Yes, I'm a fish

[Nate tha' Great]

Party $5/$10, 6-max.

Dealt T /images/graemlins/club.gif 7 /images/graemlins/club.gif in the BB. Decent and fairly aggressive player in UTG open-raises, it's folded to me and I defend. Note that UTG and I have gotten into a couple SB versus BB domestic quarrels. Note further that I've also been playing rather aggressively at this table and hitting a lot of big hands.

Flop is 4 /images/graemlins/spade.gif 7 /images/graemlins/heart.gif 8 /images/graemlins/club.gif. I check, BB bets, I raise, BB 3-bets, I call.

Turn is a 7 /images/graemlins/diamond.gif. I bet out, BB raises, I 3-bet, he caps, I call.

The river is a sublime 7 of /images/graemlins/spade.gifs I bet, he calls. My four of a kind are good.

Should I have check-raised the flop?

Should I have 3-bet the turn?

What did UTG have?

Don't tell me that I shouldn't have defended with this hand, because you'll be wrong. /images/graemlins/smirk.gif

[ThingDo]

Don't defend /images/graemlins/wink.gif

After you defend I would checkraise the flop, call the 3, checkraise cap the turn and bet the river /images/graemlins/laugh.gif

[Clarkmeister]

You played it fine.

[kiddo]

Checkraise flop=good.

I like that betting out on turn. If he is aggressive he will think that you dont want to give him a free card with his AK, that you are protection your pair of 8s or low/medium pocketpair. With hig pair he will raise - like he did - and you can 3 bet.

Either he is bad or you have been very aggressive with not much at all. I wouldnt capp turn with an overpair against many players, not after beeing checkraised on flop, and the board is pairing on turn. (This is not a player raising UTG with 88?)

[Nate tha' Great]

Yes, UTG had 88, which is a marginal raising hand at a 6-max table.

[Brian]

Hi Nate,

Why is 88 a marginal raising hand UTG in 6 man? I usually raise 99 UTG in 10 man, and in 6 man raising certainly seems better than limping or folding.

-Brian

[Nate tha' Great]

I raise UTG with 88 at these tables myself, and sometimes down to 77 and 66 if the blinds don't defend very well, but I'm not terribly convinced that it's profitable, since the hands that will call (or, more likely, raise) you will be a coin flip against you or better.

[kiddo]

Aha, sorry, didnt see that 6-max, sure it was full table. Shorthanded is my favourite game /images/graemlins/smile.gif

If Im first in 5-max, I raise 88 everytime. 6-handed is a bit trickier, specially if table is a bit loose. 1 coldcaller+BB and both calling your flopbet... But of course these pairs is raise/fold in any position. I normally 3bet 99 and up, but also lower against loose raisers/weak "folding or call with AK if not hit on flop" raisers.

At a full table I would be "sure" he didnt have 88, but 6-handed... ok, tahts trickier. If its 6-handed I like to bet out on turn even more when I hit trips, he will be aggressive with much more hands then at full table (if he is ok).