Live game at Commerce. Seat 3 is a regular who apparently plays almost full time. Aggressive and solid. Seat 8 is another regular - solid but not as aggressive as Seat 3.

Third Street - all door cards live

Seat 8 raises the bring in with Q door.
I call in seat 2 with 994
Seat 3 calls with 8 door

Fourth

Seat 8: xx QT
Me: 9947
Seat 3: xx 86

Seat 8 bets and we both call

Fifth

Seat 8: xx QTK
Me: 99479
Seat 3: xx 868

Seat 8 bets and we both call. I made the decision to hold off announcing my trips until 6'th.

Sixth

Seat 8: xx QTKQ
Me: 99479 5
Seat 3: xx 8683

Seat 8 checks, which struck me as odd. Do I check or bet?

Raise Fifth.

I'd bet now.

lol, 'aggressive and solid', bet 4th and 5th and on 6th he's got a hand too big to bet and you are toast. Should've raised 5th, imo, and I think 3rd is kind of optimistic, tbh.

There is a typo in my post. Seat three bet out on fifth with his paired door.

That's some typo. Now I think that you really, really, ought to have raised 5th in that case. Seat 8's check on 6th is either bec he's hoping to c/r seat 3 or he's concerned about trips. I'd bet and reach for the vomit bag in case I need it.

Are you thinking that I am going to get seat 8 to fold for one more bet on fifth? He is on the installment plan.

Make him pay as many installments as possible. Ofc, seat 3 might 3-bet and w/ 2 players going to war he may drop out w/ what might be a good draw, who knows?

I don't like the call on 3rd, ante is $3 right?

Fold>Raise>Call imo

Yes, the ante is $3.00 and the BI is $5.00.

Third is fine if the Q is ever stealing, which should be the case with any decent player. In this spot I like to raise some of the time with hands like this and sometimes with suited three-straights, concealed overpairs and A-high three-flushes. Basically every hand you play here should sometimes be two-bet or three-bet. I might be more inclined to raise with another overcard behind me, like a Jack or King, since those overcards provide additional outs to anybody trying to outdraw you.

With the Q developing a connected board I would have begun pounding the pot on Fifth. Several reasons, you want the Eights to put in a bunch of action incorrectly and the Q has the kind of board that will put in a bunch of money, so you need that to happen before it develops to the point where you won't want it putting in a bunch of money.

Sixth gets spooky but when the Queens board checks you should bet because the Eights board may not and if no bet goes in then it's a tragedy.

HAVE to raise 5. The guy has QKTss on board. 6th is obviously awkward, but I think you just have to bite the bullet and bet your hand.

Yup.

Yep. Happens all the time in this game.

I ended up betting sixth. Both villains called. On the river, I caught a 4 to have nines full. Seat 8 then bet out. Do I call or raise?

It's still (9-9)4 w/ 2 suits, bleh. I'd do what electrical said w/ those other hands he listed bec they can more easily develop into something whereas yours has to get really lucky. Even if the Q is sometimes stealing he also has the Queens or one of those other type hands himself the other times and if he keeps barreling while you catch bad - which is going to happen a damn lot - what then? So: I'd fold 3rd.

Question for you folks: I'm taking mom to LV in May and I'd love to play Stud Hi, rusty as I am. Is there still a 20 game at the B and is it any good?

ETA bec I thought my reply would slide in just after your prior one: Just call and prepare to face palm.

Re the 20 game at Bellagio, the answer is no. That game never seems to go anymore. I have seen a 30 game intermittently on Friday nights when I have been in town. If you get the Bravo app, you can see what games run at Bellagio.

That's too bad. I have to take care of my elderly mother so a trip to Cali is out of the question.

Would you rather 994 with 3 suits?

Can't fold this pre unless the opener is super snug and even vs. QQx your hand has 35% equity.

I would raise Seventh as your hand is massively under repped and will be called by flushes, straights, and maybe even 2 big pair.

Mentioning 2 suits was as a plus, fwiw. But, ok, some ppl will call a complete w/ that hand, I won't, and I also won't take a firm stand that my fold is absolutely the only thing to do.

On the river I flat and hope for an overcall, or in a perfect world a dummy with Eights-full raises, the Queens hand flats and you get to 3-bet with the best of it. Queen is never folding a straight or flush for one more and the Eights will seldom have you beat.

Only real creep is when the Queens hand makes it three after the Eight raises. Then you call and lose most of the time, but not enough to fold.

3rd street is tough without total table info. You mention stealing, was he in late position? Was it folds seat 8, seat 1 folds, you call, seat 3 calls, bring in folds?

If it's in early position I likely fold. If it's a steal, I raise. Your hand is lousy in a non-heads up spot and calling just encourages correct calls from draw hands behind you.

Raise 5th, purely for value. Who cares if you announce trips? Look at the two boards you're up against. Draws and re-draws abound. Just push your equity edge.

Betting is so weird on 6th given 5th street. It's telling a really weird story. My decision rests on how likely seat 3's fifth street lead means trips, if very likely, how likely he checks trips on 6th, and how likely seat 8 is to c/r bluff with less worse than trips. Because c/r'ing the field with trip 9s is pretty tempting given your 5th street action.

To me this is most important. Let's say the bring-in is directly on our left, folds around to the Queen directly on our right who completes, I'd likely raise the (9-9)4 myself.

Yes, agreed especially since you will have position throughout the hand

But if Q raised early and there is a K behind you with a relatively low ante of $3 it's a fold imo. Q is more likely to have a hand and K can always have one too.

You lose to quads? 5th is a must raise as is the river

You raise. His most likely hand is 8s full or flush. your hand is insanely disgused on 6th. It really looks like you hit a gutshot straight with likely diamonds.

I raise and possibly reraise if 3bet on river, though that depends a bit. I suppose he could have TT-AA in the hole some amount of the time.