88

So I am one before the big blind, UTG raises everyone folds to me. I cold call the 2 bet raise with an 88 hoping to set trips. This leave me and UTG heads up. Flop comes down with an 8... we keep betting and he turns over JJ which fits neatly into the straight..

The question IS - should I have even called? Any guidlines for calling with mid to small pairs?

Peter

[Songwind]

I call this raise, and the pre-flop recommendations in SSHE also say to play 88 for a raise in the SB. Too bad about your set running into the straight. :P

Hi,

I wasnt in the small blind - cold called a 2 bet - ths still OK? Doesnt look like it in the tight chart for SSH - looks like I should have had a few more people in the pot.

Peter

OOOPS _ I meant the one after the big blind - ie I was NOT the small blind [img]/images/graemlins/wink.gif[/img]

Peter

[tiltaholic]

you are confused becuase if you were one hand away from being the big blind then you'd be UTG, and you said UTG raised preflop.

anyway. no, i don't think you should coldcall 2 bets with 88.

there was just a thread about this that was on the first page yesterday. it's called something like calling raises preflop.

[hemstock]

You should either fold or raise. Cold calling is bad.

This thread is a perfect example of why you should learn to use a converter and post properly-converted hand histories. I'm totally confused at this point and I'm moving on. GL.

Peter-

Read/reread SSH and continue to work on your post-flop play by playing, posting, re-reading. If he had JJ for the str8 that means that there was 4 to a str8 on the board at some point - learn to recognize this and adjust accordingly. Remember, sets can still be cracked so don't just get tunnel vision once you have a set. Have faith, keep at it!

Edite comments after reading OP's new position info:

Sorry folks. I have confused people - I will get hand convertor and try again another time.

Sorry

[imported_The Vibesman]

[ QUOTE ]
You should either fold or raise. Cold calling is bad.

[/ QUOTE ]

I'll expand for OP. If you don't expect enough people to come along to give you odds to draw to a set, just calling is bad. It gives better odds to the BB to call with an overcard or any two suited/connected, and if you don't improve your hand any overcards out are potentially bad. When you're not getting odds to draw to a set, you are playing hoping that your pair of 8s holds up unimproved, and your best chances of that happening is to eliminate as many players as possible. Ideally you'd like to be heads up. So often a reraise is in order with 88.

The hand gets a little tricky to play postflop, so against some players you're better off folding, generally tricky players with the potential to bluff scary boards with weaker holdings, pushing you off the pot. The 3bet preflop works best against someone that is weak postflop, and likely to check/fold the flop/turn if he doesn't improve to at least an open-ended str8 draw.

I suck at poker and this is probably full of holes, so please, grain of salt.