[bobbyi]

[ QUOTE ]
Hand 2 is OK but I'm not sure it's any better than calling down.

[/ QUOTE ]
Note that if the opponent is still firing here with a hand like AJ here, he has nine outs to beat us. Getting him to fold that getting better than 7:1 is quite a coup (not to even mention the possiblity that he folds the best hand holding something like 99). If the board weren't paired over us, AJ would only have 6 outs to beat us, so getting him to fold wouldn't be that big a deal. Not only does the paired board make us want him to fold more, but it also means that it is more likely that he will fold because of the danger of drawing dead. That's a great combination.

Of course, he also has to worry that he only has three outs against a king that sandbagged the flop. That king is a scary card for many of his holding as there are many KX hands with which we would open on the button but not cap pf. It's also a rainbow board which is great for us because it means he can't convince himself to call by thinking we could be make a move with a flush draw (and, to a lesser extent, because he himself can't have one). (Similarly, there are no straight possiblities on this board).

For these reasons, I think raising is better than calling down. There are times when this move is good and times when it's not, but for my money it's really hard to find a better board that K882r.

(Side note: I really love the topic of board texture. If I ever write a book on poker, I would organize everything based on the texture of the board rather than on what sort of hand you have.)