I'm only playing hands in late position from now on.

[Josh W]

Bleh.

I'm hoping that that one word adequately summarizes how I feel about this hand. Bleh.

See, I'm playing in a delicious 25-50 game at the Hustler a few nights ago. The game is uberloose passive.

I pick up AKs UTG, and raise. This is the first hand I've played in a long time, but I don't think anybody at the table pays attention to "image".

I raise, get 5 callers, and the big blind. So, 7 of us see the flop.

Flop comes KJ7, with two hearts and no spades. This gives me top pair, with not much in the way of backdoor draws.

I bet, and everybody calls to the button. The button raises, the BB calls two cold, and it's on me.

Now, a little bit about the button. He's loose-aggressive, and definitely tricky. He raises a lot of draws, but has telltale, um, tells. One sort of raise is "draw" and the other is "weeeeeeeeee, I have a big hand".

I'm almost certain that this is the "I have a big hand" raise. Like, 85 or 90% certain (not more than 95% certain tho).

I'm getting semi-infinite pot odds (represented here as 23:1) to call. So I can't fold.

I'm likely waaaay behind, as any "weeeeeee, I have a big hand" raise from the button means KJ or 77 AT LEAST. So I can't raise, being this far behind with no draw.

And there are sooo many people and likely weak draws behind me, that I can't just call and let them draw for cheap (hands like 55 need to be punished here, right?).

So, to recap. I can't fold. I can't raise. And I can't call.

Should I just use my one mulligan, and ask the dealer for a new flop?

Bleh.

Josh

[balkii]

Ah what the hell, convince yourself he only has J7 and 3-bet!

[bobgreen]

Bleh? Bleh? You have an overlay. This is a profit opportunity, no? You have a drawing hand, yes? If he has KJ, you need an A. You have an overlay. If he has 77, you need runner runner A or K. No overlay, sorry. If he (definitely tricky) has a hand worse than yours (10%-15%=10:1-6.6:1), you have an overlay. Yeah you'll have to call to the river and quite often one of the seven opponents will run you down, but they'll be putting enough money in the pot to maintain your overlay.

If you're a 100:1 dog but earning 101:1, you might think bleh, but you'd be wrong. You are drawing, you have long odds, you probably can't eliminate anybody anyway, so call, call and call. Not sexy, not macho, but not bleh.

[vkotlyar]

There is NO WAY i bet this flop. You have 7 callers, and not much of a hand multiway. I would check, and if the action gets heavy, would strongly consider folding. There is only 1 way for me to win this hand: (with the exception of running aces or kings): I would hope that some1 in late position bets on the flop and then again on the turn if a blank hits. My only shot is to c/r the turn because every1 and their mother is going to call 2 bets on the flop. I really hate having top pair against 18 opponents.
vitaly

[bicyclekick]

Damn, tough hand. I don't care how many milion to 1 you're getting, if you really think yo'ure dead, fold. there are also a milion other people in the hand that could have you dead or drawing almost dead.

I can't imagine I would fold this at the table, but after I think about it outside the hand i think mucking would hurt the least.

[Josh W]

Yeah, I folded right then, right there.

I didn't like an ace, and felt I'd need runner runner to win...either AA, AK, KK, or QT, which would split the pot, or I'd lose to a flush.

Late position held a very interestingly (poorly) played KK and won a pot that could purchase Ecuador.

Josh