I've been playing No limit for about a month after finally transitioning over from years of fixed limit play. I usually buy in for 100-120 to keep my decisions easier so I don't have too much experience being deeper stacked. This hand was at a charity poker game where I didn't know anyone and had only played for about a half hour before this hand came up.

Villain A has about 350, Villain B has 400, and I have them covered. Villain A posts the straddle, Villain B calls, I call and I'm in the cutoff with KJ. I think the Button & SB folded and the BB called and straddle checked. SB might have called too, though; don't really remember. Straddle checks.

Reads: Villain A seems to be a good player. Plays tighter than rest of the table, though I was probably playing a bit tighter. Haven't seen him make any big bluffs or moves. Villain B makes a lot of moves and I saw him try to bluff a guy out with a big river bet and was called down by Ace high and lost.
My image is of a tight player and the table respects my bets and probably doesn't think I make any moves.

Flop:
QJ9
Villain A bets 15. Villain B calls.

What do you do here?

Obviously, I know I have a huge hand. I think about just calling but I feel that's a mistake. I want to get more money in to build the pot up since I have such a big hand. I don't see how I can make this a big hand if I just call. I'm sure Villain B doesn't have a big hand or he would have raised. I'm not sure what Villain A has at this point. I haven't seen him bet a draw (but I haven't seen him play enough hands). I'm guessing Villain A probably has a pair, two pair, maybe a set though I think he would have raised QQ or JJ so I deem it less likely. There's a chance he has a straight. I know that if I raise, I might end up getting my chips all in here and I tell myself I'm probably willing to do that.

I raised 40 more. I figured I'd define Villain A's hand right here. Maybe he just has a queen and I can take it down right here. I figure I can take a free card if he just calls and I whiff on the turn. I tell myself if he shoves, I'll have a tough decision and might have to consider folding as my odds won't be there though I could see myself calling too.

Villain A thinks about it and raises 115 more. Villain B instant mucks and it's on me. I think about it and he counts down his stack. He has about 175 left.
I narrow his range down here. I'm sure he doesn't have one pair as I don't think he'd be willing to commit that big of stack here. He's good enough to know he's committing his stack with that bet. He's gotta know my raise meant I have something big here. I'm starting to think he might have the straight. Set is possible too, though as I said above, I think it would have to be 99. I think he could have two pair though it's least likely as I think he'd be too scared I might have him beat.

What do you do?

you put yourself in this position by raising, you cant fold now..

Shove and shrug, not like you're going to want to fold the turn anyway. Hit T next time

raise more on flop.
u r not going anywhere- make them know it and fold.

So you're in position? I think it's best to note clearly the preflop position. Regardless, because of this, raising has more merit, but your 5 outs with the pair is usually not good with this sort of action, and you're not actually looking at that great of equity, though still obviously good. As such, it may be best to call if out of position or against TAG players. The fact that your flush is second nut is good, but you'll run into both a made straight and a nut flush draw enough of the time that you won't be that keen on stacking off, so it's more problematic than it may seem.

Once you get headsup, though this is an easy stack-off with this sort of pot odds.

With a straddle and only one limper and me in LP with suited broadway, I'm kinda leaning towards raising this preflop, say to $20. With the dead straddle money I think I like the possibility of taking down pots preflop with K high. Also gives us a chance to open up our raising range in the eyes of our opponents (i.e. so we're not that guy who "only raises with QQ++") if we're worried about that sorta thing. I'm planning on cbetting the majority of flops and hopefully taking it down there if I haven't preflop.

As played, with stacks being fairly big and no real dead money in the pot, I probably just passively call this flop. Our K outs are dirty, our J outs might even be troublesome, and none of our flush/straight draws are to the nuts. Also, with three of us going to the turn I think it's less likely that someone tries to barrel their way to a win with only a draw, so I think the hand plays down more honestly and we might even get to see a free river card.

GcluelessNLnoobG

I'd shove. Given his 3bet and the fact he only has 175 left, I'd say you have no fold equity if you shove. If I've done that math right, you have win 40.2% of the time to shove. You'll hit your flush 32% of the time so you only need a little more equity to make this the right play. A ten gives you at least a chop if not the win. There's also a small chance he has QJ or 99 or a combo draw. So when you add all that together I imagine you're getting the right price but not by much.

FD + Gutshot + Pair = Shove

You have 40%+ equity against Villains re-raising range. KT, T8, QQ, JJ, 99, QJ, AT's,

Agreed, I'm raising this, we can usually expect straddler to raise if limped to.

Interesting to note that Villain in this hand is the straddler and checked option to raise and is now playing for stacks.

Yeah, I'd heavily discount QQ and JJ because of this. It's hard to imagine a guy straddling, waking up with QQ or JJ and just knocking the table.

Just flat here.

Yeah, you have good equity (38-48%) vs anything you get it in with, except you're never going to be a favorite (unless guy is spaztard and won't fold hands like T9/JT), and you're dominating other flush draws most of the time (aside from Ahxh) and V2 could be calling with either same hands as you or naked K's, and u could get stacks in and freeroll him on a ten turn.

Also raise preflop. And you're not exactly playing 175bb deep, you're playing ~80bb deep since the bb is "technically" $4.

Calling and shoving with 175 behind and 350~ in the pot is essentially the same. I don't suppose hero plans to fold to a turn bet on a brick?

This is what I was wondering.

The way I played it at the time was to call the 115 more. The way I played it, I wonder what I'm supposed to do on the turn. Fold to a pair card? Call a brick or fold? The odds are worse with one card to come which is another reason I think I should have just shoved on the flop when my pot equity is better.

If I put him on the straight, I think I'm supposed to fold with the pot odds I'm getting on the turn.

Results in another day, I'd just like quick feedback on what I do on the turn after calling the 115.

Thank you all for the replies so far.

I like to raise the flop as well, but one of the hands you're probably going to knock out with a raise there is a weaker flush draw, which will pay you off when it does hit.

As played, might as well just push it in on the flop. Calling $115 and folding to a brick on the turn seems like spew. Pushing gets you to the river with no more decisions to be made.

PUKE.... you have a MASSIVE draw, in a smallish pot... and you want to make them fold out??!?! YUK

build the pot (like you did) as played you can't put him solely on a set... shove is the only option... he has like a pair and a straight draw alot as well as two pairs and sets...

and yeah, spike the ten of hearts next time...

The problem with this massive draw is that you don't have much implied odds on hitting when playing vs careful players. That said vs some players you're getting paid off big time when you hit the straight and maybe even if you hit the flush. Depends.

Results:

As stated above, I called the 115 more. The turn card came, and I was looking right at him just to see if I could pick up any tells and I wanted to see if I could guess the turn card based on what he did. He grabbed all his chips, announced "all-in" and threw them in the pot. I look over at the turn and it's 7

Instant call, of course, and he says, "Do you have the flush?"

I turn it over and he shows me T8 for the flopped lower straight and of course he's drawing dead.

I ended up posting this because of what happened right after this. This Indian guy told me I had more gamble that he expected. The kid that was in the hand briefly on the flop must have been friends with the guy I stacked. He told me I was an idiot because I didn't push on the flop and said "That's just a lucky turn card. That's all it is." Then he disappeared for half a round and was talking with the guy I stacked. Seems like he had the right move after all, but I wanted to check here.

Brag: Two rounds after that kid called me an idiot, he bets AK all the way unimproved and I take down 300 from him w QQ. Kid puts his head down after that hand moaning to himself. Indian guy gives me the thumbs up. Lucky night.

Raise pre, shove flop

Lol yeah you have a lot of gamble well done. 7 from heaven!