NL1/2 8max
Hero: Probably (and correctly) perceived as inexperienced with live poker; quite new at the table
Villains: basically unknown but supposedly reasonable players

* SEAT DRAW *
SB: Hero hide 9hQs stack 200
UTG1: Villain stack 200
UTG2: stack 50

* PREFLOP *
UTG1 villain: call 2
UTG2: raise 7
MP, LJ, HJ: call 7
Hero: call 7
UTG1 villain: call 7

I know, I should have just folded preflop but that was before I made my previous post in this forum ;-) So I would be interested to know how I should have continued postflop as played.

* FLOP * JcTc8c pot 44
Hero: bet 40
UTG1 villain: call 40
UTG2: raise all-in 43
MP, LJ, HJ: fold
Hero: call 43
UTG1 villain: call 43

I lead to protect my straight against flushdraws. However, I got worried that the probability of one of 5 (!) opponents flopping flush could be shockingly high (like 30-40%). After all, their limp / call ranges contain a lot of suited hands. On the other hand, villain would have probably raised a flush on the flop.

* TURN * JcTc8c6d pot 173
Hero: ???

fold pre

as played there is nothing to be done about v1 now so concentrate on v2.

u flopped about the best hand possible for what you had. I'm never folding now even with a flush out there for just one buy-in. v2 could also have AcXx and multiple 2 pair combos, maybe even 88 and is hoping to boat up. bet $40 again turn, all in on any raise.

also

I think I've read a couple of your posts and they're all a fold preflop. You're getting yourself into awkward situations by playing hands like Q9o.

the pre-flop raiser is the short stack.
either check so he can jam and then you can eval
or donk $20 so his jam re-opens betting

as played you called pre instead of folding so why is there even a ???? here

I might throw a little bet out there: $25 to $40. Make him pay to see the river. If he shoves, you can safely fold, although it sucks. He shouldn't be shoving with worse, though.

Oh, and fold pre.

Thank you guys for the inputs. I agree it was bad play to call with this hand from the SB. (As I wrote, my posts come from a session I played two weeks ago before I started posting and learning from here - so sorry about multiple posts that all suffer from the same type of bad preflop play.)

However, I am struggling to understand why I haven't overplayed my straight already on the flop. If I put myself into the shoes of villain (UTG1), I'd be quite unhappy to call with, say, top pair against someone leading into 5 opponents on this board, and with four left to act behind me. So assuming villain thinks like myself, his range would mostly consist of straights, flushes, nut flushdraw and possibly a few sets but he'd pbbly raise 88 preflop - even calling flop with two-pair seems debatable. So somehow my straight seems to be behind his calling range unless he calls very wide.

Looking at this as an average villain in position: Your pot sized bet looks very strong on this flop. I would probably be calling with just about everything in position which would include flopped flushes, straights, sets, and two pair, along with Ace of clubs hands I arrived here with that aren’t flushes. Folding one pair plus straight draw hands(9 or Q), AJ, anything weaker. That seems reasonable. I don’t think I need to protect a flush here on the flop with a raise like you suggested earlier. As a Gillian, I want to let you keep betting if I have you beat on this flop with an Ace or King high flush if I am UTG1.

But, I also don’t think the average villain at 1/2 makes great decisions. Their range might even wider here than I created, calling your flop bet. Or they might slow play flushes against you the whole way, and only bet after you check. This is when reads(previous actions of villains) become important. Any piece of information makes decisions easier.

I think it’s very tough and probably not worth too much of people’s time to evaluate situations they won’t find themselves in since there are so many complicated decisions that everyone already find themselves in with their solid preflop ranges.

As this hand stand, I flop preflop.
On the flop out of position, I check and let the preflop raiser act, and try to determine the best course of action. I am not trying to get money into this flop five handed, but I would be quite happy if the turn ended heads-up between me and the short stack. Not a fan of a full pot bet on this flop because the turn becomes and issue with any callers.
Turn, I like Javanewt’s suggestions. If called again, checking river, hoping to get to SD, and only calling small river bets, 30% or less.

I think preflop is something to focus on as a new player and information gathering on opponents. Hope you keep posting hands, good luck out there.

Thank you Danhdan! I agree with your analysis and assessment of villain's strong continuation range, which means playing the hand more cautiosly. And yeah, time is probably better spent in analyzing spots with reasonable preflop ranges.

1. Fold pre.

2. We need to talk about this:

On a monotone flop, any hand that isn't a flush is basically a bluff-catcher. There are two main types of hands that we can bluff-catch with here: hands that can improve, like nut flush draws, 2P and sets, and hands that can't, like straights.

There's no point in betting a straight from OOP into five opponents on a monotone flop. In a six-way, single-raised pot, odds are decent that someone flopped a flush, and anyone with a pocket pair has a 50-50 chance of having a flush draw to go with it.

If anyone has a flush or a flush draw, they'll call, and we won't know if we're bluffing or betting our hand for value and protection. If we check, someone is going to bet if they have a flush, and probably bet a lot of flush draws, plus a lot of 2P / sets that need protection.

So, checking allows our opponents to bluff, and allows us to bluff-catch. When we're bluff-catching, we're not looking to bet or raise to build the pot. We're just check-calling.

When a pot gets contested by so many players, we need a very strong hand to bet any size for value, especially if we're betting big. Once one player bets, especially nearly full pot, there's not much reason for any of the other players to raise. Flopped flushes don't need much protection, and draws don't want to get 3B off their equity. Sets and 2P are just hoping to boat up on the turn or river.

As played, once you bet almost full pot, get called by V1, and face an all-in jam for $3 more from V2, we're kind of in no-man's land while looking at a dry side-pot and a protected main pot. V1 could have the flush already, or a flush draw, or some 2P/set combo that's hoping to boat up. He could also have Q9 for a chop.

We can bet turn to charge V1's flush draws to see the river, but now we basically are bluffing, mostly hoping V1 folds. And what are we doing if the river is another club, or a brick? Checking to induce a bluff, or betting and hoping V1 folds a flush, or calls with 2P/sets? If we check a brick, I don't see how we can ever fold if V1 bets.

Bottom line - this just isn't how you play a bluff-catcher.

Thanks docvail for your comprehensive answer. I agree with everything you wrote. And yes, I came to realize that I overplayed my straight already on the flop and it would have been better to check / call it off as a bluff catcher.