Dealing with the damn flop min-raise.

[Sam T.]

This is a hand from a couple of weeks ago, but I don't think I had any reads.

I've been trying to figure out the best way to deal with yahoos who min-raise on the flop. The stereotype is that it is a monster trying to get more money into the pot. But more and more (thanks to PAHUD showing me mucked cards) it seems to be someone who wants to get a cheap showdown. At least that was my thinking in this case:

PokerStars No-Limit Hold'em Tourney, Big Blind is t200 (8 handed) FTR converter on zerodivide.cx

CO (t18225)
Button (t27250)
SB (t35942)
BB (t2593)
UTG (t40761)
Hero (t17175)
MP1 (t14199)
MP2 (t24781)

Preflop: Hero is UTG+1 with Q[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img], A[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img].
<font color="#666666">1 fold</font>, <font color="#CC3333">Hero raises to t600</font>, <font color="#666666">3 folds</font>, Button calls t600, SB calls t500, <font color="#666666">1 fold</font>.

Flop: (t2000) T[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img], 9[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img], 4[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img] <font color="#0000FF">(3 players)</font>
SB checks, <font color="#CC3333">Hero: bets t1200</font>, <font color="#CC3333">Button raises to t2400</font>, SB folds, <font color="#CC3333">Hero raises to t14175</font>

I hate simply calling (then what? check-fold if I don't improve? give his QJ a few more free cards?), and folding to a min-raise seem so weak.

So my main question is less about this hand than how do you deal with this situation.

Sam

[AtticusFinch]

I'm more inclined to fold flop minraises than most people seem to be. I find that more often than not, it's a good hand trying to sweeten the pot. Other times it's something like middle pair or a mid PP probing for a continuation bet. From the action, that might be the case in the hand your posted. In any event, I have no problem just folding overs with no good draws to a minraise.

With a good draw of my own, it's an easy call (obviously). The tricky situation is when you have something like TPGK (but not TPTK), or an overpair like JJ, and have to worry about two-pair, sets, etc. There, it's very read-dependent.

Anyway, yeah, I hate 'em.