This is a private NYC 1/3 game with $600 max BI and plays more like a 2/5 game. Average stack size is about $500. The table is one of the juiciest games I've played in a long time, with a few players I'm looking to play as many hands as possible with. Most pots are multi-way, 5+ to the flop. Equal amounts raised and limped pots.

Hero's image: TAG that's been coolered once or twice, re-bought, only one won hand at showdown
Villain's image: Awful player, very loose, overplays his hands constantly. Lost to King high in a 4-way $400 pre-flop all in pot, for example (this table is crazy)

UTG (Hero - $310) limps with 96
5 limpers behind
SB (Villain - $800) raises to 18
BB calls
Hero calls
4 callers behind

(7 players - $115)
A96
Villain bets $45
BB folds
Hero ???

Stopped reading after UTG limps

Meh, more criticism than that would be helpful... I know it's awkward. But this is a table I want to be playing many hands at. If folding is the right play even for this table than so be it, but I can't imagine raising is better than limping.

Fold is best unless they actually show you their cards when they bet

I think that you need more study on the value of position if you think limp calling 96s in the UTG is a good play in any situation. You need a miracle flop to be able to continue. To start with, do you know what the odds are of you catching 2 pair on the flop without researching it? If you don't, you should be asking yourself why are you playing this? As is, you get a great flop for your hand and you still need to ask 2+2 what to do.

As played, my advice is to raise and keep raising until you're all in. If you lose, the lesson should burn in your head to stop limp calling with 96s in the UTG. If you win, you maximized your winnings.

Grunch. I'm going to show some tough love here...

Translation: Hero's image: loser with bad luck, never has the goods.

And I don't care how much you want to play a lot of hands, 96s UTG only 100BBs effective is hot garbage, and limping UTG ensures that your image is 100% not TAG.

Limp/calling it is even worse.

AP, you might as well shove. Pot is over $200 with your call, and you only have $247 back. If someone woke up with a flopped flush, that's the price you pay for the awful PF play.

Heh, was not expecting the pre-flop play to be that badly received. lesson learned.

Feel like I have a good handle on position, though very rusty. Was thinking this play was ok despite position and given the unique. Clearly I was too eager.

Welp. If you do want to limp/call with 69s from UTG, with your stack size you should be hoping to flop 2 pair plus so you can shove. Mission accomplished. So shove.

SB raised instead of limped along so he should have lots of Strong Ax, PP and maybe some suited Broadway's etc. We block sets and 2pair A6, A9. We are doing great against that opening range with no club.

Now throws in hands that call with 1 club and it's closer to a flip but weaker 1club hands may fold when we shove. If we are dominated by a flopped flush we still have 16% equity to fall back on and suck out.

Of course that is against just the SB and there are multiple villains yet to act. High variance play for sure, but the best course of action you gave yourself.

So rather than give you a one sentence snarky answer, I actually put some thoughts into your read on the table and game dynamics a gave you my best advice on the hand AP.

The best advice, however is yes, you should dump this hand pre in any position and definitely not call a raise with it. Even at this table.

Fold pre x2. Your preflop action would be fine if you were on the button. It's terrible UTG.

As played, raise it up on the flop. Raise anywhere from $100-125 and force single club hands to pay dearly to see the turn. You can fold bottom two if the action blows up.

Fold pre as everyone has mentioned and as played Im raising guns hot. If the game is how you described then I'm making anyone with a club pay my stacks worth to get it.

Ok, so you've already been read the riot act b2b by mods, so there isn't too much to add about the hand itself. (Though I'm snap folding bottom 2 on monotone facing a bet w 4 ranges behind).

I do however want to share an ironic (and probably obnoxiously presumptive) thought I had while reading your response to cicakman: How is this guy capable of such a polished, well-measured response, yet every thought shared in the HH is remarkably casual and quite ill-conceived? (i.e. You needn't worry about 'playing many hands' when you're only 7 handed)

What I mean to say is that you likely have the aptitude to think in such a way that will make you a better player than most, not just because you weren't a prick, but because level-headedness is the keystone to winning at poker and it's something that you should work on developing further however you can. Im a goddamn mess irl above the shoulders, but have worked hard to move my discipline level from a 2 to about a 7 at the table. It's taken 20 years but I still work hardest at that part of my game becasue it's still the part that still has the lowest score. Sure you'll need to work on ranges so that you aren't limping 96dd UTG in a 7 handed station-fest under ANY circumstance, but more important than that, for me at least, is being able to recognize such a mistake- think "here comes my F game"-and immediately muck the flop, rack up, and go home.

You're not playing tight if you're playing 96dd in EP, and you're not playing aggressive if you limp it. Now you've got a significant RIO hand in worst position and don't know whether to donk or c/r.

Preflop is a fold UNLESS you open or intend to limp-rr. Both of which are completely fine, not tight, but fine.

In each of those cases think about what textures you'll be cbetting at what amount into which opponents with what frequency.

AP just bet pot until you hit some resistance or a fourth club appears.

Easy fold preflop, imo. We have a fairly junky hand which has some RIO, we'll most likely not be able to get into this pot for cheap at this wild table, plus we'll be OOP postflop. Being in position in these games is key (for information gathering, for pot controlling, for acting after the field has acted, for taking free cards, for getting paid off, etc.). Ignore position at your own peril, imo. I would overlimp this in LP. We're setting money on fire limp/calling this OOP.

Anyhoo, SPR is 2.5 and we've flopped two pair in a crazy game. Trivial ship on the flop.

GcluelessNLnoobG