Interesting (to me) 88 hand

[AlmightyJay]

Interesting to me because this is the kind of marginal hand I'm trying to learn to play more aggressively. Probably standard to other people. So help me learn [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

Table is slightly loose and pretty passive. Button is tight preflop and somewhat aggressive postflop. MP3 is very loose and passive. I've seen him call bets on every street against a preflop raiser with bottom pair 4's.

Party Poker 1/2 Hold'em (9 max, 9 handed) FTR converter on zerodivide.cx

Preflop: Hero is UTG+1 with 8[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img], 8[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img].
<font color="#666666">1 fold</font>, Hero calls, MP1 calls, <font color="#666666">1 fold</font>, MP3 calls, <font color="#666666">1 fold</font>, <font color="#CC3333">Button raises</font>, <font color="#666666">2 folds</font>, Hero calls, MP1 calls, MP3 calls.

<font color="blue">Nothing interesting here</font>

Flop: (9.50 SB) T[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img], 3[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img], 6[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img] <font color="#0000FF">(4 players)</font>
Hero checks, MP1 checks, MP3 checks, Button checks.

<font color="blue">The flop is where it gets interesting. I may have the best hand. Button will probably bet. I want to protect my marginal hand in this pot that's getting big, so I check intending to raise button's bet. How is this?</font>

Turn: (4.75 BB) 5[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img] <font color="#0000FF">(4 players)</font>
<font color="#CC3333">Hero bets</font>, MP1 folds, MP3 calls, Button folds.

<font color="blue">Flop unexpectedly got checked around. Part of me is scared of a button TT, but I think I have the best hand here more often than he has a slowplayed set. Someone could have a 5, but I'll probably be raised if that happens. This might be the most debatable part of the hand.</font>

River: (6.75 BB) J[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img] <font color="#0000FF">(2 players)</font>
<font color="#CC3333">Hero bets...</font>

<font color="blue">River value bet against the player who will call down with any pair. I'm happy with this bet.</font>

Final Pot: 7.75 BB

How'd I do?

That's probably okay. HU on river, it's hard to imagine someone hung out with a J the whole time, unless they had a pair on the flop, but that seems unlikely given who made it to the river with you.

Looks alright to me.

[crovax4444]

I like your reasoning for the flop. If you bet out, you'd be giving 10:1 odds to anyone, but the check raise would have been a good idea.

Turn I like. Were you planning on check/folding or check/calling? I'm thinking check/folding on this.

River's good at the way the hand was played.

[RiverDood]

pre-flop -- i'd consider a reraise after button raises. if button is playing a strong Ace or KQ, you'd love to go heads up with some dead money in the pot. Try putting pressure on the two limpers to cold-call two. One or both may drop, which would be very nice for you. If they don't, you're playing this for set value or extreme undercards, but that's not so bad either.

flop -- I'd expect a c/r to work here, too. It's surprising that the preflop raiser doesn't automatically make continuation bets. Make a note of it, that's useful knowledge going forward.

turn -- nice bet; nice outcome

flop -- looks good. hope he had k6 or some such and just wanted to keep giving you chips.

[crovax4444]

[ QUOTE ]
pre-flop -- i'd consider a reraise after button raises. if button is playing a strong Ace or KQ, you'd love to go heads up with some dead money in the pot. Try putting pressure on the two limpers to cold-call two. One or both may drop, which would be very nice for you. If they don't, you're playing this for set value or extreme undercards, but that's not so bad either.


[/ QUOTE ]

Bleh, I think that's a better line than calling. It's only a shade short of 99, which I'm willing to 3-bet preflop. Isolation raise with 88 doesn't sound too bad. If he 3-bets it, then we know we're in trouble

Crovax

I've looked it over and I like it. Well played from my perspective.

[Aaron W.]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
pre-flop -- i'd consider a reraise after button raises. if button is playing a strong Ace or KQ, you'd love to go heads up with some dead money in the pot. Try putting pressure on the two limpers to cold-call two. One or both may drop, which would be very nice for you. If they don't, you're playing this for set value or extreme undercards, but that's not so bad either.


[/ QUOTE ]

Bleh, I think that's a better line than calling. It's only a shade short of 99, which I'm willing to 3-bet preflop. Isolation raise with 88 doesn't sound too bad. If he 3-bets it, then we know we're in trouble

Crovax

[/ QUOTE ]

It's relatively unlikely that you're going to get isolated with PFR using the LRR. It's not very common for players to fold preflop after calling once.

And I'm not particularly fond of playing medium pocket pairs OOP against someone who likely has overcards, if not an overpair. Winning OOP in those spots is very difficult. You're not playing the all-in coinflop game. Reverse implied odds go up with pocket pairs because they have fewer chances to be bailed out by the turn or river card.

Re-raising 88 in this early position is a long term loss. Isolation is great unless you're isolating yourself! Play 88 to grab a set on the flop and win big. Don't play 88 to beat overpairs. It won't happen often enough.

[crovax4444]

doh, got confused for a second mixing that it was checked through on the flop and not PF, yea, people won't fold for 1 more bet usually. (I did see one do that last night...good stuff)

Crovax

*grunch*

This is exaclty how I would play it.