First post (Live 2/5 NL)

[Triumph36]

Hey all, new to posting, but I've been reading since May. This forum has been an enormous resource to someone new to online NL, and new to playing with (relatively) a lot of money. I've been multitabling the Paradise 50 NL tables, making pretty decent money, and I've been to the Borgata three times, coming away with total profit of 500.

The other night I sat down at the new 2/5 NL game they're running, Minimum buy in 100, Max buy in 500. I've been playing for about two hours, fairly tight. There are a few LAGs, and one guy who's been calling any pre-flop raise and trying to outplay post-flop when the board comes rags.

I pick up JJ in the big blind. The small blind makes it 10, I make it 30, and get three callers. Flop is 9 9 10 rainbow. I lead out with 50, and get two callers. I've seen both call with absurd drawing hands, one called 380 on 25 suited when he hit bottom pair and the flush draw. The turn is a 6. What do you do?

[Wayfare]

I would have check raised the flop, because now, you have no idea what they hold.

[turnipmonster]

was the SB one of the callers? do whatever you can to avoid committing a lot more chips. if someone has a 9 they most likely will raise the turn, so don't bet unless you can get away from your hand. as you know you really aren't ahead of a lot of hands here, unless your opponents are dumb enough to think AT is good here. I would check a lot of the time here, you are not worried about charging a draw, since a JQ draw is unlikely and 78 just got there. so you are probably against at least 1 made hand here.

my plan is to check, if it goes bet call then I might fold or call depending, if it goes check check bet then I call, and if it gets checked through I bet the river and hope everyone has AT.

--turnipmonster

[TStoneMBD]

I'd like to point out that I think it is terribly wrong to reraise to 30 here in the BB. When a SB raises it shows strength for the most part and JJ is nothing impressive. Playing out of position against the rest of the callers is also a difficult task. I would much rather just call the SBs raise here.

However, with your situation I would check the turn. Unless these guys are totally giving their money away you really have to believe that your hand may not be any good. Giving up the lead is obviously going to cause them to bet on either the turn or the river, but you can't afford to push in your chips here after they called such a gigantic bet on an odd flop such as this. If you had just called the SBs raise you wouldn't have gotten yourself so married to this hand.

[Triumph36]

Thanks all for replying.

TStone, the SB was drinking heavily and raising on things like king queen, king ten, and so on, without any regard for position. I had no respect for his raise, especially when it is a minimum raise. He did call the flop bet, which makes me think he had ace king or ace queen. Still, he was the type who would raise 10 on something like QTs instead of trying to set a trap with pocket aces.

I did check the turn, but unfortunately I check raised when the LAG bet 50, and pot committed myself when two players cold-called. The river came a 6, making a 99T66 board; I pushed for 60 or so (again, pot committed and also tilted), LAG made it 100 on top, and I believe the LP next to him just called. LAG showed TT, LP showed A9.

I absolutely agree about the check raise, I can't imagine both TT and A9 would check that flop, though the A9 did play the whole hand very passively.

[AJo Go All In]

[ QUOTE ]
unless your opponents are dumb enough to think AT is good here.

[/ QUOTE ]

geez. those [censored] opponents who call a half-pot bet on the flop with top pair top kicker.

[turnipmonster]

there's a raise from the SB and a reraise from the BB and you think AT is a good hand?

--turnipmonster

[AJo Go All In]

well, given that i saw the flop with it, yeah

[jcaesar]

I feel that TPTK with a paired board is a little difficult to play in no limit games. Seems to be a situation where you're winning small pots but losing big ones, as it's a perfect second best hand, but in a situation like the one described where there have been multiple reraises, hands that you beat will likely not be playing with you if you bet.

[Matt Flynn]

need the stack sizes. if lesser stacks have $100, bet it. you might put in more if your opponents are really nuts. against average opponents in higher-stakes games you want no part of it.

if they have much more i'd be done with the hand.

if the stacks were medium, nothing wrong with check-folding the flop when the board shows a medium pair. against three loose opponents that's the best strategy.

if you do bet the flop, bet enough to know where you're at. $50 was not enough. against tighter opponents who won't just mess with you, trying to take it down there isn't unreasonable. but if they'll call anyway leaving you with no clue whether you're beat, just get out of the hand early.

matt