Nicked by the flop (one that's been eating at me)

[Sam T.]

End of the second hour at a Stars $10+1 rebuy. (Note these suckers are LONG. Do NOT start one tired.) Table is really tight, with most pre-flop raises taking down the blinds, which are getting big. (I don't have the hand history - sorry.)

Hero is on the button with 4 [img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img] 7 [img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img], and it's folded to him. He raises 3xBB, and is called by the BB, who has half as many chips as Our Hero.

Flop:

2 [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img], 4 [img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img], 6 [img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img]

The BB checks, which just screams overcards. (If he's got an overpair smaller than AA, there's no way he's going to risk a free card.)

Hero's play?

[Dov]

Um.. Bet the Pot.

[MLG]

If you raise before the flop, and the blinds check to you on the flop, you should be betting here like 70% of the time regardless of whether or not you hit (unless the blinds have climbed to a high enough level that taking a stab at the pot will mean you go all-in), and the other 30% should be roughly split between when you give-up on a pot, when you have a monster, and when you have a good good draw.
Bet and fold to a c-raise, and yes, your opponent might have a smaller overpair and be waiting to c-raise you, as given the fact that you should be betting a lot, he would not necessarily be wrong to take a small risk here in order to win more chips.

[fnurt]

Since you want to bet most of the time after you raise pre-flop, I don't see why you wouldn't bet here. If you check and your opponent auto-bets the turn, you will have no idea where you stand.

[Sam T.]

Okay - he checks, and I bet half the pot - maybe 20% of my stack, but nearly half of his.

Question: Since I'm not particularly interested in a call, I suppose a push would have been the better bet here? If he sees my half-pot bet as weak, I'm just asking to be re-raised.

He comes over the top for his entire stack...

I make a horrible(?) decision and call. (Looking back, I'm not sure what the right play would have been. Against an over-pair I'm pretty close to toast, but I'm a 3:1 favorite against overcards, which was my read. Is this one of those cases when patience is a virtue, and I should wait for a better opportunity to risk half my stack? What about pushing small edges?)

And not to be results oriented, he did indeed have overcards, flipping up A [img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img]K [img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img]. The turn is 7 [img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img] (giving me two pair), and I crack open the bubbly. Then he rivers another club for runner-runner flush.

Is calling the all-in a horrible decision, or am I just being results-oriented?

[MLG]

generally speaking i dont like betting half of somebody's stack. Its just enough that you probably have to call if they move-in, and just little enough that they might think you will fold if they reraise.

[fnurt]

If half the pot is half his stack, I would just set him all-in. You certainly caught enough of the flop to justify it.