Raising For Value

[CMangano]

Here is a hand I just played where I raised the turn for value, but I don't think it was the right play. Here are the details:

Typical 3/6 online game.

I am dealt T[img]/forums/images/icons/diamond.gif[/img] 8[img]/forums/images/icons/diamond.gif[/img] on the button. It's folded to an MP player who calls and the CO who calls (both are decent players). I call, and the SB raises and the BB calls (both are bad players). Everyone else calls. 5 to the flop for 1BB each.

Flop J[img]/forums/images/icons/diamond.gif[/img] 6[img]/forums/images/icons/spade.gif[/img] 9[img]/forums/images/icons/club.gif[/img]. Open ender for me. It is checked to the CO who bets, I call not wanting to drive out the other players everyone calls. 5 to the turn for 1.5BB each.

Turn K[img]/forums/images/icons/diamond.gif[/img] [J[img]/forums/images/icons/diamond.gif[/img] 6[img]/forums/images/icons/spade.gif[/img] 9[img]/forums/images/icons/club.gif[/img]]. Now I have an open ender and a four-flush. Checked to the CO again who bets, this time I raise for value. But, the instant I clicked the raise button I felt this was the wrong play. I felt I had 15 clean outs (9 diamonds, 3 Q's and 3 7's), but by raising I would probably drive out the other players, leaving me heads up. I think I should have called to potentially keep the other players in. The BB called 2 and the CO called, so my raise knocked out 2 players.

River 8[img]/forums/images/icons/spade.gif[/img] [K[img]/forums/images/icons/diamond.gif[/img] J[img]/forums/images/icons/diamond.gif[/img] 6[img]/forums/images/icons/spade.gif[/img] 9[img]/forums/images/icons/club.gif[/img]]. Yipee! It gets checked around.

Thoughts on the turn raise? Should I have just called to try to keep players in?

[travisand]

I think raising was the correct thing to do. When you raise, you are almost always going to get called by the original bettor, so that is 1BB and there is a descent chance that atleast one of the others will call. So that is 3BB, which is probably what you would get if you simply called the turn, assuming that atleast 1 of the others in the hand would probably fold. Not to mention the added benefit of being checked to on the river and having the option of checking behind if you miss.

The way I see it, since you said that both the BB and the SB are bad players I would think that there is a pretty good chance that one of them would call the 2 bets cold, and who knows maybe both. So in the long run I would think that raising has a higher EV than simply calling.