Hello,

I came across this situation twice today in the same tournament MTT and I just know I'm missing out on value here, and could use some feedback if possible.

Basically I had 99s and I raised pre to 2x so I wasn't spending out too many chips with all the over cards potentially on the flop, allowing me to get to see the flop cheaply, but could get some bad hands to fold out and not give the big blind a free flop.

Flop comes down 2d 3h 7c.

This spot is tricky for me as there's many overcards that ruin my pair on the turn and river, there's straight draws that could possibly call a shove now (in which I win most of the time). There's the possible 56s or A4s or 45s (I know there's only 12 combos there) and I could get called by 88s.

I know I would also get called by 77s, 22s, 33s, 23s (12 combos) and overpairs (TT through AA for +30 combos) for 42 combos.

If I raise I probably get the best of both here in which I get value for my hand if it is the best which is likely the best scenario in terms of profiting from the hand.

Too often I do the all in and get zero chips so I could really use your feedback as to what I should do here.

Thanks.

http://hand2note.com/Hands/Hand/95Hs...C2owDRIQ%3D%3D

The first thing you need to do is think about what you want to have happen when you bet or raise.

Preflop, you have two limpers, and the small blind completes. You say that you want to see the flop cheaply, and raise so that the BB doesn't get to see the flop for free. This is odd, because 1) you were the BB, so you wanted to keep yourself from seeing a free flop; and 2) you could check, and really see the flop cheaply.

You also think that some bad hands might fold. First, why do you want bad hands to fold? You make money off of people playing bad hands. But more importantly, NOBODY is going to fold for 1BB when they have already put in 1BB, especially when they are playing in position on the raiser (which a couple of them will be). You are giving them all good odds to call with any two cards (and the limpers have a limping range that is ahead of any two cards).

So make your preflop raise larger. I would suggest 2.5X plus 1BB for each limper. If they want to call with their marginal hands, make them really pay for that privilege. If you take it down, that is fine, because free chips are never a bad thing. If someone calls, you can then play a bigger pot postflop, and you might actually have a chance to win a lot of chips.

On the flop, you have an overpair. You shove. What did you expect to happen, and what did you want to happen?

Here's what I would expect to happen - I would expect any hand that beats you to call, and all hands you beat to fold. That is the opposite of what I would want to happen. I would want the better hands to fold and the worse hands to call. On this board, I don't expect any better hands to fold, so what I can hope for is for worse hands to call. But shoving 3 times the size of the pot is pretty much guaranteeing that won't happen.

What would have happened if you had raised to 5.5BB preflop, and got 2 callers. You would have a pot of 17.5, and a stack of about 24 (note: I'm only talking in BB here because that is what your hand history has - after the flop I never think in terms of BB - I think in terms of chips and the size of the pot and the effective stacks). A bet of half pot could get called by overcards, or a pair, and that sets up an easy jam on the turn if someone calls on the flop. You might just get paid off. Could you get outdrawn? Of course, that can and does happen. But you need to give your opponents a chance to make a big mistake - that's how you profit. You are allowing them to play perfectly without much thought.

Hey VBAces, thanks for your detailed and helpful reply!

I didn't think about my 2bb raise that way specifically from the BB. I use the same sizing on BB and other positions in this spot, but now I see. I'll try 2.3 or 2.5bb.

So I guess I just gotta work this leak out my game and accept the idea that I could be outdrawn on the turn.

With villain missing 2/3 of the time on flop, then even with combo draw having on around 53% to river so 26.5% by turn to improve which is really pretty good chance that I am safe on the turn.

Thanks.