Short Handed hand..

Good Morning Everyone,


Short session today..but here is a strange hand from a short handed 5-10 game I sat in while I was on the list for 10-20.


We are 3 handed at the time.


9d is low. Brings it in for $2.

I am next to act with (10dJd)Qc. I complete to $5

10s left to act after me calls the $5

9d calls the addtional $3.


4th

---

9d6s

(10dJd)Qc10c

10sKs


Ks10s bets $5. 9d6s raises to $10. What do I do?


results tommorrow.

I suspect that you have the best hand at the moment but I'm not certain. I'd call the two cold and see what happens on 5th street.

I would just call and see what 5th street brings. If bring in has 2 pair when he raises, it is correct for you to play and if he is open ended, he has alot of dead outs. The K10s is more problematic. He bet to represent K's but may have a 4 flush or may be trying to buy the pot. In a short handed game, I give more weight to buying the pot. And if he has a real hand you still have plenty of outs at this point.

Reraise or fold, don't just call. Your hand is partially dead with a 10 out and your straight potential compromized by a 9 and a K showing. If the bring in is a decent player, he has at least a pair with an Ace kicker. Even if you make 2 pairs, you are sandwiched by 2 players with obvious better kickers. In addition, it may get reraised after you call 2 bets cold. So a fold here with you having invested only $5 so far is OK. But a reraise here looks very tempting to me.You want to get it heads up if you can or give yourself the chance of explioting a scare card for you on the 5th. If you pair your door card or get another club or a J, your board is going to look scary for anybody with only a pair or even 2 small pairs.

this seems like a reraise or fold situation. The 96 may have a draw or two pair or may be trying to just buy the pot playing loose in a short handed game. The KT is a problem since you dont know what he will do. HE could be limping with a three flush or could have been playing a K that he just paired. The fact that he bet into a raiser is troublesome at 5-10 as you know, especially if he is a weak player. i can see the point in calling but if he does not have a real hand then a raise will likely allow you to play heads up against the 96 which you want to do if he has two pair, or if he has a draw for that matter since the T's are basically dead.


Pat

Hello Again All..


Well I see we have a few conflicting analysis here. To tell you the truth I was in a bit of pickle with myself on this one also..


I just called the re-raise on 4th as did the K10s.


5th street is now where it gets really interesting..


9d6s5h

(10dJd)Qc10cJc ME--

10sKs9s


K109s is still high and leads off again with a $10 bet.


9d6s5h raises (again) to $20.


Now what do I do?


CJ

Now I'd fold. The reraise by low board means trip 6s or less likely 9s. If he's agood player, he would not do it with 2 small pairs or even a 9 high straight because both of his opponents have scary boards wih both flush and high straight possibilities. So I believe you must improve to win. Right now you're getting 3.75 to 1 pot odds, but your implied odds are much worse as more raises here or on the next street are a certainty. You're not getting sufficient pot odds to persue a 1 in 6 chance of making a full house by the river, plus a 1 in 9 chance of backdoor flush, which so far is inferior to flush possibility of the 3rd player, with good risk of giving you the 2nd best hand. You also have backdoor straight possibilities, but a lot of cards you would need seem to be dead.

Although in the heat of battle I probably wouldn't do it, I think you have to throw your hand away. They have bet and raised again into your ultra scary board.


This leads me to believe you are clearly beat in 1 place and likely both places. You have 4 clean outs but the pot isn't laying you proper odds to continue and it is likely that it is going to cost you even more on 5th street further damaging your odds.


The bring in smells like 3 6's or 3 9's by raising into two possible flushes but has outs if either one of you have alrerady made your hand.


This sounds silly but in a higher limit game, I would be more inclined to continue playing. When better players might be thinking on a higher level. For instance, if I thought the spades were capable of putting a bet out there specifically so that he could be raised to knock out the 3rd player, it would give me more incentive to call.


Although I advocated only calling on 4th, this situation has created a much better argument for raising instead. If you had raised on 4th and the action was the same to you on 5th, I think it is a no brainer fold but by calling you have put yourself into a position of guessing as to the real strength of the opponents hands.


I still say fold but would be thinking about this hand for a while afterwards.