multiple forks in the road

[James282]

Surprised you'd call every time here Barron - I think a 3 bet is usually best. There are way too many hands the BB can have that really hurt your equity by letting him crawl in. Plus, by overrepresenting your hand, you usually force the UTG player to define his hand on the flop or the turn. If he does so by raising, you can almost always lay it down safely. If he caps, you can almost always find out whether you are ahead or behind on the flop.
-James

[ggbman]

[ QUOTE ]
Surprised you'd call every time here Barron - I think a 3 bet is usually best. There are way too many hands the BB can have that really hurt your equity by letting him crawl in. Plus, by overrepresenting your hand, you usually force the UTG player to define his hand on the flop or the turn. If he does so by raising, you can almost always lay it down safely. If he caps, you can almost always find out whether you are ahead or behind on the flop.
-James

[/ QUOTE ]

I think this is key. You should be able to extract enough information about UTG's hand by over-representing yours to make play easier on subsequent streets. Furthermore, dead money from the BB never hurts [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]I mix it up by calling and 3 betting here.

Onto the hand... I dont like our flop action. I think by donking it, you often get the BB to raise any pair or draw, which will either force UTG to drop his hand or define it so you can fold on the flop. I think this is best option. Since you checked and the action went bet/call, i would c/r for value. You are ahead the VAST majority of the time here, and you want to get value out of your hand. The problem with c/c is that when an A, K, or Q come on the turn you have no idea where you are at, and you also will have trouble extracting value from naked eights.

[DcifrThs]

i think you are definately correct if the UTG raiser is a bit looser than most. but without any read my default is usually call with 99 and down and raise TT on up in that spot, again, with no read.

hate having the bb here but you're against a UTG unknown raiser. loosen him up a touch and idefiantely 3 bet to clear out bb and make utg define his hand etc as you said.

Barron

[mc1023]

[ QUOTE ]
Plus, by over representing your hand, you usually force the UTG player to define his hand on the flop or the turn. If he does so by raising, you can almost always lay it down safely. If he caps, you can almost always find out whether you are ahead or behind on the flop.
-James

[/ QUOTE ]

I don't think this is necessary true, your 3betting a UTG raiser and a coldcaller from the SB, that's a very small range in a 9 handed game unless you frequently 3bet marginal hands in this spot.

It may even pacify UTG and UTG+1 into call mode even if they hit an overpair to your 9 such as T-K.

Also with 99 out of position against a UTG raiser and UTG+1 coldcaller that's unknown, I don't mind BB slipping in with what is most likely a HUGE range that 99 could be a favorite over since he is getting 7:1 and closing the action. Not to mention for the times I will hit a set and BB may find a hand he likes.

6 handed or less, maybe even 7 handed where an unknowns raising standards will often be a bit looser, I like the 3bet preflop for information regardless of the callers and their respective positions.

But for a 10 handed game I think it's too strong of a line to take preflop by 3betting 99 here against two what seems like decent unknown opponents that will most likely hold 2-4 overcards to your pair preflop and have position on you.

[catlover]

The preflop fold question is interesting. This is one reason I think it is correct to raise, rather than call, with medium pocket pairs UTG in a high-stakes game.

[James282]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Plus, by over representing your hand, you usually force the UTG player to define his hand on the flop or the turn. If he does so by raising, you can almost always lay it down safely. If he caps, you can almost always find out whether you are ahead or behind on the flop.
-James

[/ QUOTE ]

I don't think this is necessary true, your 3betting a UTG raiser and a coldcaller from the SB, that's a very small range in a 9 handed game unless you frequently 3bet marginal hands in this spot.

It may even pacify UTG and UTG+1 into call mode even if they hit an overpair to your 9 such as T-K.

Also with 99 out of position against a UTG raiser and UTG+1 coldcaller that's unknown, I don't mind BB slipping in with what is most likely a HUGE range that 99 could be a favorite over since he is getting 7:1 and closing the action. Not to mention for the times I will hit a set and BB may find a hand he likes.

6 handed or less, maybe even 7 handed where an unknowns raising standards will often be a bit looser, I like the 3bet preflop for information regardless of the callers and their respective positions.

But for a 10 handed game I think it's too strong of a line to take preflop by 3betting 99 here against two what seems like decent unknown opponents that will most likely hold 2-4 overcards to your pair preflop and have position on you.

[/ QUOTE ]

There was no SB cold caller, we are the SB.
-James

[mc1023]

[ QUOTE ]
There was no SB cold caller, we are the SB.
-James

[/ QUOTE ]

I meant coldcaller from UTG+1.