First attempt at posting a HH. Hopefully I explain this okay.

Live $1/$2 NLHE.

Effective stacks ~100bb

Hero raised to $8 from UTG with 7s 7d ~$180.

Three callers.

Flop Js Jh 5h

Hero bets $12. Button calls. SB calls. BB folds.

Turn 6h.

Hero bets $17. Button calls. SB folds.

River 7c.

Hero bets $25. Button goes all-in for ~$30 more.

Button seems to be pretty passive. Haven't really played with him before.

Thoughts?

Checking turn. We are behind a jack and we are behind a flush and neither are folding to our bet. River is super easy. Would be willing to get it in for a ton of money at that point.

Is it always a check? Wouldn't betting to represent the flush sometimes get a jack to fold?

LoL. Nobody is folding trips at this level. Aside from that, you are betting into 2 players. Also, even if you showed them a flush one should call on the turn with a jack because they are 22% to win the hand (with no flush draw) and when you bet $17 the pot size is approximately $85 and they are getting the right immediate odds to call, and that's not even considering the implied odds they will get on the river when they hit. It's also not taking into consideration that some Jacks will have a flush draw on the turn.

You need to work on your bet sizing, both flop and turn are under bet. Pot is $32 on flop, so bet should be around $20. On turn pot is $68 and something around $30 is better. Turn is a check/fold anyway once you get two callers on flop. It isn't likely you can get a JX to fold and with 2 villains somebody could have a flush.

Villain coming over the top on river isn't happy, but you can't fold at that point with a boat.

Just clarify, "effective stacks 100bb" should means all players have at least $200.

It seems you are shallower, so if the other shallow players are cally preflop, probably just limp pre in EP, as it will be difficuly to get value post short of hitting a set.

On the flop you I guess you are thinking that they probably don't have a jack, and I want to bet out their overcard equity, mixed with a sense of obligation to cbet. It's not terrible, but you have no reads and you have to give up when called.

Turn is a bad card. You think he's still gonna call with random overcards? Abort mission. Give the $17 to the bum who sleeps outside the casino.

On the river you hit Hendrick's. Not going all in is a terrible loss of value.

Try to think more sbout why you are betting, and what you expect to call/fold.

Gutsy bet on the turn. A lot of 1/2 players are brain-dead calling stations. But a lot are passive and trappy. Two callers on a paired board makes me nervous. Especially with that third flush card falls. Because flush draws is what brain dead calling stations call with.

Medium strength pocket pairs, you can either play them as big pairs or little pairs. (I think Harrington said that. His series on cash games is a classic, and you sound sophisticated enough to really appreciate the content. Support 2+2 and buy it here.). Personally I will play 88 as a big pair. And usually regret it, especially from oop. Me, I don't play 77 any different from 22 in EP.

I guess maybe it depends on reads. But still. Anything fancy, like coming in with 77 for a raise, is so much easier from position. These days, I only play EP if I have to. And I feel much the same way about MP if there are aggressive players to my left.

I do feel compelled to play pp from early position, but I like to give myself 10-1 odds if it's 77 or less. Easiest way to do that is to check/call. Yeah, it's passive and exploitable. But hey, it's 1/2. If I ever get good enough to play 5/10, I'll let you know if it's different up there.