[Irieguy]

This hand illustrates a common SNG scenario: you have a very good hand that rates to be the best, but it is vulnerable and either your position or the number of opponents (or both) will make it difficult for you to figure out what you are up against.

In these cases it is usually best to play for value and give your opponents a chance to either make a mistake of aggression, or declare their hand.

For example, when the SB bets 40 on the flop, it's pretty clear that he is unlikely to have anything worthwhile. He cold-called a raise from the SB and put out this pathetic little post-oak feeler bet on the flop. If you were heads-up with him, then a healthy raise to allow him to make a big calling mistake would be the best line. But you have a late position caller to contend with here, and this flop is very dangerous for your hand. I would just call the bet on the flop and see what the button does. The button is likely to raise, but there's a chance he could telegraph the strength of his hand with the size of his raise. The bigger the raise, the more likely it is that the SB will fold and the more correct it will be for you to call. But a medium raise by the button and a call by the SB puts you in a situation where you are frequently beat, and if not, you are offering the others a great price to draw at a hand that you may have to pay off on the river due to the size of the pot. This is an example of reverse implied odds, and I would be willing to fold on the flop if I didn't like the way the hand was developing after I called the $40 flop bet.

But with the way the flop action went down, I think your call of the extra 280 was a mistake. You put yourself in a position where no matter what you do on later streets, it's likely to be a mistake. Folding TPTK with a $3000 pot is rarely correct, but building a nice drawing pot for a flush and then paying them off when it hits is not a tactic I would recommend either.

Your raise on the flop puts you in a position where you need to either push or fold if you are reraised by the button, and if you are smooth-called and a heart comes on the turn, you are in a world of hurt. It's the flop raise that got you into trouble, and learning how to play strong hands for value against multiple opponents is how you avoid these situations.

Irieguy