$50 NL @ Fulltilt


Four limpers take the flop, I'm second last to act and holding . Flop comes . Big blind checks, player in front of me, who has me covered, bets $.50 into pot of $2.25. At this level people bet $.50 into any pot with any hand and I really understand way but when this player did, something with the timing kinda got my attention. Anyway, highly cordinated board so I raise to $3 with a player behind me who has about half the stack I do. This player reraises to $5 which I dont mind, I read him as problably holding AJ and I plan on putting him all in depending on what the player before me does. Like I said, the timing in which he made the $.50 bet got my attention and I thought he might have a fairly strong hand. I was thinking that if he just calls I would reraise $15 more to put the reraiser all in and drive out any draws the player who had me covered might be on. Instead, he rereraises to $8 and its my turn to act. Now I faced raise of $5 into a pot of about $17. I didnt think he held JJ for a higher set because I think this player would have raised preflop with that, maybe top and bottom pair or bottom set, but finally I decided 9 10 for the flopped str8. What else would he rereraise two players who have position on him, one being shortstacked and pot committed? Anyway, I laid it down and the player behind folded also (???). I asked what he had and of course gave no answer. Im new to poker, less than 6 mons, so what do you guys think, right or wrong play?

Tough to put somone on a flopped straight, but with his action you could be right. With this board I doubt 2 pair with the way the cards fell, that would be more likely on a J-10 or Q-J flop. If anything the way he re-raises the minimum when it gets to him after betting the minimum initially screams of strength. I've played at the $50 tables and I know what you mean about the way people bet/raise the minimum, but this guy really looks like he is milking something here.

That's an EASY call. Why? Because even if he has the flopped straight, you have plenty of outs. The turn gives you 7 outs, and if it misses, you get 10 outs to the river. This player seems passive in the way he bets, and if he lets you get to the river cheaply and he does indeed hold the straight, you could take his stack if board pairs. Also, he could have 8-7 or J-8 for flopped two pair. In an unraised pot preflop, these are both definite possibilities as limping hands at this level. You can't be scared to play a big pot with as strong a hand as you have, especially since you can pretty much eliminate JJ (I wouldn't expect anyone at 50NL to limp with JJ unless they are an unusually rock-like).

It is a definite easy call if he was closing the betting action, but he has someone who raised him the minimum behind him as well. It seems to me like he is sitting between two time bombs waiting to go off here, so I don't know that it is horrible to fold. The betting went min bet-strong raise from the poster, min raise, min raise and now it is back on him. These aren't people trying to protect their hands, they are people who think they have monsters and are trying to get the other person to make a bit more of a raise so they can shove their chips in the middle.

Would anybody go all-in here? Or am I crazy for even thinking of it?

Let's assume you're right that neither has JJ. Personally, my guess is that one of them has two pair, and the other one has either the straight or the nut flush draw with a pair. If you're all in and they both call, you have a very reasonable chance of catching the boat (or even quads) and you only need to hit it one time in four (give or take) to break even.

The odds on catching your boat/quads are 33.4 percent (if I did that correctly).

Of course, if only one of them calls your EV just went way down.

I must be new -- I keep thinking that going all-in is the solution to a difficult NL problem.

Im all in every time there. If I lose, I lose,(thats why we have bankrolls) but I dont think he had a flopped straight. Very few people bet the min with a floppped str8. Most people check, some make a real bet. Betting the min just draws attention to your hand without getting any money in the pot. Its the worst of both worlds.

The other guy is going to call for sure because hes short stacked. If Im wrong and the min bettor DOES have a straight, you have 10 outs and are getting close to correct odds.

Middle set is a strong hand here and Im getting my money in.

I think he obviously min bet with every intention to get a raise and reraise it. What troubles me is that if he had the flopped str8, wouldnt he want to protect his str8 from the flush draw by raising more than he did. To me, that means he either has [10d] for the made str8 and flush draw so he is not worried about a diamond coming or he has the nut flush draw, perhaps with a pair, and he wants to increase the pot. However, with two reraises after his min bet, I think most on nut flush draw would not feel the need to build the pot on the hopes that thier draw hit. I think it is rare at this level for a player, out of position to reraise two LP raisers on just a draw. Therefore, I think at best (for me) he has bottom set and at worest he has made str8 and flush draw. If he does have the str8 and I push all in, short stack folded to the $3 reraise so Im sure he folds to my all in. That means Im 30.5% (6 outs) to make boat or quads assuming short stack folded a J, if turn brings a rag im only 21% (9 outs) to hit the river. My thinking was that Id just sat down, less than 20 mins ago, and already increased my buy-in 50% and didnt want to start the session down. In my expierence over the last couple months, my losing or break even sessions occur when I begin with a loss and have to play make up. Iceman5 is right though, I had the 3rd nut hand and should have just pushed and lived with results. Thanks for the responses.

"Live and die by trips"

You need to be 110% confident of a hand to fold trips on a flop.