Help with a hand

[DVO]

My first post. You can tell by the mis-placed happy-face in the title.

$.50-$1.00 NL $50, Party. I have $63, my chief opponent $60 as we start the hand.

I have 77 and call from UTG. MP calls, Chief Opponent, who I would characterize as loose aggressive, calls from LP. Blinds complete & check. 5 see the flop:

7-6-3 rainbow ( this hand was a few weeks ago, I forget the specific suits). There is $5 in the pot.

Obviously I'm in the lead; I bet $15. Only my nemesis calls.
Now $35 is in the pot.

Turn: 5 , completing the rainbow. now the board is:

7-3-6-5

My thought: If my opponent has a 4, so be it. I doubt it, but I will bet $20, and if he raises back, I still have outs, and am prepared to go all the way. If he's as loose as I suspect, he may call me with 7-A, 6-7, or an overpair.

He calls.

River:

4, making a straight:

7-3-6-5-4

D'oh.

I check, he bets his last $32 or so ( I don't recall exactly), and I think. I'm getting 3/1 or so on this last bet. He may well be trying to scare me out.

I call. Results later.

All comments welcome, and flaming the new guy is ok. I'm here to learn.

I think, by the way, I should have gone all in on the turn to shut him out.

[Guy McSucker]

[ QUOTE ]

I have 77 and call from UTG.


[/ QUOTE ]

That's kind of fine, play for a set and hope you can get the betting right if it hits. I don't really like playing sets from early position because I find it hard to get the money in.

It helps if you can be reasonably sure of no preflop raise, too. Anyway.

[ QUOTE ]


7-6-3 rainbow ( this hand was a few weeks ago, I forget the specific suits). There is $5 in the pot.

Obviously I'm in the lead; I bet $15.


[/ QUOTE ]

Wow that's a huge bet into a $5 pot: the kind of bet that doesn't get called very often. I think playing a set that way is foolish, because you're likely not to get any further money out of it, which makes your preflop call on a 7.5-1 shot a money loser.

But... you get called! Great! Move in on the turn unless you fill. With $47 in your stack and $35 in the pot that's the only reasonable move. You won't be able to tell if the turn card outdraws you and since you've had a huge overbet called on the flop, you can expect to be called again, and would prefer not to give a free card if he's drawing at you.

If you fill, you can slowplay if you like, but I still prefer moving in on the turn.

As for the way the hand turned out, I don't know whether to call the river. Hell of an outdraw if he has an eight. Or two eights.

Guy.

[JP789]

[Zag]

I really, really hate calling an all in bet when I am playing the board. I would be far more inclined to bet it than to call it.

I am inclined to think that your 3-to-1 money may not be worth it. And, hmmm, now that I write this, I realize that it isn't 3-to-1. You are just hoping to chop, you have no chance of winning it all, because he is already all in. So you are considering a risk of $32 to win $37 (half of the $75 that is in the pot right now). You are looking at barely more than even money. Pitch it and say "nice bluff."

[crockpot]

given that your opponent called $15 on the flop, i question whether he will even consider folding for an all-in here. against this type of opponent, since you are prepared to go all in anyway, i think you are better off betting all-in rather than betting $20.

when you are considering your pot odds and your best hope is to split the pot by playing the board, you must adjust your consideration of pot odds. here, though you are getting 3:1 on your call, you will only win half the pot if you're right. so your true odds on the call are about 1:1, and you will only gain if he is bluffing more than half the time.

[DVO]

Thanks for the comments.

My esteemed competitor showed 8-6 offsuit for the higher straight. Other than folding the river, maybe there's nothing much I could do about this, as it was suggested that a bigger bet on the turn might not have folded him anyway.

He was just determined to chase me down, I guess.

Thanks again. Love this forum.