My first quads... and playing pocket pairs advice.

[cold_cash]

The main player I was involved with in this hand (CO) was pretty loosey goosey and did an awful lot of betting. I hadn't played a hand in awhile, but I guess he or she wasn't paying too much attention. The UTG player had literally seen every flop for about the last 25 hands, so I wasn't too worried about his limp.

Part of the reason I'm posting this (other than the fact that it was my first four-of-a-kind playing online /images/graemlins/wink.gif ) was I seriously contemplated going for a river check-raise, but I weenied out at the last minute and bet out. Also, I've been kind of struggling playing pocket pairs lately, and I'm afraid I'm not being aggressive enough with them.

Party Poker 0.50/1 (10 handed)
Hero has 8/images/graemlins/spade.gif, 8/images/graemlins/diamond.gif and is MP1

UTG limps, Hero raises, CO calls, Button folds, SB calls, BB calls, UTG calls

Flop(10 SB): 3/images/graemlins/heart.gif, 2/images/graemlins/club.gif, 8/images/graemlins/heart.gif

SB checks, BB checks, UTG checks, Hero bets, CO calls, SB folds, BB folds, UTG calls

Turn(12 BB): 8/images/graemlins/club.gif

UTG checks, Hero bets, CO raises, UTG folds, Hero 3-bets, CO caps, Hero calls

River(20 BB): 3/images/graemlins/spade.gif

Hero bets, CO calls

CO had 2 /images/graemlins/spade.gif 5 /images/graemlins/spade.gif (Probably the most unlucky time to try a complete bluff, but I don't think this situation is the reason they say never bluff at the low limits....lol)

I thought about check-raising the flop, but I really didn't want to see another heart on the board (until the river, then I was praying for anything that might improve his hand). The turn worked out really well, but a check-raise there never even crossed my mind.

I'm thinking a river check-raise would have at best gained me one more big bet and at the worst cost me one. Since he just called my bet I'm assuming he wouldn't have gone wild on the river like he did on the turn.

I guess it's just one bet and probably not that big a deal, but I admit I wanted to boast about this hand a little. Any other advice about how I played it? How about the pre-flop raise? I'm finding myself lately just limping with pairs below 9 and folding if I don't catch another one on the flop (and I grudgingly admit to doing this with TT on a few occasions). I'm doing this even from late position and I've been worried I've been playing them too passively. My main problem is that I'm not really sure how to proceed when I have, say, 99 in MP and there are 2 overcards on the flop.

Any advice appreciated.

[Saborion]

You knew he didn`t have an 8. What do you think he put you on? Overpair? If so, would he bet out on the river with a low pair given your aggressivness on the turn? I doubt it. So unless he had a boat, I`m not all that sure he would bet at the river. And if he had a boat, he might raise you, in which case you could 3-bet.

[pudley4]

Please post all hands below $2-$4 in the Micro Limits forum.

/images/graemlins/laugh.gif

[cold_cash]

Sorry about this, I thought I did post it in there. My bad.