Live $6-$12 Hold'em game. I am in seat 2 and this is my 4th hand. I am in late middle position and happy to look down at .

Two limpers and I raise to $12. CO and Button both call. Now the SB re-raises, limpers call and I cap it. Everyone calls and about 6 of us see the flop.

Flop - pot $68

Not a good flop at all for me.

The SB bets, 2 callers and I raise, one caller and the Button 3-bets it - not good at all. I see no reason to cap it and just call. We did not lose anyone on that round.

Turn - pot $ 180 - - not good since any 8 makes a straight.

Action is checked around.

River - pot $180 - - a blank.

Now the SB bets $12 (unless he has an eight he is not too smart).

I am pretty sure that I am beat in at least one spot.

What would you do here? Fold, call or raise?

Tough river decisions like this is why you need to fold these hands preflop.

It's tough to fold this, as it's a huge pot (21.5BB or so, if I calculate correctly)...

You might be beat, or you might not. The pot's big enough by the turn that I'd almost expect anyone who had an 8 to go ahead and try to take it down on the turn. The fact that all that action stopped cold on the turn makes me wonder at least a little bit if in fact nobody has an 8.

I think both SB and the button most likely have an overpair/set. One of them 3-bet preflop, and the other 3-bet the flop, and I don't see that very often if they had a hand that included an 8.

I almost like a raise here, as you have a decent chance of folding anyone holding 2 pair/a set, but you too have been aggressive enough that it will be hard for them to put you on a hand with an 8 as well...

I think the worst decision is to merely call - you won't drive out possibly better hands, and you could very well spend 2 or 3 BB to see a showdown anyway.

I don't like any of the possible options, but I can't fold in a pot this big, and I can't call for the reasons stated above, so that leaves - raise and pray that you find favor with the poker gods - meaning, everyone else folds and you beat the SB's QQ.

And if you're going to raise - it has to be almost immediate - you really have to sell it. If you take longer than maybe 5 seconds to think about it, nobody's going to believe that you have the 8.

Good guess - I live in the city of Alameda near Oakland. I play at the Oaks Card Club in Emeryville and the California Grand in Pacheco (near Concord). Sometimes over at Lucky Chances in Colma (South San Francisco).

The NL that I used to play is at the Cal Grand. I am working on quiting the NL and just playing Limit. 6/12 and 12/24.