Protect your hand

[Avivs]

you wanted to enter a $100 No Limit tournament online but misclicked and found yourself in a $10 single table limit holdem instead...
the game is fairly loose aggressive.
at the 2nd level with blinds 15-30 you pick up [img]/forums/images/icons/diamond.gif[/img] 7 - [img]/forums/images/icons/heart.gif[/img] 5 in the big blind.
there are 4 callers, you check and the flop comes: [img]/forums/images/icons/heart.gif[/img] 9 - [img]/forums/images/icons/heart.gif[/img] 8 - [img]/forums/images/icons/spade.gif[/img] 6.
you are the first to act.
what do you think is the best way to protect your hand?

[Dynasty]

Protecting your hand shouldn't be you primary priority. Your top priority should be to extract a lot of bets from your opponents with a hand that is very likely to be best on the river. Betting and raising at every opportunity should do the trick.

[RockLobster]

Hi Avivs--

I strongly suggest that you steady your mouse with both hands and ensure that you are nowhere near the FOLD button when you prepare to click. Two misclicks in one session could be disasterous.

This should help protect your hand. [img]/forums/images/icons/smirk.gif[/img]

Take care--

[Smaegol]

Best way to protect that hand online? Fold it. You know it will lose to a runner runner full house! [img]/forums/images/icons/grin.gif[/img]

[Avivs]

I'm a little disappointed with the responses (or lack of...) that I got.
The reason I posted this hand was to convince my friend, who actually played this hand, that he misplayed it.
Let’s start with some pre flop analysis: since it’s a loose aggressive game and there was no pre flop raise it’s unlikely that someone has a top pair or 2 high cards like A-K/Q/J or KQ etc.
After the flop, even though we believe we have the best hand at the moment, we are very vulnerable to holdings such as J-10, Q-J, 9-8,9-6, 8-6, any 10 and any 2 hearts (and since there was no pre flop raise these holdings are more likely to exist).
By coming out betting we are not going to scare any of these hands away, especially in a loose aggressive game.
A better plan is to check and hope that someone in late position bets (most likely in this game) and than we can check-raise and make it too expensive for the drawing hands to call.
That way we will hopefully be facing 1 opponent who either has a pair, 2 pairs or a set or he might be drawing to a higher straight or to a flush.
What happened to my friend was that he came out betting and everyone called and later on a J came on board and a Q-10 that was seating right over him took the pot.
I would appreciate any comments someone may have on this analysis.

[Jimbo]

Part of the problem is your description of the game as loose aggressive. No raise preflop eliminates the agressive part. Betting the flop and all call furthers the games loose passive aspect. Under these circumstances it is likely if he checks it may very well be checked around. Again in a loose game most players will see the turn for a single small bet so I do not see anything he could have done differently. You did not say if the jack came off on the turn or the river. If it was the turn I estimate his chances of winning this pot at 0%, if the river he could have tried the stop n go and perhaps saved the day.

[Trefo]

In online you bet it and reraise it every chance you get.
Most online games someone will call your bet and may actually raise it. I'd bet and reraise until possibly the Jack came out. But most players will call you down with anything online so you have to make it more costly for them to call you with gutshot straights......eventually they'll learn.

[baseball38]

I would try and check raise, but if it got checked around so be it. Chances of someone having T7 are highly unlikely.

baseball38 [img]/forums/images/icons/spade.gif[/img]

[baseball38]

Great reply Lobster, I am still laughing.


baseball38 [img]/forums/images/icons/spade.gif[/img]