Protect or Fold? Live game at AC

[gopnik]

Dream $2/$4 table, loose and passive. SB is a donkey.

Here in BB with 7[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img], 8[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img]

4 limpers, SB completes, here checks. 6 to the flop.

flop: 2[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img], 4[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img], 8[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img]

SB bets, hero...????

So, what's the standard play here? This hand is as marginal as it gets. If I raise, most of the limpers will call me with overcards. Just call and let somebody suck out cheap? I don't like that. I used to raise in situations like that, but these days I am leaning more towards folding.
What do you guys do here?

Pot is small enough to fold. Too many overcards can fall to punish us later and if low cards fall there could be possible str8 draws on the board. If you don't like a raise, don't call it - fold instead.

[@bsolute_luck]

yeah i gotta say i fold these hands at these loose tables that peel liberally. you really don't want a lot (if any other than SB) seeing that turn card and that's if you're not behind already. i pick a better spot.

[sean c]

I like calling better than raising or folding at these types of tables. I play alot of live 4/8 just like this and while these short bus riders will peel with almost anything on the flop they tend to take turn raises seriously. I would peel here see a turn card and decide from there. Folding or raising are not bad options but i like a call.

This hand looks like you're gonna have to improve to win. The pot offers you 7:1. With your likely 5 outs it's a close decision between folding and continuing.
If you continue it's a close decision between calling and raising.
If you call you can expect several callers, since your table is passive, good if you imrove.
If you raise you're giving overcards bad odds to call.

I think the decision is very close here, but i'd fold, because:

1) The caller is on your right, with 4 opponents yet to act. If someone raises or reraises you're done.

2) The pot just isn't large enough, if it were 9 or 10 small bets i'd probably raise.

3) Almost all turn cards exept for the 8,7 (and maybe 6) will force you to play cautiosly out of position in a multiway pot.

[sean c]

Hi Alex. Why do you think we are going to have to improve to win this hand?

1) We want the bettor on our immediate right.

2) If you still think we need to improve to win then we certainly do not have enough equity to raise the flop.

3) If we get a good turn card that would be the time to get aggressive with our hand if we felt we held the best hand. If you think you are behind you can check/fold as it will be unlikely that we will have the correct pot odds to try and improve.

If I plan to protect my hand i agree that i want the bettor on my right, of course. So point 1 was more intended to show why i don't really like calling here.

Maybe my first post was a bit confused. Sorry about that, but English is not my native language, so sometimes i'm having trouble to express exactly what i mean. Don't know enough words [img]/images/graemlins/frown.gif[/img].

I think it is reasonable that we are ahead and that we do have an equity here, too. But the way the table is described i don't think many opponents will fold even to a raise.
So there is a great chance that we will have to improve to win. There are much more danger cards out there than safe ones.
I think we may have enough equity to raise if we want to continue, but i'm not sure if the size of the pot is big enough to play this marginal hand.

Like Ed Miller said in one of his posts:

In small pots it is more important to play tight than aggressive, while in large pots it is more important to play aggressive than to play tight.

Is this pot large enough? I'm not really sure.

*grunch*

Why not wait for the turn?

[Paxosmotic]

I think there's a decent enough chance you're ahead right now, but I don't think it's going to stay that way enough to make this profitable. You're likely to get called in several places. If you were to continue with the hand, I think you should raise, but given the dynamics of the table, fold.

[POKhER]

I dont like raising, Either fold or call.
If the turn card is safe, Ram and jam is then. If its not you can ditch it.

On the other hand, you can ditch it now and save yourself from "Reverse implied odds".

You disagree? Please quote and explain.