is this just a cooler or could I have done something else to play this hand better thanks for your comments in advance?

888 Poker - $0.20 NL - Holdem - 7 players

BTN: 95.5 BB (VPIP: 100.00, PFR: 0.00, 3Bet Preflop: -, Hands: 1)
Hero (SB): 101.85 BB
BB: 30.3 BB (VPIP: 100.00, PFR: 0.00, 3Bet Preflop: -, Hands: 1)
UTG: 103.85 BB (VPIP: 0.00, PFR: 0.00, 3Bet Preflop: -, Hands: 1)
UTG+1: 103.5 BB (VPIP: 0.00, PFR: 0.00, 3Bet Preflop: -, Hands: 1)
MP: 100 BB (VPIP: 0.00, PFR: 0.00, 3Bet Preflop: -, Hands: 1)
CO: 100 BB

Hero posts SB 0.5 BB, BB posts BB 1 BB, CO posts penalty blind 1 BB

Pre Flop: (pot: 2.5 BB) Hero has Jh Th
fold, fold, fold, CO raises to 4 BB, fold, Hero calls 3.5 BB, fold

Flop : (9 BB, 2 players) Td 7c 6c
Hero checks, CO bets 5 BB, Hero calls 5 BB

Turn : (19 BB, 2 players) 9s
Hero checks, CO bets 8 BB, Hero calls 8 BB

River : (35 BB, 2 players) 9h
Hero checks, CO bets 20 BB, Hero calls 20 BB

CO shows 9c 9d (Four of a Kind, Nines)
(Pre 51%, Flop 28%, Turn 91%)

Hero mucks Jh Th (Two Pair, Tens and Nines)
(Pre 49%, Flop 72%, Turn 9%)

CO wins 71.25 BB

Never post results - not even in spoilers - it can skew the advice you get.

It's unfortunate that you have no reads or stats whatsoever on the villain, but I think JTs is a fold on the button. You're going to flop top pair bad kicker far more often than you're going to flop a straight draw or a flush draw, and chances are you're going to be heads-up with the villain. If you could feel confident the pot were going to go 5 ways you could call because you have much more implied odds.

It's also unfortunate that you have no reads or stats on the blinds. A lot of the time if you call on the button both blinds will call, giving you the chance to play a big pot in position.

Readless, I think you have to let it go before the flop - you're just in too much danger of running into hands like QT, KT, AT, AJ, QJ and KJ (not to mention TT, JJ, QQ, KK, AA) that have you absolutely smashed.

As played, you're in a difficult spot. He could have any two big cards or a big pair, he could have 88 or 99, or he could have 89. If you're ahead your hand is vulnerable, if you're behind you're dead. It's hard to fold top pair.

Hope that helped.

Out of curiosity what is your background, i.e. how long have you been playing, what books have you read, coaching received etc?

Hero is in SB.

You can fold or raise pre. A call at these stakes isn't too bad but if you call
fold river.

To answer your question: you are holding a bluff catcher so this is not a cooler. holding TT or 89 for the flopped straight would be a cooler.


on top of my head
AA-66: 40 combos
AT, KT : 16 combos
T9s, 89s, 87s: 8 combos
A9s, K9s: 4 combos
A8s: 4 combos

These are 72 combos that potentially barrel 3 streets and beat you

some potential bluffs he might have here
QJ, KQs, and some AcXc : 23 combos


you can play around a bit with is value range. For example if you believe he wouldn't 3barrel with At and KT he is holding 56 value combos. You can than think about how many hands he would bluff with check the ratio and see if you get the good odds to call.

fold pre

Folding pre. I think we should be getting away from this otr as well. Villain probably has loads of suited connectors in their co opening range. What hands is villain barreling with on this texture that you beat?

Nowhere near a cooler. 3bet or fold preflop though.

Definitely not a cooler, just overplaying a marginal hand. TT, 77, 66...all in his range. I could definitely see calling the second barrel in case villain is an aggro donk, but honestly, as soon as the 9 hits the board, you should get out of the pot, since even 88 beats you now.

Also I agree with the fold pre. Not so long ago I would have made the same mistake, but the SB is the most disadvantageous position in the game and you NEVER should call or even complete the SB untill BTN limps and BB is a moron.

In this position you have no business in the hand with JT. By calling the CO, you give the BB 3:1, so he could call very wide and also has position on you.

Even worse, in this example BB is a shortstack, so you have to keep a potential shove on the radar. He's risking 30BB for 9BB in this case. Not too shabby.

Again, preflop mistake. Fold this hand.

If you are deep enough, I don't mind the call with JThh, though it is probably negative EV in most games. You just have to be disciplined enough to not go crazy with TPGK and lay it down if the betting is persistent. As it is, OP is behind too much of the aggressors range. On the turn, where the board is 4 to a straight, I am letting this go

OP, a cooler is when you have a nearly unbeatable, unfoldable hand and are up against a better, usually nuttish hand. TPGK on a somewhat coordinated board is nowhere near unfoldable. It is going to be very uncommon that anyone would ever say 'My one pair got coolered'.

If villain had minraised pre, it might just about be breakeven to flat call with JTs in the SB (the worst position). (3-betting would also be a decent option). When he opens for 4bb, it's just a fold. Stop trying to see flops with marginal hands as a pre-flop caller. Very few hands are profitable if you just press the CALL button pre-flop.