TT raised on the wrong street?

[PokerNoob]

Ah, TT. I "stole" the blinds from MP last time I had it. I always open raise it from anywhere. I then play it (mostly) delicately, depending on how many coldcallers I get and how many overcards fall. Here's my latest example.

Party Poker 2/4 Hold'em (10 handed). UTG+1 nailed me with a checked through flopped boat previously when I turned top two. He's the kind that would early open limp a wider variety of hands than normal, I think.

Preflop: Hero is CO with T/images/graemlins/diamond.gif, T/images/graemlins/heart.gif.
UTG folds, UTG+1 calls, UTG+2 folds, MP1 folds, MP2 folds, MP3 folds, <font color="CC3333">Hero raises</font>, Button folds, SB folds, BB calls, UTG+1 calls. I raise but am going to beware of an ace falling.

Flop: (6.50 SB) K/images/graemlins/diamond.gif, 9/images/graemlins/club.gif, 8/images/graemlins/spade.gif <font color="blue">(3 players) </font>
BB checks, <font color="CC3333">UTG+1 bets</font>, Hero calls, BB folds. I think he hit this flop to bet into me, but I'm not sure where. Suited king even? Ick. I think what I should do is this: raise the flop, bet the turn if checked to, check through the river. Who agrees?


Turn: (4.25 BB) 7/images/graemlins/diamond.gif <font color="blue">(2 players) </font>
<font color="CC3333">UTG+1 bets</font>, <font color="CC3333">Hero raises</font>, UTG+1 calls. I picked up eight outs, unless he's exactly QT (unlikely), or backdoors a flush. I think he would open limp quite a number of hands that don't contain a king. So now I get aggressive and raise. He doesn't reraise or fold. Here's why I think a raise here is bad: I'm spraying chips at any pair of kings, he's not folding, and if he doesn't have a king, I'm folding out a hand I want to stay in. I'm also going to get reraised by a set or JT.

River: (8.25 BB) J/images/graemlins/diamond.gif <font color="blue">(2 players) </font>
<font color="CC3333">UTG+1 bets</font>, Hero calls. He bets into me when the diamond hits. AA, AK or KK has got to be in his mind. I really want to find the raise button here, but I don't want to get 3-bet by the flush. I think this is weak. Who else raises here?

Final Pot: 10.25 BB
<font color="#990066">Main Pot: 10.25 BB, between UTG+1 and Hero.</font> &gt; <font color="white">Split: UTG+1 (5.12 BB), Hero (5.12 BB).</font>

Results in white below: <font color="white">
UTG+1 shows Tc 9s (straight, jack high).
Hero shows Td Th (straight, jack high).
Outcome: UTG+1 wins 5.12 BB. Hero wins 5.12 BB. </font>

[BugsBunny]

I would have raised the flop. The rest of the hand I think you played fine. A flop raise is likely to elimainate Q and J (at least, maybe some weak A's as well) if the BB is thinking of sticking around. It's also likely to freeze UTG+1 enabling you to get (possibly) a free showdown or (more likely) a 1 BB showdown when he bets the river after you check through the turn (depending on what falls).

You also have the option of betting the turn (assuming he checks) and getting a free showdown that way (this is usually the better method since he may always fold to a turn bet, but I'll sometimes go the other way to keep them off balance)

[mr. oats]

Noob,

I agree with everything until the river. Your plan on the flop is my exact line here against most opponents. A turn raise gets you to showdown at the same cost against a K but gets in an extra bet should the river help. Given that, when you river a near perfect card (I think you can discount the flush and the QT gutshot) you have an easy raise here that will be paid off whenever you don't split /images/graemlins/tongue.gif.

oats

[PokerNoob]

Yeah, the flop raise is mandatory to get rid of BB and his potential overcards or underpair. If 3-bet by anybody, it might be time to fold.

[BugsBunny]

I just looked at it again and realized that the flush is backdoor. Raise the river and call a reraise.

If you had raised the flop you *may* have taken it down right there - which would have been better for you - although I suspect he would have stayed around anyways.

As far as rhe river goes I almost never give credit for a backdoor flush. Sometimes I get burned this way, but usually not. When I do get burned it's usually some idiot playing any 2 suited that caught bottom pair on the flop which caused him to see the turn and river.