For a good time, call.

[Tommy Angelo]

$20-40, one of those games that seems real soft if you make a few hands and impossibly tough if you don't. I was doing that second thing for couple hours when this hand came up.

I had pocket threes on the button. Under the gun openraised. Three players called. I called. Both blinds called. Seven of us to the flop.

The flop came: K-J-4 with two hearts. I had the three of hearts. UTG bet out. All between us called. I called. One blind folded and the other called. Six of us to the turn.

The turn card, as you might have guessed by now, was a three. UTG bet out. The next player raised. The next two players folded slow enough to give me some unwanted think time. Well. I wasn't much worried about the raiser's hand unless maybe he had pocket fours. UTG could have pocket kings or pocket jacks I suppose. I looked at him while the folding in front of me was going on. UTG looked quite ready to do something. Reraise? Call the turn and firmly checkcall the river? His path was decided. I just didn't know what it was yet.

My default here is to just raise raise raise and not even think. It was all those slowfolders that gave me this extra time. What if UTG and the turn-raiser were both drawing dead to my hand? Or maybe somebody got happy with a flush draw and a pair. Do I need to protect my hand? Should I maybe just c... ca.... cal... Gawd I can't even say it.

I called. The blind folded. Three of us left now. UTG made it three bets on the turn. The middle guy did a quizzical but certain call of the raise. Back to me.

Okay, I really don't want to pay four bets on the turn, and at least one on the river, to find out that UTG had flopped a set and that I was drawing to runner-runner quads when the flop came down. So I just called the third bet on the turn.

The river, a blank, a black eight. UTG bet out. The other guy called. I called.

UTG showed KJ. The other guy showed KJ. And my hand was good. Man this game is easy.


Tommy