KK under pressure

[crockpot]

party 2/4. table is fairly loose but neither of the key opponents in this hand has gotten out of line in four orbits.

dealt KK in the cutoff. three limpers, i raise, button folds, blinds and limpers call. six to the flop for two bets each.

flop: 973 rainbow.

checked to UTG who bets, two fold, i call planning to raise on the turn. to my surprise SB check-raises. BB folds, UTG 3-bets. what's my play?

[sthief09]

UTG betting into the PFR then 3-betting a check-raise definitely is a sign of strength. I still don't know if it's enough to scare me out of capping. My only concern is what happens if I cap then get check-raised on the turn. if that happens, I'll know I'm behind, but potentially still drawing to 8 outs if he has 2 pair. So I guess I cap then bet the turn if they check to me. If they show anymore aggression I'll start calling.

[sfer]

I scrap the plan and cap and see how they react to the turn card. I want to fully represent my hand now and take it from there.

EDIT: Folding is not an option.

[sthief09]

pooh-bahhhhhhhhhhhhh

[MRBAA]

Clearly a good spot to just call. If the SB caps, you're probably in deep do-do. Otherwise, you could still be winning although a set seems more likely than a pair on this board for a reasonable utg preflop limper. I'd probably call down if sb just calls and utg bets again on turn. If it is checked to me on the turn, I bet of course.

[colgin]

Crockpot,

I haven't seen you in SS for a while. Good to have you posting here.

As for the hand, you are in a bit of a pickle here. I think this is a tough spot as I can see how the flop plays out this way with you being ahead of both players, but I can also see you quite behind at least one of them if not both. I probably would not feel good about whatever I did but I guess I am calling here and hoping that it does not get capped behind me. I can't see capping when you may very well be behind and, if not, are vulnerable to straight draws.

I am very curious to see what you did and what your opponents had.

All the best,

Colgin

[crockpot]

as i saw it, the decision was between calling and folding. if i cap i will not get the guy out behind me, and i may lose the information i would have gotten had he capped behind me if i just called.

check-raising on the flop is a pretty big power play, but i wasn't going to let just that run me out of the pot with my big overpair. but would this guy (who hadn't been particularly aggressive before) reraise a check-raiser with just one pair? perhaps he put me on overcards when i just called the first bet and wants me out?

of course, i posted the hand because i'm not sure what the right play is. so i'm still looking for more input.

[sthief09]

so you just call purely for information? I didn't consider this, but I should've. Good post.

[colgin]

I am glad that you said you considered folding. That was my first thought and I was going to post about that possibility before reading all the capping suggestions of others (which is a reminder not to read other posts first). While that line did not make sense to me at all it made me think that folding might just be too weak. Still there is a decent case for it here. I would just hate to fold and find that SB had A9 and UTG+3 had JT or vice versa and you were ahead. However, given the player descriptions you are probably behind at last one of them and probably drawing thin.

I eagerly await the input of others as well as results.

Colgin

[MRBAA]

Well, I'd like sb to have a straight draw or a nine here and utg to have 88, TT or JJ. Many players tend to get aggressive on the flop, so I can't see folding. But I do think the SB would likely have more than one pair to cap the flop. If this gets checked at any time, I'm betting. But I don't see much value in raising as long as they keep betting. And if SB caps the flop and bets the turn, I'd fold if utg raises.