A Hand

[Nottom]

Playing some NL over on TGC. .25/.50 Blinds $50 buyin.

I have a little over $40 and get dealt K /images/graemlins/spade.gifT /images/graemlins/spade.gif in the CO with 3 weak limpers to me. The table had been playing pretty tight the last few orbits with a PFR often taking the pot, so I decide to make it $3 and see if I can just take the pot now. All fold but an MP limper who called.

I've seen this player call decent sized raises preflop with some real trashy hands so I'm not terribly concerned about being dominated or anything at this point. He also has had a tendancy to slowplay his bigger hands on the flop from what I've seen.

Flop comes 5 /images/graemlins/spade.gif Q /images/graemlins/spade.gif J /images/graemlins/diamond.gif

He bets $5. I push all-in.

[TylerD]

Well you don't say how large his stack is, but presuming he has you covered, I think its an OK move. You say he calls with trashy hands so he may well have Q 5 or Q J, in which case you may be in trouble as he seems likely to call, being a loose player. However after showing strength pre-flop and making a big all-in move he might well muck, and of course you have a flush draw and back door straight draw if he calls.

[Nottom]

Yes, he had me covered.

I had the straight draw on the flop as well as my flush draw.

[TylerD]

Ah, yes you did. In which case you are 50/50 against a two pair and have the added value of the highish probability that he will fold.

[Guy McSucker]

Not keen on the preflop raise unless people are folding a lot after limping. This is quite rare in my experience. Taking pots uncontested with no limpers or perhaps one is quite different from trying to blast three people out of the pot, with others to act behind you.

Anyway.

With two cards to come you have just over 50% chance of hitting your big draw. If you move in now, you have good odds if called as well as the chance he folds. Good move I think. You are only in trouble if he has a set, and even then you are not in much trouble. He ought to fold the nut flush draw to this overbet too, which is of course excellent for you.

Guy.

[Zag]

I like this play -- it is almost certainly +EV. Only a set or the nut flush draw is ahead, and only As Js has you in a huge amount of trouble. Looking on two-dimes, I see that you are dead even with QJ and ahead of AQ.

[felson]

I like it.