44 in the BB

[Diplomatdcm]

Party 15-30 Good game
I am in the BB with 4 /images/graemlins/spade.gif4 /images/graemlins/club.gif
UTG Raises, EP cold calls, MP cold calls, folded to me
and I call.
Flop is 3 /images/graemlins/diamond.gif4 /images/graemlins/diamond.gif5 /images/graemlins/heart.gif
I check, UTG bets, EP calls, Mp raises, I 3 bet, they
all call.
Turn is the T /images/graemlins/spade.gif
I bet and UTG raises, EP calls(which puts him all in), MP folds, I call.
My first instinct was crap he turned a set of tens, so I just called- then I decided that this was weak tight, so I decided to check-raise any non flush card. The river obliged, it was the J /images/graemlins/club.gif
I check raise and he calls.
Comments

[haakee]

I think you should 3-bet the turn you're very likely ahead and if he has an overpair it will be tough for him to fold. But failing to do that the river check-raise is good.

[elysium]

hi diplomat
assuming this is a live game;
the flop is fine. one thing though. on the flop, when you know that you'll be seeing the river, tend to bet out rather than check-raise, especially when a draw is on board, and the flop looks like it may have hit you well. the reason is that on that coordinated flop, your opponents will fear a check-raise when you check, and since their hands are more likely in need of a free-card if for example the UTG has a high diamond and the LP is suited, the risk of a check-around that can produce a card that will hurt you is too great. you need to forget about making moves that tie your opponents to the pot, and instead represent a made hand. this way, the EP is given a chance to drop or raise, giving you the best chance to thin the field and avoid a free-card. any opponent with overs and a diamond thinks your check-raise means that you are weak and so instead of accomplishing what you think your raise is accomplishing, even though you are check-raising into opponents who you expect will call, you have nonetheless still checked and allowed a possible free-card. the made straight, they know, would never have taken that risk. they are putting you on a big pair with no diamond. this does not help you. you must see that your priority is not getting more bets into the pot. your priority is to take down the pot by representing the straight. you need to communicate to the Ad that he doesn't have umpteen outs. tell them early on that they will need runner, runner. concealing the strength of your hand isn't what you want here. bet out, and reraise. bet out on the turn.

the UTG raises you on the turn not because he made a set, but because he thinks his pair is higher than the pair he has you on. you have a clear reraise on the turn. the UTG was waiting for the expensive round before raising or reraising because he wants to keep you lively. you are his best hope here, so his diamond, if he has one, is not the A. it looks like he has QQ. you can almost take that to the bank.

not reraising the turn is much worse than not leading out on the flop. if, for example, you have been check-raising a lot with made hands and decided that check-raising was the best way to represent the nut straight, then that is a mitigating factor. the action was such that you had a value double check-raise and you saw the value at that point as being more important than the by product of having tied hands to the pot that might now draw out since the flop action already made any action taken in the later rounds by those draws more correct anyway. so there is a lot of room for the flop check-raise, and most respondents to your post will give your flop check-raise high accolades. in actuality, the flop check-raise represents failure to distinguish between the strategy employed with a vulnerable hand that cannot risk a free-card, and should be represented as being stronger than it is, but also one that will see the river, from the strategy employed when holding an ovepair or Ad Kd.

when you have a vulnerable hand that you'll be going to the river with, bet into your opponents. do not encourage heavy action that will only make the drawing hands play more correctly. you need to discourage the flop raiser behind you by letting him know that some of his outs are dead. allow the UTG to do his thing and raise when you lead into the turn. when can you check-raise for value with a flush draw on? against no more than 2 opponents or a field of 4 or less loose aggressives. against this field, you want to control the aggression.

failure to reraise the turn;
i suppose if you fail to understand why you should be leading out on the flop, you will also fail to understand why you must raise the turn. you have to see that the UTG didn't cap the flop because he wants to keep you lively. he has QQ diplomat, QQ. you fell backwards into a beautiful heads up situation against a 2 out hand. if another diamond comes off, your chances to get the call will plummet because the chances of either of you betting will be nill. he doesn't like his diamond. who knows, there's a 1000 to 1 shot that a reraise on the turn will fold this opponent out. other cards can come off that will scare away and stop you from betting. yes, that's a consideration too diplomat. you must not just consider your opponent's fear of calling if you allow the board to get scarier before raising, you must also consider your own fear. you're going to be too afraid to bet if the board gets scarier. reraise, for crying out loud. diplomat reraise. you've never had it so good.

[Sir Limps Alot]

what are you doing checking the a set with a flush and a str8 draw on the board. Raise after flop then see the response you get. You do not want flush draws and str8 draws in the game and if they stay make em pay. If you get 3 bet after flop I would call it down the rest of the way. I would imagine MP was on the nutt flush draw, EP had open ended str8 draw and the UTG probabably flopped either a str8 or a set of 5s. No raise on the turn due to fear of the flush draw. Your posting the hand so you probably lossed or your confused how people can continue to bet and call with rags.

[SLEEPER]

elysium,

i must admit, i love reading your posts.... very good insight into the hand. however, there was not a good explanation of how the opponents play.... and against some oppenents, you would love for them to believe that you have an overpair, this way you are paid off handsomely.... i agree, you don't want a flush draw to beat you, but you need to determine whether somebody has a flush draw or not.... if everytime you flopped a set, you were afraid of a flush draw, then you will be losing extra bets.... the only possibility of a straght draw would be 66, 22 and A2, which don't represent the UTG raiser....

I think the QQ is a good call.... JJ,QQ and KK, in which case he might have lost on the river, to the river set!

[Diplomat]

Hey DDCM,

I prefer a 4th street 3-bet, simply because there is a small chance a scare card could fall on 5th (any diamond, and 4-straight card, even pairing the board), and he might check. Either way you are going to get 4 big bets out of him on 4th and 5th, but by not 3-betting you risk only getting 2 bets.

And as the saying goes, if he has pocket tens or jacks, good for him.

Even though you failed to 3-bet on 4th, I still like a bet on 5th if he is not particularly aggressive. If he is aggressive, checkraising is fine.

-Diplomat