2/5/10 @ Borgata AC, Sat. Night.

Hero (700): Cagey/Tight. Not looking to run big bluffs against this table. Players are calling off with some marginal hands, typical sat. night stuff going down. Although I have been caught double barreling twice in the past 1hr or so.

V1 (3000): By all indication a real solid player. Has been getting some big hands throughout the night to run his stack up. Plays a little trappy/pot controls marginal hands. Checked back KQ after he raised in MP on K96 against me. Then valued my 1010 when he bet the turn and river small as they bricked out. Otherwise hes been pounding on the drunkards that come and go.

V2 (900): Tilted off his ass. Just lost a 1.4k pot when he raised his KK in LP and BB called. BB checked, V2 bet his KK and BB called with a gutter/backdoor flush draw and hit his straight on the turn. BB doubled thru. But, to his credit, hes been playing pretty good. This hand is 2-3 orbits after.

V1 limps, V2 raises to 30, Hero calls w/ 44, V1 calls.

Flop (102) : 8 6 5

Checks around

Turn (102): 4

V1 checks, V2 bets 60, Hero calls, V1 calls

River (282): 9

V1 checks, V2 bets 225, Hero ..?


Are you guys raising the turn? I was trying to get V2 to blast off cos I didn't think he had much on the turn. V1's call on the turn was a little sketch. 9 was one of the worst rivers for me.

Am I getting too cagey?

Why raise turn? Are you hoping villain just 3bet piles it in with a FD? What about the times he shoves a straight and you get it in with 20% equity?

Fold river.

I have a new saying that I use in these spots ... "Would you like your hand in PLO?" It keeps me grounded!!

The only reason I might raise this Turn is to get V1 to fold or define his hand. It may also slow down V2 on the River. Raising to $150 may cost us an extra $90 but it may get us a free showdown and certainly will force any of the 5-card hands to show themselves. I think we are ahead of V1, until the River that is but V2 could have a random 7x as well. Tough decision. I feel much better about folding River now that I've forced V2 to call a bigger bet on the Turn.

Generally when you Turn bottom set it's better to just get to the River on boards like this, but I can't say I would never raise. The River doesn't change the straight. V1 is c/c the River if he has 7x (and Hero folds) and V2 doesn't seem to care about the flush hitting the board. Whether Hero flats or raises Turn he need to fold this River IMO. GL

bet ~$75 OTF as last to act. That flop is terrible for preflop raiser's range. You have the best hand a decent amount of the time anyway best to just take it down. No turn cards are really a bink for your hand as we can see from how it played out.

As played instamuck.

Number of players and positions would be nice. I don't hate a small flop bet for protection and to set up some bluffs. As played I feel you on the turn; it seems like the large majority of V2's 7's would have bet flop. Still prefer calling though and river is an easy fold.

All true. I had to fold the river obviously, as did V1. I just was thinking, man did I just butcher this hand. One of the reasons I didn't bet the flop was because V2 wouldn't have folded basically anything since he was pretty steamed up. If the 9 was a 9, I'd most definitely call the river.