Screwing around in multi-way pots - good poker or suckouts?

[Ulysses]

6-12 table has turned very loose passive. Nobody is folding for pre-flop raises or even 3-bets and nobody is folding on the flop. However, free card raises on the flop are very productive and people are dropping like flies on the turn.

Here are 3 very similar hands. I'm not sure if I'm playing good poker here or was just going wild because I was up about 80BB in 3 hours. All criticism appreciated.

1) J [img]/forums/images/icons/diamond.gif[/img] 10 [img]/forums/images/icons/diamond.gif[/img] in cutoff. CO-1 raises. I call, knowing the result will likely be a 6-way pot for 2SB each. Flop 4 [img]/forums/images/icons/heart.gif[/img] 2 [img]/forums/images/icons/diamond.gif[/img] 8 [img]/forums/images/icons/club.gif[/img]. Checked to me. I bet, 4 call. Turn Q [img]/forums/images/icons/heart.gif[/img] . Checked to me. I check. River 10 [img]/forums/images/icons/spade.gif[/img] . Checked to me. I bet. 2 callers. I'm good.

2) 7 [img]/forums/images/icons/diamond.gif[/img] 9 [img]/forums/images/icons/diamond.gif[/img] in cutoff. I call and it's a 7-way unraised pot. Flop 7 [img]/forums/images/icons/heart.gif[/img] 8 [img]/forums/images/icons/heart.gif[/img] J [img]/forums/images/icons/diamond.gif[/img] . MP (aggressive guy from my 33 hand) bets. I raise. Folded to MP. He 3-bets. Callers call. I call. Turn K [img]/forums/images/icons/diamond.gif[/img] . MP bets. Folded to me. I call. River 2 [img]/forums/images/icons/diamond.gif[/img] . MP bets. I raise. He calls. I open, he looks and says "oh, no good" and throws over J7o. Someone else informs him I have a flush.

3) J [img]/forums/images/icons/spade.gif[/img] Q [img]/forums/images/icons/club.gif[/img] in SB. I complete in what is a 6-way unraised pot. Is this a bad call? Flop 2 [img]/forums/images/icons/diamond.gif[/img] 4 [img]/forums/images/icons/heart.gif[/img] 7 [img]/forums/images/icons/club.gif[/img] . I bet. A couple of callers to LP (same guy as in hand 2) who raises. I and others call. 4 see the turn of Q [img]/forums/images/icons/heart.gif[/img] . Checked to LP, who bets. Folded to me. I check-raise. He calls. Heads-up to the river, which is 10 [img]/forums/images/icons/diamond.gif[/img] . I bet. LP calls. He flashes and mucks 9 [img]/forums/images/icons/spade.gif[/img] 9 [img]/forums/images/icons/club.gif[/img] .

[Ed Miller]

I don't understand why you bet the flop in hand 1... and especially hand 3. In hand 3, you have nothing but weak overcards and you have five opponents. You are in the worst position and are just firing a bet out there with no expectation at all of taking down the pot right there. With as many as three opponents, the bet would be ok... but with five in a loose game (where people will play the sort of trash that is on board here) I think you are just tossing money away. On the other hand... I really like the turn checkraise in hand 3.

The flop bet in hand 1 is not so bad... if only because the pot is laying you higher odds (that your apparently clueless opponents might not notice) and you are at least checked to in LP. You also have the backdoor flush draw to go with your sorry overcards in that hand. I still would probably check there and hope to pick up a flush draw on the turn.