Protect my pot, a high limit shorthanded hand

[Senor Choppy]

I'd vote for betting the flop instead, too. But once hero gets to the turn, I think a bet is clearly superior to check-raising.

[James282]

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I'd vote for betting the flop instead, too. But once hero gets to the turn, I think a bet is clearly superior to check-raising.

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Do you think he is more likely to fold overcards to a bet or a cr? Isn't a bet announcing my hand? Surely a good player is following through with any of his three betting hands here, right?
-James

[TheBusiness]

I am not sure that I love the turn checkraise. I think that this is a situation where, for metagame reasons, checkraising the turn occasionally is a good play, but I would prefer a lead most of the time, as checkraising gives both players better odds to draw, which is not what you want with a vulnerable holding. Additionally, it gives the button the chance to 3-bet the turn. Leading the turn gives the button the chance to raise and force the SB to call two big bets cold, which he seems unlikely to do. You said you were planning to call a 3-bet from the button and then reevaluate your position on the river, but if you lead the turn, call a raise (and hopefully that raise knocks out the SB), and then check-call the river, you will get to see a showdown for the same price (or 1 BB cheaper if you were planning on also calling a river bet after the turn 3-bet) with one less player in the hand, which I think is what you want here. However, given the line, I would fold to a turn 3-bet rather than calling, as I think that means you are up against an overpair.

[bicyclekick]

I think a lot of players might wait til the river to raise an over pair but I dunno. At least often enough to make calling and re-evaluating the best play.

[bunky9590]

First off reads:
SB looks like a pocket pair below TT Could be 77 or 88 and be stomping you, or as you said could be big suited clubs at this point, his check call out of position twice pretty much narrows his hand down to one of these two holdings from what I can see.

Button, literally could have anything, big suited broadways, big ace, big pair, complete air, who knows, you wont have anymore infor on him unless you raise, and I have no problem with waiting until the turn to do it, it applies more pressure with one less card coming.

Now PF is wicked standard, but you already know that.

Flop can be taken a couple different ways.
Problem wit betting the flop is you can pretty much type in the box before you bet "I have a PP" so thats really not a good plan. If you checkraise the flop, you're inflating the pot to the point where overs will call on the turn anyway, and you're sure not chasing out a flush draw, muchless a PP.

As far as the texture of the board, the 9 helped your hand, its just back to the SB. I'm thinking more that he indeed does have a flush draw because he would have probably raised the turn if he had any wits about him and forced you to call two cold, so the turn info lets me put the SB on a flush draw with 75% certainty.

The button will follow through on the turn with a lot of things and a lot of which you beat, (and a few you dont) He could also be on a big FD and semibluffs the turn. Or hew coudl still be on ace high. I like the turn checkraise because he almost HAS to fold overs, the Sb will still call with a FD and (probably a PP) and if the button three bets, you can still be ahead, he'd probably wait to raise the OP on the river, and he will probably be a lot less likely to three bet there anyway.

So in short, if the button calls the c/r , I'd bet any non AK turn, and if the SB calls, I'd bet any non AK or club turn. Even te non ace or King or club river value bet would be extremely thin, but necessary to make.

Hope that made some kind of sense.

[Senor Choppy]

I like the idea of betting to induce a raise from the button b/c a bet looks so weak. I'm not sure what overcards you'll lose with a check-raise considering how short the game is and how aggressive the button is, maybe everything but good aces. There's also the fact that I'm not going to like getting 3-bet, but I'm not sure that's the most important thing to consider.

I think a lot of it comes down to his 3-betting hand range, and how often he's going to have something like KJo here.

[TheBusiness]

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I think a lot of players might wait til the river to raise an over pair but I dunno. At least often enough to make calling and re-evaluating the best play.

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Even in this situation? The SB seems to be on a draw (either the flush or maybe overcards) but is already in for one bet on the turn, then hero check-raises you, do you really just call? I'd want to charge the SB for his draw and get some further information about what Hero is holding. And, precisely because so many good players in Hero's place would not fold to a 3-bet, I wouldn't be overly concerned about losing customers. With that flop and turn, pocket fives are going to want to see a showdown a lot of the time, and if the button 3-bets the turn, and then its checked to him on the river, I would expect him to bet the river too the vast majority of the time. And if that happens, the pot is too big for Hero to fold unless he is pretty damn certain of his read. So the way I look at it is that if you call a 3-bet, you are really also committing yourself to call a river bet. I don't think 55 is strong enough given the way the action has happened to commit yourself to call two more big bets (the turn 3-bet and the likely river bet). That's why I think its a fold if the turn gets 3-bet.

But, even if I am wrong, if Hero just leads the turn this whole sticky situation can be avoided, as I said before.

[James282]

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I like the idea of betting to induce a raise from the button b/c a bet looks so weak. I'm not sure what overcards you'll lose with a check-raise considering how short the game is and how aggressive the button is, maybe everything but good aces. There's also the fact that I'm not going to like getting 3-bet, but I'm not sure that's the most important thing to consider.

I think a lot of it comes down to his 3-betting hand range, and how often he's going to have something like KJo here.

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In this game, his having KJo is a distinct possibility.
-James