[Rockfish]

Typical 0.50/1 Party Poker 8-handed.

I'm in the cutoff with T9 [img]/forums/images/icons/diamond.gif[/img].

All fold to me and I just call.

Button calls, SB folds, BB checks.

Three handed to the flop of 8 [img]/forums/images/icons/spade.gif[/img] 3 [img]/forums/images/icons/diamond.gif[/img] J [img]/forums/images/icons/heart.gif[/img] .

BB checks I bet out, button calls, BB calls.

Turn brings the 9 [img]/forums/images/icons/spade.gif[/img] .

BB checks, I check, button bets, BB folds, I raise, button calls.

River brings the T [img]/forums/images/icons/spade.gif[/img] .

I bet out, button calls.

Here are my thoughts.

First on the open limp in the cutoff, in general in this game the blinds defend tenaciously if you raise in steal position. This is a playable hand but if I don't hit just right and overcards flop I'm going to give it up so I think calling is a better play.

On the flop I've got an open-ended straight draw and a backdoor to diamonds. The BB would have bet out if he had hit the flop and I have no idea what the button has but I can't see checking here. If I thought the button would bet I might have gone for a check raise to get the free turn card and to show some aggression. The button would call with more hands than he would bet so I didn't think that would work.

On the turn I no longer have the backdoor diamonds but I have a pair and now a draw to a one card straight. I would not have raised had the BB called, and had the button re-raised I would have been out of there. The button had been playing way too many hands and would be in there with top, bottom or middle pair, any ace and the usual gamut of weird hands that you see at 0.5/1.

On the river I can't put the button on a 7 or a Q nor can I put him on spades necessarily because it got there by the backdoor (you never really know though, do you?) and again bet out thinking that if raised I'm gone.

Good play or flirting with disaster?

Rockfish