Party 3/6 Hand #1, 88 in a small crowd

[FatOtt]

I'm curious about a couple of hands I played on the $3/$6 tables at Party. Here's the first one (assume the "standard" 3/6 party table):

I'm dealt 8 [img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img]8 [img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img] in late position.

UTG limps, 5 folds to me, I raise. Button calls, both blinds and UTG call.

Flop: 2 [img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img] 3 [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] T [img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img]
Small blind bets, 2 folds to me. I call. Button Folds.

Turn: 2 [img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img] 3 [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] T [img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img] K [img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img]
Small blind bets, I raise, SB calls.

River: 2 [img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img] 3 [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] T [img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img] K [img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img] 6 [img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img]
SB checks, I bet, SB folds.

[Ulysses]

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UTG limps, 5 folds to me, I raise. Button calls, both blinds and UTG call.

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OK. I like it so far.

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Small blind bets, 2 folds to me. I call. Button Folds.

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I'd raise here. Your hand is quite possibly best, but you don't want button to get a free look w/ overcards and it would be nice to just take it down right here.

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Small blind bets, I raise, SB calls.

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Well, uh, I'd just call.

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SB checks, I bet, SB folds.

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I think this river bet is terrible. After SB calls my turn raise, I'm overjoyed when he checks to me on the river. I'll check behind and hope. Why did you bet here?

[FatOtt]

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I'd raise here. Your hand is quite possibly best, but you don't want button to get a free look w/ overcards and it would be nice to just take it down right here.

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My plan was to call the flop and raise the turn on any A, K, 4-8 because I didn't think that raising his flop bet would have knocked him out. In this case, I thought the best plan of action would be to play as if I had AK. I think this (calling) would have been a good (or at least better) plan if it had been heads up. I think you're right that the presence of someone behind me pushes it towards a raise.

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I think this river bet is terrible. After SB calls my turn raise, I'm overjoyed when he checks to me on the river. I'll check behind and hope. Why did you bet here?

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Because I'm an idiot, obviously. In hindsight, this river bet makes very little sense. I posted this hand because I was interested in hearing people's thoughts about the flop/turn combination. As I was typing, the river bet stood out as one of the stranger parts of the hand.

Thanks for your comments.

[Ed Miller]

I think you should be raising the flop instead of just calling (assuming you don't think a fold is in order). You will often have the best hand, so your raise will get more money in the pot while you have the best of it. More importantly, you really don't want the button taking a card off if he has two overcards to your pair.