40-80 at commerce, You make the call

[Dark]

After this hand I got up and sit in traffic for fun.

I was watching the Rams game on the big screen as the dealer finish dealing my hand I was UTG+1 and saw 4 /images/graemlins/diamond.gif4 /images/graemlins/heart.gif so I decided to raise. Everyone folded to the cut-off which cold calls 2 and BB after checking his hand and announced "its only money" and called.
flop comes 3 /images/graemlins/club.gif4 /images/graemlins/spade.gif7 /images/graemlins/diamond.gif
I was like ha! perfect flop. BB checks, I bet, cut-off raise, BB three bets, I capped and CO called.
turn comes 3 /images/graemlins/diamond.gif
At this point I was already stacking the chips in my head.
BB bets, I raise, CO cold calls, BB thought about it and just called.
river comes 7 /images/graemlins/club.gif
BB checks, I bet, CO raise, BB calls
what is my best play here? result later.

[stoxtrader]

I think you are beat by a 7, but how can you do anything besides call here? you are closing the action and getting very good odds on the call.

I say the BB had 87o or 67o and LP had an overplayed KK.

[astroglide]

don't bet the river. people will bet worse hands anwyay.

[Dark]

I folded, I can't over-called.
CO had A /images/graemlins/club.gif7 /images/graemlins/heart.gif
BB had 5 /images/graemlins/spade.gif6 /images/graemlins/diamond.gif

I never played with the CO before so I had no idea what he had. I think I would have bet the same way if this situation came up again. Oh well a lucky catch for a bad player..;) btw he lost 3 racks after. I felt better.

[Inthacup]

If you're tempted to bet and fold to a raise, why not just check call?

[Dark]

I would called if BB fold.

[Softrock]

Different people have different styles and maybe coming in with 44 in early position was a change of pace play for you. If this had happened to me I would be telling myself that I got what I deserved for playing an unplayable hand from early position. How often do we focus on a bad beat and neglect the fact that we set ourselves up for it? I know that I do it far more often than I should.

Just my 2 cents./

[glen]

Not to be results oriented, but I don't see why you would call if the bb folded, but fold since he called. He played the hand like he flopped the burger, and I doubt he would lead on the turn after you capped with just a seven, but he would the straight or pair w/ a draw if he had something like 35s. He would also just call the river with a 3, since you can't put most people who coldcall raises in lp to have a seven in their hand. the only scenario would be if he had a seven and went for an overcall after the button raised, but this is unlikely.

Also, as previously mentioned, careful with the 44 ep raises. . .

[turnipmonster]

I don't really agree with that necessarily. He flopped a strong hand, and anyone would have played it strongly after the flop. Maybe the preflop raise wasn't the greatest, but I don't think that after the flop he had no buisness in the pot.

I just don't think he set himself up for a beat by flopping a set on a nonscary board and then turning a full. his raise actually probably chased out the weird straight hands.

--turnipmonster

[mikelow]

Three-bet this one. No reason to think you're behind here.

[adrianus]

You can close the action for 1 bet here. With this pot I would always call.
But to avoid this problem in the future: Muck 44 from early position. And 44 plays better against a big field (no set no bet) so raising with it seems even worse to me.

[adrianus]

[Diplomat]

Hi Dark,

Man I hate rivers like this. Whatever your options are, all of them suck. Of the possibles, I think the least-sucky is checking. That way you can put in a max of 1 bet to see their hands. If it goes bet/fold or bet/call you can easily call, and if the player behind you checks, that's not the worst thing either. And I think you can safely fold if it goes bet/raise.

Also, I'm all about enducing bluffs on the river. That seven looks like a perfect bluff card for a lot of hands. I'd hate to bet and be raised by a hand like 99.

-Diplomat

[Softrock]

Sory if my point was unclear. The setting himself up was playing a poor to marginal hand out of position - once he was in the pot I don't know how he could have done anything differently.

[cero_z]

Hi Dark,
Welcome to the forum. I don't think you should have folded, given that you had never played with the CO before (unless you spotted a tell that made his hand obvious). As you see, the BB called with a straight, and others have already pointed out that this was a good time for the CO to try a bluff raise, if he puts you on a big overpair (which is consistent with your play). So, IMO your play was good until the fold on the river (even though it was right this time).

[andyfox]

IF one plays a small pair, one see a small full house get counterfeited some portion of the time and the hand usually costs a good amount of money, especially up front. It usually happens to me in the blinds.

If one raises up front with small pocket pairs, cold-calling with A-x is not as bad a play as it would otherwise be.

[Dark]

thank you for all your comments. and yes it was a tight table and I was trying to mix it up and caught a whopper on the flop. It is not a bad beat story. remember my question was what should I do? and I would fold again on the raise with a caller in front of me but thats just me. obviously, if the CO can cold call all those bets he could have 77 for all we know. In the end he was really a weak calling station. thanks again.

[Diplomat]

Hi Dark,

one final thought that came to me in the morning, it's just off the cuff, take it for what it's worth -- if the small blind just calls the raise (as he did here) again you must almost always call because you surely have him beat.

-Diplomat

[Dark]

Well folks I'll be at the Belagio from 12/26-12/30..if anyone want to come and take all my money I'll be sitting at the 30-60...2+2ers welcome to my money anyday.