been at the table about an hour, built up my $500BI to about $750 by raising AdKd over a few limpers on the button to $35, got called in 2 spots. cbet $65 on a Q high board and got called by a short stack. turned a gotshot and NFD. short stacker checks, i put him all in for like $125. he calls. i hit my draw and bust him.

i think this catches the attention of some at the table (several good regs) because my usual image is not double barreling with A high.

hand in question...

effective stacks $500ish.
4 limps, i check my option in the BB with Ah9d.

flop: 5 players, $27

7h8d9s
hero checks, one bet to $20, 3 callers, hero...???

here i feel i have 2 options... fold or raise.

if i call, i feel that i could be way behind, even if i bink an A... and i'm OOP, facing 4 villians. i think what many of these villians could have limped with could hit this flop a lot harder than my TPTK, besides i have next to no money invested. so this is out of the question, imo.

option 1 - fold. $5 invested, many villians interested in this pot, marginal hand. pick a better spot.

option 2 - raise to $120 - $150 and rep the nuts/ or a set, and pick up the ~$100 in dead money. i can't see how any of these villian's have a set on a board like this, yet didn't raise it (unless its the first villian to bet).

in actuality, this was a very easy choice for me, but i was just kind of wanting some discussion on the legitimacy (or lack thereof) of the 2nd option, should one choose to take it.

What's wrong with call and evaluate turn...?

I don't like to call OOP, but why think only in extremes?

I'd say just call on the flop. Expect to have to c/f alot later in the hand though, because tons of cards can come that'll complete a straight or give a higher card to your TP.

Option 2 is horrible IMO.

If I check-raise in this spot to $120, I am quite close to committing myself, and if someone flats behind...or even worse, 2 people flat behind, I am basically dead in the water with $125 down the drain.

If I do that a few times in a session, I doubt I'll have any chips left. Limp pots OOP are almost a cardinal sin to play, I would tread with heavy caution...

i agree with not only thinking in extremes, but exactly what cards are we really going to be happy about seeing on the turn? the last two 9's in the deck? maybe. and besides, when the turn is a blank... what do we do then, our situation more than likely hasn't worsened, but now the pot is over $120 and we face 4 villians left to act. we can't really bet, and when one of these villians makes it $80+ after we check, then we're clearly folding.

Wow, 3 callers. This is definitely dependent upon your reads of the villains. All I need is a read that one of them is slowplaying an overpair or 2 pair+ to instamuck.

We call, and there are virtually no cards that we like. K, Q, and J are abysmal. T is pretty bad, too. And 6.

If we raise, we need it to work about half the time to be 0EV, unless you think they will call with Tx, in which case we are ahead, but being OOP makes it difficult to play against a range where we are flipping/crushed. No made hands are calling our raise that we beat, making our hand a bluff. A bluff does not work here 50% of the time unless you are against 4 nits.

I lead here a vast majority of the time, but as played, I fold. if I do lead and am called in 4 spots, I check/fold.

Truth be told, I have no idea where I am, and I am OOP. I would call here because I see no reason to give up TPTK this easy without at least an option to win the hand, but at the same time, I feel like I am almost playing with blindfold on.

IMO, I would check the turn and see how my opponent reacts. Afterall, villains are probably thinking the same thing about me, except that they have a huge advantage with position. How they react would determine how I would handle the turn card more so than what turn is.

fold, pick a better spot imo. could be drawing very thin 4 ways

I like that you opened this one up for discussion. You'd be surprised how many crappy players wouldn't even consider folding this hand. All they see is TPTK. There are a lot of better opportunities to get your money in. And you've only invested $5. Let it go and wait for Button.

I generally really hate bluffing in limped pots on boards like this. You are way behind a set, and I don't see people folding two pair in this position very often.

If I'm going to bluff in a pot like this, I prefer to have at least a gutshot draw, so I have some equity against callers.

I usually just toss this into the muck.

IM calling flop. The overall price at the time + possibility of coolering a few others if ace hits + ability to not necessarily go for stacks if an A hits etc. spells flat $20 and fold a horrific amt. of turns. We have the best hand quite often here with no raising. I just play a small pot and gauge it myself.

Raising sucks, I would call lead a safe turn.

+1