10-9 suited

10-20
open raised UTG 10-9 S

called by mid position and the blinds.

flop 7-6-4 rainbow

bet and called by BB

turn 9-7-6-4 two hearts

bet and called

river K-9-7-6-4 three hearts

BB bets

Fold, call, or raise and why.

Comments on every street would be appreciated.

[eMarkM]

I'd muck T9s UTG unless it was a reeeal passive, no pre flop raise, multiway type of game. And if it was that type of game, I'd limp with this. This hand works best in multiway pots so why scare away potential customers? The only one calling your raise is hands that will likely beat you. You could maybe argue raising this as a variance play, but that's it. If you regularly raise with this type of hand you'll get reraised and isolated a lot and T9s is not going to fair well HU.

[Mike Gallo]

open raised UTG 10-9 S
Comments on every street would be appreciated.


I would never raise UTG with 10 9 suited so I cannot comment for the rest of the hand.

Why did you make such a dubious raise? Just curious.

[J.A.Sucker]

Sounds like a strange game. If it is soooo tight that a raise UTG has a chance of stealing the blinds, then this isn't a terrible raise, it's just thin. Otherwise, fuggedabout it. Limp if it's loose without much raising (often the case if there are limpers up front). Fold in some games, though I haven't seen too many 10-20 games where this isn't a play.

Sounds like MP is a terrible player. Why did he call 2 cold, but then fold on this flop for one bet? Maybe he thinks the blinds will checkraise and squeeze him, but who knows. Anyway, the flop bet is dubious, because your odds of winning right away are small, since you have the blinds calling and the board is coordinated and small, especially considering the poor player in MP. What are you going to do if you bet and are raised (or worse)? Especially if there are others who could squeeze you (if MP calls, then BB raises?). I'd be more inclined to check, hope the MP checks (though if he bets and it's one to you, then you've gotta call), and pray for an 8. If you hit your str8 on the turn (especially if it's checked around on the flop), many times people in the blinds will try to take a hack at the pot, and this can get you paid off nicely, especially since they won't read you for T9. Maybe they'll have a smaller straight or a set - yeehaw.

As it went down, you've got to bet the 9 on the turn. It's unlikely that the dude has a made hand since he just called. There are many overcards that could be bad for you, and many small cards that could be worse, so you've got to bet it.

River: Call and hope you're good. [img]/forums/images/icons/blush.gif[/img] I hope you won, but it seems unlikely.

[Ginogino]

Ugh! What a horrible UTG raise pre-flop. 95% of the time, when the flop improves a hand it does so by pairing something. Sure, when it hits, a flush is a wonderful hand. A middling straight, when it hits, is a pretty good hand. But how often do you actually hit a straight or a flush when starting with middling suited connectors? The profit from the times you hit and win big is overwhelmed by the times you hit nothing and the times when you hit a piece of the flop and suck along to lose in a showdown on the river (and times in between those two). Suitedness/connectedness only helps when the straight or flush comes. Other times, its your power cards against those of your opponent.

Here, you were "lucky" that cards lower than 10 didn't fall until the river. Suppose, however, that the flop had come Q high, and then the K hit on the turn. Sure, you've got a gutshot draw, but why pay several bets to get to a gutshot (which isn't the nuts)?

On the river you've got the odds to call, but I wouldn't say you are a probable winner. You've trapped yourself with your open-raise preflop. If you start with middling cards and go to the river with them, about half the time you won't improve. And when you do improve, what you'll mostly improve to is a middling pair. I repeat: Ugh!

[afish]

Preflop: I really think the only reason to raise UTG with 10-9s is if people are folding to all your raises. Since you got three callers, that plainly was not the case. I'd prefer to limp to encourage a cheap volume pot. Also, if the game is relatively loose, this hand is playable up front.

Flop: Here is a spot where your preflop raise hurt. If you had just called before the flop, a flop bet would have a better chance of picking up the pot. That said, a bet with two overcards and a gutshot draw is mandatory to possibly win the pot or to get a hand like Ax to fold.

Turn: You've got a pair and a gutshot draw. Since you'd call a bet, it is better to bet yourself and hope your opponents fold.

River: Clearly a raise is incorrect, since you can't beat any hand that will call a raise, and your opponent won't fold any hand that beats yours.

I'd call, as there's enough chance BB missed a straight draw (he could have had A5s) to make folding incorrect. Most of the time you'll lose, but the pot odds warrant a call.

[Noo Yawk]

Since you didn't mention the game type or the types of players you were against, take my response for what it's worth.
Pre-flop: Limp with 10-9s to encourage multiway action. From UTG you have reasonably good speculative hand for a loose-passive game. Just make sure you believe there is a reasonable chance to get a multiway pot.

Flop: You have a good semi-bluff opportunity with 2 cold-callers. A gutshot to the nut straight and 2 overcards. Just make sure you have an idea what your opponents will cold call a raise with.

Turn: Top pair. Bet.

River: I think your opponent held middle pair and either walked into a backdoor flush, two pair, or he just held 2 overcards that may have hit. If he is a straight forward player, then a fold is not unreasonable. If he is a tricky player, he may be trying to bluff you off the pot. You need to call and pay him off. I don't see this being worth a raise.

[bruce]

Normally with T9s I will limp or fold, but occasionally I will open for a raise. I have no
problem with your open raise, just as long as this is done occasionally. If you get to
showdown your hand it does miracles for your image. I like the way you played the hand
from the flop on. On the river you have to call. First of all you want to be able to showdown
your hand on the river
Secondly, there is a reasonable possibility that your hand is the best.

Bruce

[Dynasty]

I would never raise UTG with 10 9 suited so I cannot comment for the rest of the hand.

Of all the posts which are made on this forum, the worst ones are always those which say something like "I would not do that pre-flop therefore I won't/can't comment on later streets".

Why can't you comment on the rest of the hand?

[bad beetz]

If you play with the same people every day, I might raise T9s UTG one in five hundred times. And then I'd want to bring it to showdown if at all possible for the advertisement.