Suck Out or good play

[DJA]

Game is 10-20 HoldEm. Game is reasonably aggressive, but not crazy... There are generally no free rides for the BB, as the pot will be raised by someone in a late position. Game goes from average to loose.

I am dealt 7c 6c in the cut-off, and it is folded to me. The SB is a decent player who is not tied to his $5, and the BB is a scared kid who is playing out of his league. The button is a good player who is probably a little loose pre-flop but has excellent hand reading skills. He will lay down to my raise with trash or hands that he figures he may be dominated with, but he will re-raise with 88 or better because he knows I don't need a premium hand to raise in this position.

Anyway, I wouldn’t have too much to write about if I folded, so I raised. The button folded, SB called and the BB folded. Not exactly what I wanted to happen, but I have position, and I believe it means a lot in this game.

****Flop: 10c 9c 7h****

IMO this is a good flop for me. It allows me to play aggressive, without really being out of line. Anyhow the SB checks, and I bet he calls. There is 3.5 BB in the pot. I can not put the SB on a hand. If he has KQ or QJ I think he would have bet out on the flop or check raised me. If he had a T I think he would have bet out or check raised me. If he had AK he would have re-raised before the flop. I think he may have A J or A 8.

****Turn: [3s] 10c 9c 7h****

The SB checks, and I bet out. I am a little scared of a check raise here, but I have outs if he does, and I believe I have a shot of picking up the pot right here. He calls. Would anyone not have bet out here?

****River: [8c] 3s 10c 9c 7h****

My dream card… He checks and of course I bet, and he check raises me (THANK-YOU). I re-raise and he calls with a Ac Jd for the jack high straight.

My 2 questions are:
1. Would you try to steal with 7c-6c in the cutoff with the information I have given you about the remaining opponents.
2. Would you have bet out on the turn? I think it is almost automatic, but a few of my friends disagree.

Thanks In Advance,

Aside from BTF you had the best hand and best draw the whole time. I raise with hands
like yours or even worse from the cutoff on occasion. I want my play to be unpredictable
and my remaining opponents need to be the right types. If you have the best hand betting
the flop and turn are clearly correct. I can certainly present a good arguement for
you reraising the river..

Bruce

[DJA]

Yah, reraising with a straight flush is not hard to do at all. Especially here where there is a bad beat. If I lose I win more.

[Paul Talbot]

I'd say a well thought out and excellently played hand.

I like the turn bet a lot. You beat A-high now, you have a ton out outs for two pair or (much) better and can stand a check-raise and you will get a lot of people to lay down there overcards here with a bet which you certainly want to do.

Good play,

Paul Talbot

[Jim Brier]

I don't believe that seven-six suited is a good stealing hand, so I would have folded preflop. I prefer a hand with some high card strength rather than a small suited connector such as yours. However, your play is reasonable under the circumstances you describe.

Your turn bet is quite correct especially in these heads-up situations where you have position. You will win the pot outright a very high percentage of the time without having to make anything. Failure to bet the turn here by taking a "free card" is a serious mistake.

[Mason Malmuth]

1. Yes

2. I think your turn bet is debatable. Yes you have outs, but that's a reason to check and not to bet. See HPFAP for more discussion. However, if you do check the turn, you will have to call a lot on the river since you are encouraging a bluff.

Best wishes,
Mason

I thought I was very familiar with HPFAP. I assumed this discussion referred to multi-way pots.

Heads-up I am very inclined to bet here. In fact, I'd bet 100% of the time I didn't think my opponent would check/raise. It seems very backwards to check the turn and then call a bet on the river. There are many more reasons to bet than to check.

1). Your opponent might drop.
2). You might have a best hand which is vulnerable to a free card.
3). You might not get raised even when you are beat.
4). Bottom pair is not a hand you want to induce a bluff with.
5). And maybe most important of all, you might complete your draw in which case you'll be glad you bet the turn.

If these reasons are wrong, won't you please elaborate?

[mike l.]

you make good points anonymous. in this particular case i dont think it's close: a bet on the turn is cleary the best play and you should be prepared to make it 3 bets if the sb checkraises and he is at all tricky or able to fold something like middle or top pair.

sb's play is pretty stinky btw. he didnt 3 bet preflop, he didnt bet or checkraise the flop with A high, gutshot draw, two overcards, and he made a weak call on the turn with only 4.5 big bets in the pot. then he trapped himself for 3 bets on the river when he shouldve just bet the river and called a raise.

[Ed Miller]

</font><blockquote><font class="small">In reply to:</font><hr />
The button is a good player who is probably a little loose pre-flop but has excellent hand reading skills. He will lay down to my raise with trash or hands that he figures he may be dominated with, but he will re-raise with 88 or better because he knows I don't need a premium hand to raise in this position.

Anyway, I wouldn’t have too much to write about if I folded, so I raised. The button folded...

[/ QUOTE ]

I'm sorry, but what is the point of this narrative if all the guy does in the hand is fold preflop? Maybe I'm being picky, but all this extra fluff that people put into their stories is just wasting my time.

[Homer]

He is explaining why he thought raising from the cutoff with a marginal hand was acceptable in this situation. Just because the button didn't factor into the hand doesn't mean that he didn't factor into the decision-making process.