5-5 NL Hand (Part 1)

[J.A.Sucker]

The game is a pretty good 5-5, 10 to go, NL game (9 handed). You have QQ UTG and bring it in for 20 bucks (starting the deal with 900). There are 4 cold callers (!) including the button, who is a very aggressive player with deep money (2.5 K). The pot is 110.

Flop: Qc-2c-7c.

Question #1: What's your play?

[1800GAMBLER]

Don't check! ... unless you are thinking about checkraising the button, but that could get messy with steals, resteals.

No time to mess about. No worries if everyone folds either.

Behind:

No time to fold either, you have your redraw + precentage of the time they hold AQo QKo (draw) or sets. So the -EV 1/3 of your cash you put in when you are up against a made flush is made up by the times you'll be putting your money in leading.

Summary, the moneys going in, in a fashion to charge any draws, get action from made hands or to not care if it's folded around.

edit: after reading the deep money, there's a small chance i may fold eventually, but not from the button if i felt he'd reraise AKs, maybe if he is a 67s coldcaller.

[J.A.Sucker]

Believe me, if everyone folds here when I bet the pot, I'm a truly happy man. I'm NOT trying to "suck" value out of people here, unless I can get all the money in with multiple callers, which is unlikely (plus I think only the button and I had more than 500 behind, anyway). I'm also not enamored with throwing away top set. This hand really sucks, no matter which way you look at it, and that's why I posted it.

[sam h]

JA,

I think you should pot it and go with your read from there. I don't like checkraising the button so much because it will often put you in the position of committing 1/3 - 1/2 of your stack with little more information than you have now. The players between you and the button could easily check a high made flush on the flop, figuring he will bet. So you could be in a position of putting in 400 or so without really knowing anything about what's out there. Plus the free card possibility.

I also don't really like a big under or overbet. The underbet just gives good odds to draw for players with a high club and encourages aggression from the button. The overbet implies weakness in its own way and gives you fewer option if raised - any raise at that point will be committing to a showdown with you, and not give you the option of putting in a last raise that might (though probably not) get a low made flush to fold.

So yeah, pot it or maybe make it 80-90. Not exactly a revolutionary strategy. But that's part of what makes it best here. IMHO.

[Guy McSucker]

I don't know anything. I'm posting this to see if you guys think I'm thinking right.

You're either a 3-1 favourite or 2-1 dog against hands that will give action on this flop, and you don't know which.

I don't think you can check. If you do and it gets checked to the button, who bets, you're in a terrible position with three to act behind you, any of whom might have checked the flush. If it gets checked around, someone might hit their draw for nothing.

I think it's much better to bet through the field and see what happens. You'll only get action here from flushes, flush draws, and people who want to bluff you, I think. If you have any sort of a read, a bet gives you a good chance of playing it right from here on.

A really tricky player might flat call you with nothing/a draw and make his bluff on the turn, which would be awful. Is anyone that tricky here?

Icky situation. Look for a queen on the turn.

Guy.

[Ulysses]

[ QUOTE ]
Question #1: What's your play?

[/ QUOTE ]

What color chips do you have?

If all red, grab a stack and put it in there. If you want to be cute, grab a couple extra and toss them in too.

If you have black and red, toss in 5 black and 5 red.

If you have white, black, and red, toss in 2 white and a couple of other chips (at random is fine).

[gavrilo]

this is funny..
checking with the intention of checking-raising the aggressive button seems like a bad idea, getting check-reraised would suck a lot here. i would bet pot and take it from there.

[1800GAMBLER]

You know, if that other queen would have flopped i'd be drunk by now.

Instead of thinking about the best play i think you should become closer to the poker gods.

[J.A.Sucker]

Your comment about the poker gods is quite true. You have no idea how bad things have been for me lately.

[J.A.Sucker]

OK, so far, I don't think anyone would disagree with what I did.

I bet close the pot, 100 bucks, because that's a stack of red chips and that was convenient. It's folded to the button. He makes it 500 straight to go.

Question 2: Do you push in, fold, or call (I'm just including this choice to be thorough).