Top and bottom against a donkey and a good player

[Rococo]

2-5 NLH 5 handed

This hand gave me a little trouble because of a bad player to my left.

BB just sat down but I know him as a strong, tricky player. He is willing to make a move without cards, but I rarely see him get caught without the best of it. Button is pretty terrible. I can't figure out his MO, but he seems to mix irrational spurts of aggression with stretches of being a calling station.

Me -- $900
Button -- $450
BB -- $500 (just sat down)

Preflop

I limp in the CO with A [img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img] 4 [img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img]. Button minraises to $10. BB calls. I call. FWIW, I am certain that the minraise from the Button doesn't mean much.

Flop

A [img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img] 9 [img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img] 4 [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img]. BB leads out for $20. I call. Button calls.

Turn

T [img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img] BB checks. I bet $50. Button folds. BB calls.

River

K [img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img]. BB bets $100. I fold.

All comments welcome.

[IRV]

I would have raised to 80 on the flop when u had the best of it. I don't think you want to take this any further with just a 4 as a second pair.

[BobboFitos]

i dont like open limping from the CO

given how you got to the river, the pot has ~200 in it, he bets half pot, and you fold? you're notgood 25% f the time?

I actually prefer a blocking bet there, for about the same amount, as yes, i call.

[ QUOTE ]
Button is pretty terrible. I can't figure out his MO, but he seems to mix irrational spurts of aggression with stretches of being a calling station.


[/ QUOTE ]

i think it was a bad fold.

[Rococo]

I don't open limp often in the CO but I didn't mind in this instance because I wanted to play as many hands against the Button as possible.

[aggie]

I'm not crazy about how you played any street:

On the flop, open raise!!!!

If not, raise the flop....Big Raise!!!!

If not, bet more on the turn!!!!

If not, call on the river!!!!

[Rococo]

I couldn't open the betting on the flop. BB was first to act and he bet into me.

To all, I agree that I should have bet more on the turn, although I was still tempted to play in a way that kept the Button in the hand. As it turned out, he folded anyway to a half-size pot bet, so in hindsight, a pot sized bet certainly would have been better vis-a-vis the BB.

I am not so certain about calling the river, but that's debatable, and somewhat informed by my previous play with the BB.

I am most interested in the flat call on the flop. My goal was to avoid losing the weak player behind me, who I suspected was drawing to 2 or 3 outs at best. I halfway expected him to raise behind me with a naked ace and I thought that there was a decent chance that I could catch the BB in the middle.

My question is whether i) my hand is strong enough to play it this way; and ii) the potential payoff is big enough. I'm just not sure.

[freemoney]

i dont think your hand is strong enough or will you know when your hand is strong enough to get max value out of it whe you are best. BB is tricky and could have anything. basically any card that comes on the turn makes this hand tough to play, get more money in on the flop and make people pay to catch up

[betgo]

I would raise on the flop. You like to keep calling stations in, but if the button doesn't have anything, he is not likely to put a lot more in anyway.

On the river, you have to call. This is a backdoor flush. Your opponent could have a flush or 2-pair with this board, but it is worth a call with aces up. If the BB had overbet the pot on the river, then you probably have to fold.

[aggie]

Sry, meant to say open raise pre-flop...

definitely raise on the flop. I think that, and folding on the river were both big mistakes

[betgo]

[ QUOTE ]
open raise pre-flop...

[/ QUOTE ]
In a tournament, I might open raise preflop to steal the blinds. 2/5 cash games are too loose to steal the blinds. You don't have much of a hand, so I think limping in late position is OK. Personally, I would just fold preflop.

We are agreed about the flop and the river.