This hand is bugging me

[prairieboy]

Live 3-6-12 game at Harrah's in Lake Charles LA.

Loose passive table with only a couple of good players. I'm on the button with A [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img]J [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img], 5 limpers to me and I raise. BB calls and all the limpers call.

Flop is K [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img]Q [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img]6 [img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img]

Everyone checks to the cutoff who bets. I'm a bit miffed that the cutoff bet into me and I'm also a bit stuck on what to do next. I just call, but am very torn between calling and raising.

Turn is the K [img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img]

First player checks, cutoff bets and I call again as does the other player.

River is 3 [img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img]

First player checks, cutoff bets, I fold.

Could I have taken this pot by being more agressive? Should I have raised the flop/turn or was the cutoff in it for the duration?

[Jonny Melon]

I think you have to call on the flop. Since you've got nearly every draw imaginable, your J is likely not good, this isn't a situation where you want to raise to clean up your outs. You really don't want to knock the limpers out here.

Would you really raise this turn? I can't imagine that's a wise play, with your opponent representing top pair on the flop.

I think you played it fine. It's unfortunate the CO took the lead in this hand, as opposed to, say, the BB.

Jon

[All-In]

Calling on the flop seems right. You want everyone to call behind you. If the bet was to your left then raise. Usually you want to raise when the bet is on your right to protect your overcards but this doesn't really apply here. A raise on the turn here won't achieve much.

[W. Deranged]

I would go ahead and raise here on the flop. Given, the betting on the flop went about as badly as you could have hoped (ideally, you'd like to see one of the early or middle position players bet and get a few callers to you to try and build a massive pot for your massive draw). But, regardless, you have as many as 15 outs (the 9 hearts, 3 aces, and 3 additional 10s), and at 12 nut outs even if you figure that the Aces are tainted. Averaging probably 14 outs, you are almost certainly over 50% (~56%) to win this pot. So, even if your raise will drive out everyone but the cutoff, you have enough equity in the pot that playing this hand heads-up is fine. Further, if any of the limpers has a straight draw or a worse flush draw, you may get a cold-caller or two in here. Lastly, the raise may buy you a free card on the turn, which would be ideal.

So, a raise is at worst even from a value standpoint if it forces out everyone but the CO, and it has numerous other advantages that I think make it a better play than calling here.

[beginner]

I don't think you can get CO to fold if he had the K (high pair turned trips) that he was representing. But I would probably 3-bet the flop and try to get a free card, then fold to a bet on the turn if it didn't help.

[All-In]

Even if you 3-bet the flop, NO way can you fold you nut flush draw on the turn. The pot's too big you have to see the river even if it means calls 2 bets on the turn.

[W. Deranged]

I don't think a fold on the turn is ever going to be correct here. Even if our hero has a reason to think that an A on the river won't win the pot for him, he will still have 12 (likely) nut outs going into the river, meaning he'll be over 25% to win. With the betting already done (particularly if our hero raises on the flop), he will easily be getting the necessary odds on the turn to try to catch his draw.

Even if the board pairs, and our hero no longer has "nut" outs, I still think that broadway or the A-high heart flush will be best so much of the time when it comes that our hero cannot fold before the river.

[beginner]

Now that I look at it, you are right... Hey, I'm just learning...