[psuasskicker]

I think the line to go with is dependent on what you want to accomplish. If you want to take a shot to win a massive pot with the goal of winning the pot in general, I'd raise a large amount on the flop. SB already overbet the pot. That tells me he's either drawing, or on something where he wants to define his hand very quickly.

If you want to fire at the pot, I'd make the bet $200 here. You're committed at that point with great odds and a great hand, so you don't care if there's an all in. This shuts out the UTG raiser unless he flopped a set of Jacks. Maybe he would overplay an overpair, but a bet and raise to $200 on a pot that started out at $24 should be enough to get him off anything but a monster hand.

I also don't mind playing this passively on the flop and turn. On the flop you want UTG in there with you if you can get it (and I'd think strongly about moving all in if UTG raises here). That makes your odds fantastic. But once he folds, I like calling the turn better than raising. Unless SB is on a huge hand he's not going to like anything that can hit the river. He might bet again if he two-pairs up, but most times he'll just check it to you, and you can check down with no improvement or bet if you hit.

I think once that river falls you have to value bet. There are just too many hands that you can beat that he'd call with. You certainly don't want to overbet here. You don't want to lose too much cause he won't call an overly large bet unless you're beat. But with $250 in the pot, I think this is an excellent spot to lay $75 or $100 out there and get called by someone getting 3.5 to 1 or better.

Betting here is opening the door to big decision if you get popped.

HERO has top two which is very strong on this board, and villain's not going to check raise him unless he has a monster straight. I don't think villain can check a Q to HERO here cause he'd be more worried HERO would check behind him without paying him off. And he can't check raise HERO with a set cause there's too high a chance HERO is on a hand like QJ or something that beats villain with a one card straight on the board.

I think a value bet is a must here, and if you get raised you just have to lay it down barring a VERY small raise that gives you odds too attractive to fold.

- C -