Players are bad...calling stations who will bet when they have a decently strong hand. Villian #1 will sometimes bet a pair if she hits one on another street even after someone else showing strength, and she has made a tricky play a couple of people, me included. She will raise with a decent hand. Villian #2 is pretty new, no read, but he is young and doesn't look that experienced.

Preflop: UTG calls, Hero calls w/ [5c], guy to left calls, villian #1 calls, fold, CO calls, button calls, SB(villian 2) calls, BB checks. 8 players to the flop.

Flop is [4h][3d]. SB checks and BB who has $6 left bets. UTG calls, Hero calls, MP calls, Villian #1 raises. Co, button fold, SB calls, BB is all in. UTG calls, and Hero decided to just call here, MP calls. Main pot right now is $60, no sidepot.

Turn is the . SB bets out. UTG folds, Hero raises, MP folds, Villian #1 cold calls the two bets, SB calls my raise.

River is the . SB bets out. Hero??? Call? Fold? Raise? Really curious as to how people would play this against low limit crowd here.

Hero has to raise the first chance he is getting at the flop since he is letting everyone draw cheaply. If not the first time he defintely has to reraise after villian opens the betting for him again, not sure what Hero is thinking here, don't let them draw cheaply.

Hero shouldn't fold river but probably shouldn't raise either. I'd call and probably fold to a raise from Villian #1.

Depending on your opponents, I can see the merits of not raising on the flop if you know you'll be bet into on the turn if a 2 or 6 doesn't fall, because then you can protect your hand better. That said, after the flop it's already 10 BB, so...

It's hard to read these players sometimes, but after the cold call of the raise on the turn I think you're probably beat here. I'd actually prefer for the river to be a heart, cause at least then I could lay this hand down easier. If SB is aggressive he could have two pair or top pair, and even villain #1 could have picked up the flush draw on the turn or something.

As big as this pot is, you have to call, but if it's raised you're in big trouble.

Danhdan -

You know I love these low limit Nor. Cal. no fold'em holdem games. Here is how I play it - Limp re-raise the flop. You are OOP and the board is scary for your top set. Eight players to the flop always means that people are holding low connectors and naked aces and sometimes suited king-low. The best that you can hope for is that someone behind you hit a smaller set and will go to war. Otherwise, you just need to build the pot and hope the board pairs.

When SB checks then cold-calls 2 on the flop, then leads out the turn, I put him on jacks up. I have no reason to believe he is a good player (especially because he just cold-called 2 and then led out on a more expensive street - he set up the check-raise against these non-observant 3/6 types, why not use it? Because he sucks, thats why), and he may have lucked into flopping a straight, but I doubt it.

Raising the turn is good. This should give you an idea of where you are. Hearts will still chase, a smaller set will probably re-raise, and a straight will probably re-raise. You played this right, and I think you have to put Villian #1 on a heart draw or a heart and straight draw, a hand like . He may already be there with . Villian #2 still has jacks up in my mind.

That river sucked. Call on the end, if Villian #1 re-raises and Villian #1 calls, I would still donate expecting to see Villian #1 with the straight. A case can be made for folding the river to SB's bet, but this pot is too big and the players at this level suck. I think that Villian #1 has you with a straight but I think you need to call. With your read on Villian #1 that he will get tricky on you, you need to call him down.

Yeah, the action on this one was a little weird, but possibly understandable once the cards were flipped over.

I called the river, and Villian #1 called the river too...so I felt I had her beat then. The SB then flips over the J6o for two pair made on the river(nice call, E-Dad!) and I show the winning hand(all-in player had only overcards and Villian #1 hand 54 for a flopped two pair). At the time, I raised the SB on the turn, I thought he hit the jack and that is why I did it. Villian #1's cold call on the turn wasn't surprising, and I thought then I had her beat. When the SB led out again on that river, I really thought he had J7 and was beating me...never guessed J6. I don't know if I gives these guys too much credit or what, but it's getting to the point that if I am confused on the river, I had better call because I'm probably ahead.

It almost gets to the point in these pots that because of the size of them, you just can't fold a hand to a single bet or two on the river. I would argue that the flop probably is the most important street to figure out if you are ahead or not...and usually the most difficult one.

Thanks for the replies.