Did I pump my draw correctly?

#1 11-23-2005, 01:01 AM

I'm trying not to focus on results as everyone says. I feel like I played this drawing hand correctly, but am eagerly awaiting everyone's opinions.

Raising my draws is still a new concept to me, so I want to make sure I'm doing it correctly.

PokerStars 2/4 Hold'em (10 handed) converter

Preflop: Hero is MP3 with K[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img], A[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img]. UTG+1 posts a blind of $2.
UTG calls, UTG+1 (poster) checks, 1 fold, MP1 calls, 1 fold, Hero raises, 4 folds, UTG calls, UTG+1 calls, MP1 calls.

Flop: (9.50 SB) 2[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img], J[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img], 7[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img] (4 players)
UTG checks, UTG+1 checks, MP1 bets, Hero raises, UTG calls, UTG+1 folds, MP1 3-bets, Hero calls, UTG calls.

Turn: (9.25 BB) 2[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img] (3 players)
UTG checks, MP1 bets, Hero calls, UTG calls.

River: (12.25 BB) 6[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img] (3 players)
UTG checks, MP1 bets, Hero folds, UTG calls.

Final Pot: 14.25 BB

#2 11-23-2005, 01:12 AM

Looks good to me. The risk is that you will fold out the other potential callers and you really want at least one more. I would raise the flop though. You can usually count on one out of two micro players to cold call. Also, you may pick up a free card on the turn. Turn and river look completely standard to me.

bravos1 · #3 11-23-2005, 01:14 AM

IMO, no...

to pump a draw, you need to squeeze more players into the pot to make it profitable. Since the guy to your right bet, and you raise, you are forcing the other 2 in the hand to cold call. You will most likely not get both of them to call as you want. If the action gets to you and most people are already in for a bet, then you could get in a good pump because you figure most are already in for 1, so they'll stay for one more.

MrWookie47 · #4 11-23-2005, 01:15 AM

This is not bad. You could also consider calling and encouraging the people behind you to call. You really want another player calling behind you to pad the pot for you so that you have an equity edge, not an equity deficit. You got a cold caller, so it worked out ok, but sometimes raises like this will blast out the field. It's better to raise after there's already been a bettor and a caller. OTOH, a raise may be decent if you think someone behind you both may have and may fold A2, K2, A7 or K7, freeing up some outs. This isn't very common, however, so I wouldn't make raising mydefault here.

The rest of the hand is standard.

#5 11-23-2005, 01:23 AM

I think this is fine, for two reasons. 1) At these limits, you are very likely to get people to call for two bets on the flop 2)you have a monster draw, and your pot equity is pretty huge. Even if everyone folds and MP1 has a pair of jacks, you have >50% equity. Throw in the fact that you might clean up outs and get a free card and I think this is an easy raise. If you have a weaker draw like T [img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img]9 [img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img], or if you had reason to think the other players would fold a hand for two that they would play for one, then I think just smoothcalling is correct.

#6 11-23-2005, 01:32 AM

Grunch (no other replies yet).

Here's how I think about it. Suppose your only outs were the spades. Since you're about 35% to make the flush, you need to get four bets in the pot after your raise for the raise to be profitable. (I'm assuming you're not going to win the pot immediately because MP1 is very unlikely to fold to your raise: you have no "fold equity".)

So the simple possibilities are: 2 fold and MP1 calls (you get 1 bet into the pot), or 1 call, 1 fold, and MP1 calls (3 bets), or all call (5 bets).

Alternatively somebody could 3-bet (as in fact MP1 did). In this case the likelyhood of at least one fold is higher, so the likelyhood getting the now-necessary six bets into the pot to make your raise profitable is low (in fact I think it can only happen with betting patterns that are rather odd, e.g. limpers betting twice and then folding in the same round).

So far it doesn't look good, but I've ignored the overcards. You have six more possible outs, the K's and A's. MP1's play fits the possibility of holding either 22 or 77 so you have to discount them. I'm not good at this kind of estimation but I would call it the equivalent of maybe 5 outs in addition to the spades.

So it seems to me that the raise is for value. In addition, since the overcard outs are not to the nuts, protecting your hand by raising increases your chances of winning by spiking a high card.

I like the raise.

(Fixes: "increasing" => "increases" and "spking" => "spiking")