[wrto4556]

What's up SS.

I started rereading TOP and came across a problem in the section on free cards. (pg. 87 for the curious)

Giving or not giving a free card with a marginal hand

Factors to consider are:
1) Your chances of having the best hand
2) The chances the next card will give your opponent the best hand when he would have folded had you bet.
3) The size of the pot
4) The chances you will outdraw a better hand that might call you.

This is all well and good.

Say you have 8 [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img]8 [img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img] on the button. MP2 open raises and you 3-bet and get him heads up.

Flop is J [img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img]7 [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img]2 [img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img]

He checks you bet (You bet because the pot is semi-large, you have a good chance of having the best hand, and the next card could easily give your opponent a better hand.)

Where I get in trouble is when you are not heads up.

Say you have the same 8 [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img]8 [img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img] in MP2 and limp after 2 other players, the button comes along, too.

Flop is J [img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img]7 [img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img]2 [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img]

It's checked to you, do you bet? You're hand has an OK chance to be best, but you have few ways of improving to a hand that already has you beat. should you check and bet/raise a safe turn? According to the rules (or guidelines, rather) your hand is semi-likely to be best, the chances of the next card making your opponent a better hand is semi-likely, the pot is pretty large, and you have few ways of improving. Which of these outway the others in choosing whether to check or bet?

This shouldn't be that hard. [img]/images/graemlins/frown.gif[/img]