I wanted to see if anyone had any different lines for this hand than the way I played it.

It's HG 2/3 $100 min/max. My image is pretty fishy LAG at this point. I "gave away" my first BI to a 4 card straight on the board within an orbit of sitting down. I've been playing all my made hands fast and the table has seen me lose enough in marginal situations to think I'm damn near a lunatic with no regard for money. Any hands I've shown down so far were not monsters.

4 limps to me in the SB and I look down at 67o then toss in the extra $1. BB checks.

Flop is 853

The pot is only like $12 because of the ridiculous rake. I lead out $10 and get two callers. First guy is weak-tight and seems to be ABC. Second just sat down but also seems straightforward. I don't have much of a read on either of them yet. All of the action at the table has come from other players. ABC and I have close to $200, New guy has about $100.

Turn is 4

I have no spades. Now what?

On the flop, bet more, you are a lunatic right? I assume the game plays with $5 chips and $1 chips? If yes, just toss (5) $5 chips out there.

Lead the turn for $30... I think I can fold to big 3bet from W/T and not sure about your ABC player, would need to know how he reacts to the lead and further action...

Not really crazy about the flop semibluff. Your fold equity isn't very high leading into a field of 5 others, you have only 6 clear outs, and you're OOP. Check and call a reasonable bet.

As played, check/fold -- especially if ABC bets, but probably even if New Guy bets. $42 in pot, $100 behind, no read to think that New Guy is even capable of semibluffing a naked big into two other people.

I hadn't thought of overbetting the flop like this. I'll put that idea in the library.

I hadn't realized that the flop bet was a semibluff. But it is, I suppose. My thought process was that I can't check because it will most likely check through (on this table at this time) or get bet for an amount I can't call. There were only 2 other players on this table who limped in that I was worried about. The flop bet was more of a blocking-see-where-I'm-at-and-let's-build-a-small-pot bet. But you're also right that normally, I really shouldn't be making this bet at all.

On the turn, I continued realizing that now my straight was hidden by the flush. I bet $30 and they both just call again. I was prepared to fold to a raise. I was really worried about a baby flush here. Yes, I do play these spots pretty aggro... bad? Definitely not ABC.

The river comes down some low non-spade card. Would you bet the river?

This is where I really like playing live, so much information to be had to help us optimize our line.

How did they react to your bet?
Did they quickly call, hesitate and call, make a "crying" call, etc, etc?

This is one of those hands I usually fold preflop.

We've hit one of the best possible outcomes, and we still don't know where we are or what to do. All that for "just a buck". Position, position, position.

Looking back, my instinct was that neither of them were too happy.

I watched them both look at the turn card coming out. ABC didn't look happy at all really. And New Guy didn't really give me anything. After I bet, ABC seemed to hesitate a little calling. I think NG called only because ABC called.

When the river card came out, it was almost exactly the same.

Yeah, I've been asking myself whether it's a huge leak to be calling pre from the SB with a wide range hoping to hit a monster. I don't think I'd be doing it at 3/5. But at 2/3 is it bad?

I definitely lose sight of position sometimes. This was one of those days.

Don't worry, I'm sure I'm one of the only people on this entire site suggesting a fold preflop.

Yeah but you're one of a handful of people on this site that can say that where I would seriously consider it.

There is a lot of merit in fpapfap's thoughts on playing from the SB. I am generally playing the SB from the limped pot like this one more for the meta game aspect than anything else. Folding the SB in a sslnl game is a "red flag" for other players at the table... "Man this guy is tight!".

I am rarely playing from the SB in a raised pot.

Because of this approach I have become pretty comfortable playing OOP post flop, MW in a sslnl game. Since I have got comfortable I am much more profitable from the SB than I used to be long ago. As a result, my giving up $1 or $2/3 for meta game is often outweighed by the profit when I do win.

Bet the river, as much as you think they will call in your wildest dream. Value town.

I probably bet the river, tho' be careful of the guys that look TOO much like they're disappointed, especially if they tend to be aggressive. Keep in mind a "low non-spade" card will likely either pair the board, or make your hand no longer the nut straight.

I think the key here is the weirdness of 2/3. You are getting 20:1 on the completion from the SB. It's a definite call there. BUT, we have to re-calibrate the meaning of "flopping a monster." Flopping a monster is x58 rainbow or 667 or 345. Flopping a draw on a wet board is not necessarily "flopping a monster" because of the position issue and because of the _likelihood_ of random suited crap being in the hand with us.

2/3 from the SB is a nearly unique position, I think, and one that brings the tension between position and pot odds into really, really, difficultly clear focus.

I'm not sure what to make of this idea. We're betting 2x pot why? To take it down, with 6 clear outs and 2 tainted outs as a backup plan?

Do we expect Q7 to fold to this bet? Random overcards probably would, I suppose.

Exactly. Folding for 1/3 bet is pretty weak-tight (especially given what Percula mentioned about image/metagame), but you'd better have a clear plan for what sorts of flops are worth continuing.

This is why I'd like to better understand the motivation for the flop bet. On a rainbow board it could even be a value bet if it gets called 3-4 ways, or it could set up a turn semibluff or a river bluff when you miss depending on opponents. And the implied odds situation is pretty good, because you're going to know where you stand if you hit your somewhat-disguised hand.

With a two-suited flop, you're really just praying you hit a 6-outer and have it hold up by the river. Your pot equity's lower, so the "bluff" portion of the semibluff needs to be worth more. I just don't see the point of betting this flop.

Nah, both of these guys were pretty straightforward. As I said before, I was looking out for the two other people at the table who are capable of something beyond level 1 thinking. As an aside, it's amusing when a level 1 thinker catches me staring at them as the cards come out.

No the board didn't pair and the only hand that beat mine was a flush.

You're right about what qualifies as a monster hand. I bet out to get better hands to fold and to see how many potential flush draws there were out there. The only thing that put me in a tough spot here was that I got two passive callers that didn't really tell me much. I feel like this was one of those marginal situations that we'd all love to be able to play perfectly.

Your last statement is spot-on about this particular game.

I'd like to better understand what you'd like to better understand. Seriously though, what do I need to explain better?

I guess I wasn't convinced I was beat here. I'm not sure exactly what it was, but I weighed the possibility of it as small enough that I could continue betting. It may have been their body language that Percula prompted me for. If that's what it was then I'm not sure that it registered consciously during the hand. This is another thing I'm trying to work on with my game.

So what was the river action?

You know honestly, I don't remember exactly. Either I chickened out and it checked through or I bet and got called. Either way, the straight was good. I was just as surprised as anyone. Don't know what they had because they both mucked.

Not really surprised here Hopefully you got some value on the river.

If you're going to limp the SB I don't mind trying to win the pot when you flop decently, and I'm OK with the flop bet.

The turn I'm looking to c/f honestly. Sorry it looks like you have a good hand. ABC and straight forward players aren't calling with less than a flush, and I doubt they're betting with less either (exception is NFD). If it checks through you can think about a small vbet or calling a small bet, but fold to any raise and probably to a big riverbet too.

There's always a flush out.

Fo sho. I wouldn't have been able to fold fast enough if someone would have shown any aggression in this hand. I just lucked out that they didn't think of it.

I have the feeling that one was on the NFD with the lone As and the other guy had a set or two pair and just couldn't let it go. Plus in this particular session, I was playing way more LAG than normal and showed about 50/50 air/strong hands. I just about always was the aggressor if I was in a hand. This was probably a big contributing factor.