Join Date: Sep 2002
Posts: 11,473
How to you expect to make money with this hand? By holding up unimproved, or by set-mining?
If you want to set-mine in a raised pot, you need to be as close to certain as possible that in a ten-handed game where UTG limps and UTG+1 raises and you are UTG+2 holding a pocket pair, that every single player after you including the blinds are going to call behind.
Set-mining in early or middle position is more expensive than the returns are worth, and set-mining in raised pots is doubly so. The ideal position to set-mine is in late position with many limpers.
If you happen to be playing in a game where preflop action is routinely capped eight or nine ways, that, too, is an awesome time to be set-mining.
This is not one of these situations.
If we are going to play here at all, we are hoping to win a showdown even if we don't spike a set, that no one has a better hand now and no one makes a better one before the showdown.
To maximize the likelihood that we win the pot, we need to fold out potential callers holding overcards. It helps to take control of the hand and also buy the button.
If we aren't going to three-bet here, we need to fold. If we are going to play here, we need to three-bet. Cold-calling two here is terribad.
Given all of that, I think our hero played very well after the flop.
