How should I play this?

[SixgunSam]

This is a hand that came up in the $50 NL tourney on stars today. Blinds are 300/600 w/$50 ante. There are 42 players left, 27 make the money.

Relevant stacks:
CO: (t29000)
SB: (t8000)
Hero in BB: (t5000)

Recently moved to the table, no real reads. C0 has been limping a lot.

CO limps, SB completes. I am in the BB with J [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img]6 [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] and check.

Flop: K [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img]Q [img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img]3 [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img]

SB checks, what is my move?

[UOPokerPlayer]

Interesting hand with consideration to stack sizes.

I think you have two lines you can take here. Check and pray for a free card, or make a half-sized pot bet to see if you can pick it up there. Your flush draw is probably clean if he just calls, giving you heart outs. If he calls, i shut down unless i hit a heart, where i'm check raising all in the turn or pushing the river, whichever comes first. The only thing you dont want to see is Axs.

It's very read dependent and you say this player limps a lot. This could mean a lot of different things. He could be loose and playing garbage hands. The problem is if he's loose these garbage hands include Kx and Qx, and hes gonna call you with Qx. All in all i think i'd lean towards checking to get the free card. I'd rather look for a better spot, and hand, in lp where i can steal blinds with my ~8xbb stack.

Long time lurker's first post. Woo hoo!

[Edge34]

Hey UO,

First things first, welcome to the forum (officially, that is).

Now on to business...I push here. You have a decent draw and a chance to pick up what is, to you, a sizable pot, right now. If called, you're not in bad shape unless the Ax [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] or Qx [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] are out. 15 people is close, but I don't think its close enough to just limp along and try to make the money. You don't want to be put to a decision with a big bet from the CO and not know whether or not he has anything decent.

I'm normally not a big fan of moving with a draw that isn't to the nuts, but this seems like a decent spot.

-Edge

[EnderIII]

Since you are pretty short stacked, about 8 BB left, and the money in the pot from the calls and the antes is worth about half of your stack, i would probably go all in to try to take what is out there now. SB probably can't call unless they have top pair. There is a reasonable chance that the cut off could call you with a wider range of hands, but as a frequent limper probably doesn't play premium cards and won't want to jeoparize their chip lead. still have the flush draw outs to protect you if CO does call. any bet smaller than all in either just makes you pot committed or is too small to drive anyone out. if you check the CO could easily bet with their large stack leverage and put you in a rough spot. only other thing i would consider would be check raising all in the CO bets and if the CO checks hope the free card on the turn completes your flush. another consideration is that being close to the money makes it a good time to be aggressive because a lot of people tighten up in an attempt to sneak in. well hope this rambling is of some help.

[SixgunSam]

I decided to push here, the big stack had limped with K8 and called me, I got no help and busted out in 42nd. I'm not sure if he would have called me with the Queen or not. Obviously he didn't think I had a King and probably put me on a flush draw.

[MLG]

If your opponent limped preflop in this situation, then he isnt the kind of player who will put you on a flush draw. He put himself on a K, and didnt really think beyond that. One of the trickiest things to do is figure out what level your opponent is thinking on. Results give you a clue. For me at least, a player who limps with marginal hands in LP when he has a big stack is generally not sophisticated, and I will therefore play accordingly. I will play my cards, and attempt to devine what he has, but I will not worry about what he thinks I have, because generally he is not thinking about that.