle and late) - you call - the big blind checks.


The FLOP: [ 6d 9s 8h ] is checked around to the late limper who bets.


What is your play ?


Results and stuff later ...

There is $5 in the pot and it costs you $1 to take off a card assuming neither of the other two opponents raise. These are pot odds of 5-to-1. You have four clean outs with any ten. You also have two overcards which may give you six more outs. This is ten outs so the likelihood of you turning top pair or a straight is less than 4-to-1 against. I think you have enough of an overlay to call. Raising is not good because you are simply driving out others putting you in a heads-up situation where you are out of position with the worst hand most likely. Folding is not bad because this is a small, unraised pot and a queen or a jack may not be a clean out meaning that you will not win all the time even when you hit one of your overcard outs. I would call.

If you catch your straight card on the turn you will get paid off well if a seven is out. However, if some call behind you (on the flop) and a jack or queen turns it could be dangerous, so I favor folding since the value of your pair outs are lessened and the pot is quite small. But it is close. Against most opponents I think the best play would have been to bet out on the flop.


Regards, sucker

formaly jack,


If I was acting behind the bettor I would raise with two overcards and an inside straight draw. But although a checkraise from the blind might narrow the field and help your chances if you pair what happens when you miss? You can't take a free card and don't have an easy bet. I think calling the flop is a little better here.


BTW, it the flop was 9-8-baby I think leading the flop is a good play.


Regards,


Rick

First reaction is to raise. An inside straight draw with two overcards should be played aggressively.


But 9-8-6 is a limper's flop. I'd be more inclined to raise with, say 7-6, and a flop of 5-3-2, as this flop would be more likely to have missed everyone. But since everyone checked to the latest limper, a raise can't be too wrong.


I'd probably call in $1-$2 and raise in a big game.

Thanks all for your responses.


In the actual hand I in fact raised. I thought it was a great play at the time - 'raising w/ weak overcards and stuff' - maybe it wasn't - because you all seem to be in favor of just calling (maybe even folding).


PS: The late limper called the raise - he called the TURN - but folded the RIVER: [ 6d 9s 8h 8s 8d ].

Raise. You have two overcards which might be good if they hit, especially if you get someone to fold a hand that might wind up beating you on the river, say Axs. You also have four outs to the nut straight. You have some chance of winning the pot outright too. The bettor may have been trying to steal, and may fold if you raise. The two checkers probably don't have squat. I would check-raise as a semi-bluff, and would consider a bet on the turn, depending what the turn card was.


Dave in Cali

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