Micro Hi: aggressive w/ small pair

I was thinking that I wanted to limit the field as much as possible, so I kept raising. Should I have even played? When should I have slowed down?

7 Card Stud ($0.25/$0.50), Ante $0.05, Bring-In $0.10 (hand converter)

3rd Street - (1.20 SB)

Hero: K[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img] 5[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img] 5[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img]___calls
Seat 3: xx xx 4[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img]___calls
Seat 4: xx xx 8[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img]___folds
Seat 5: xx xx 2[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img]___brings-in
Seat 7: xx xx Q[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img]___calls
Seat 8: xx xx 7[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img]___calls

4th Street - (3.20 SB)

Hero: K[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img] 5[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img] 5[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img] 6[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img]___raises
Seat 3: xx xx 4[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img] 3[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img]___calls
Seat 5: xx xx 2[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img] 9[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img]___folds
Seat 7: xx xx Q[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] T[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img]___bets___calls
Seat 8: xx xx 7[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img] J[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img]___calls___calls

5th Street - (5.60 BB)

Hero: K[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img] 5[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img] 5[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img] 6[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img] K[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img]___raises
Seat 3: xx xx 4[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img] 3[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img] 9[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img]___folds
Seat 7: xx xx Q[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] T[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img] 4[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img]___calls
Seat 8: xx xx 7[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img] J[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img] A[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img]___bets___calls

6th Street - (11.60 BB)

Hero: K[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img] 5[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img] 5[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img] 6[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img] K[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] J[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img]___calls
Seat 7: xx xx Q[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] T[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img] 4[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img] T[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img]___bets
Seat 8: xx xx 7[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img] J[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img] A[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] 7[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img]___calls

River - (14.60 BB)

Hero: K[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img] 5[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img] 5[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img] 6[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img] K[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] J[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img] 8[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img]___calls
Seat 7: xx xx Q[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] T[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img] 4[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img] T[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img] xx___checks___calls
Seat 8: xx xx 7[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img] J[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img] A[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] 7[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img] xx___bets

Total pot: (17.60 BB)

[kschellenger]

I like the raise on 4th. You've got a 3 flush and live cards.
I like the raise on 5th. The bet by the ace is either betting his board or betting a pair of aces. If he's got aces up, you're in trouble. But nothing seems to suggest that he does.
You're in trouble on 6th. I think you're ahead of open tens, but seat 8 concerns me. Pairing his door card looks like trouble to me. But you've got odds to call on 6th.
You're probably ahead more than 1/16th of the time on the river, so you need to call that too, but I think you're losing to aces up.

[Roland]

3rd street:
I like the limp. No point in raising after two limpers.

4th street:
Some info on seat 7 would be helpful. Some people bet here no matter what, some bet only if they have something.
Regardless though, I don’t like the raise much. Who, exactly, are you trying to knock out of the pot? A pair of 4s and the bring-in? there can’t be much value in that. Also, you can’t have much of an edge here on average, so it’s not for value.
Then again, you might well get a free card, so it’s not terrible by any means.

The rest of the hand is simple - good raise on 5th, gotta call on 6th, and I call the river just in case seat 8 is an idiot.

[benwood]

I think you're right to call on 3rd. K's & 5's are live. If you hit a K, you will have a nice hidden hand. The 3 spades add value, too. I don't like the raise on 4th because 1.The 2 ops behind you look the least dangerous. 2.You are likely to be beaten by seat 7 & may be re-raised. 3.Seat 8 could easily have a live 4 flush & be a favorite over you, too. If he does catch another diamond, you may get rid of him easier on 5th or 6th if the pot is smaller. 4. If seat 3 &/or 4 stay in, you can lose them easier later if the hand by keeping the pot smaller now & making them face a double big bet later if it seems desirable. 5.There are 3 spades out. I like the 5th st raise but it would be more effective if you hadn't raised 4th. Again, on 6th, maybe you could get away from you hand if your 4th st raise hadn't built such a big pot. Now you're trapped into staying through the river. The 4th st raise came back to haunt you on every street.

[kschellenger]

[ QUOTE ]
I don't like the raise on 4th because 1.The 2 ops behind you look the least dangerous.


[/ QUOTE ]
That's why you want to raise. You don't want to get this pot down to one or two opponents.

[ QUOTE ]

2.You are likely to be beaten by seat 7 & may be re-raised.


[/ QUOTE ]
What do you think seat 7 has that he'd 3-bet with?

[ QUOTE ]

3.Seat 8 could easily have a live 4 flush & be a favorite over you, too. If he does catch another diamond, you may get rid of him easier on 5th or 6th if the pot is smaller.


[/ QUOTE ]
If he does have a 4 flush and catches another diamond you won't be able to get rid of him [img]/images/graemlins/wink.gif[/img] If he has a 3 flush, you want to get rid of him.

[ QUOTE ]

4. If seat 3 &/or 4 stay in, you can lose them easier later if the hand by keeping the pot smaller now & making them face a double big bet later if it seems desirable.


[/ QUOTE ]
Or, you can make them face a double bet now and force them to fold or make a mistake rather than letting them catch something that may give them odds to call.

[kschellenger]

[ QUOTE ]

4th street:
Some info on seat 7 would be helpful. Some people bet here no matter what, some bet only if they have something.
Regardless though, I don’t like the raise much. Who, exactly, are you trying to knock out of the pot? A pair of 4s and the bring-in? there can’t be much value in that.


[/ QUOTE ]

With 3 people (nearly) guarenteed to be in the pot on 5th, don't you want the other two out so they don't call and catch some draw that with that many people in the pot has correct odds to play?

[Roland]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]

4th street:
Some info on seat 7 would be helpful. Some people bet here no matter what, some bet only if they have something.
Regardless though, I don’t like the raise much. Who, exactly, are you trying to knock out of the pot? A pair of 4s and the bring-in? there can’t be much value in that.


[/ QUOTE ]

With 3 people (nearly) guarenteed to be in the pot on 5th, don't you want the other two out so they don't call and catch some draw that with that many people in the pot has correct odds to play?

[/ QUOTE ]

They won’t catch a draw most of the time. And if they already have one, they’re not folding. I don’t mind having them around to pay me off if I hit.

The best argument against raising is that you figure to be dog.

The best argument for raising is that it may buy you a free card or two.

[Andy B]

I limp on third all day. I think fourth is a call. You may not fold anyone who isn't folding anyway. As it happens, 43o called anyway, and 92s folded anyway, which is probably what would have happened had you just called. There are a few spades gone, and that's only a secondary possibility anyway. Raising isn't terrible, but I think it will tend to build a pot more than it will knock anyone out. The rest looks fine to me.