$10NL: Line check on combo draw.

[Sean Fraley]

Poker Stars
No Limit Holdem Ring game
Blinds: $0.02/$0.05
6 players
Converter (http://www.neildewhurst.com/hand-converter)

Stack sizes:
UTG: $5.93
UTG+1: $5.80
CO: $2.96
Button: $8.46
SB: $16.69
Hero: $11.25

Pre-flop: (6 players) Hero is BB with 7/images/graemlins/heart.gif Q/images/graemlins/heart.gif
2 folds, CO (poster) checks, Button calls, SB calls, Hero (poster) checks.

Flop: 5/images/graemlins/heart.gif 9/images/graemlins/heart.gif 8/images/graemlins/club.gif ($0.2, 4 players)
SB checks, <font color="#cc0000">Hero bets $0.2</font>, CO folds, <font color="#cc0000">Button raises to $0.4</font>, SB folds, <font color="#cc0000">Hero raises all-in $11.2</font>, <font color="#cc0000">Button calls all-in $8.01</font>

[Bowlboy]

You have a strong draw, but no fold equity. Me thinks your push is -EV, as it will get called by hands that beat you more than not in a showdown. If your straight draw was open ended that changes things a lot. You also have only one overcard. 3betting to around $1.50 might be the way to go as you can still get away from this if you miss by the river, but are still likely stacking your opponent if you hit.

[Abramovic]

I think your allin push is perhaps a little too much. Bowlboy says you have no fold equity - why does he not have fold equity with his push? I think it gives him maximum fold equity, but isnt the most +EV line.

I like a 3bet to around 1.5 as bowlboy suggests, as you wont be committed to the pot and you have position on SB so you can check behind on turn.

[jk1986]

Your push definately does have fold equity, it is however an over bet.
I think there is a case for just calling his minraise, and trying to hit your outs. When they offer you such great odds for the draw its sometimes worth just taking them. Saying that I dont think a raise to 1.5 is a bad line either. My action would depend on whether I thought the other player would fire the turn again if I just called his min raise.

[checkmate36]

What if we changed hero's Qh to the 8h?

Would the push on the flop then become +EV?

Thanks for any insights.

[dodgybob]

The problem with your flop push is that there isn't enough dead money in the pot to make it worthwhile. The reason you want fold equity with a combo draw is so you can have 100% equity of the money already existing in the pot.

Just call his minraise and try and get it all in if you hit any of your outs.

[Check_The_Nuts]

2 buy ins deep I think the push is too much of an overshove. I also think that semibluffing at 5Nl is probably a little overrated - since the play is so bad there isn't really a lot of need for it, they almost never fold.

[bozzer]

Yeah, I've had bad experiences semibluff pushing at low stakes. Deep stacked and OOP, combo draws are not that hot IMO- you have a lot of potential, but playing them correctly when you are drawing and when you hit is not easy.

Advice about pounding the pot with a combo until you are all in is based more on shallower games. DS it's hard to get the FE you need by rereraising till you are able to push into a large pot, or the pot-size to stack ratio you want to make a staight push worthwhile.

I would be grateful he only min-raised and see the turn.

PF, what is the minimum hand range people would raise to steal with here? Because I am quite close to raising this one up.

[avfletch]

[ QUOTE ]
Yeah, I've had bad experiences semibluff pushing at low stakes. Deep stacked and OOP, combo draws are not that hot IMO- you have a lot of potential, but playing them correctly when you are drawing and when you hit is not easy.

Advice about pounding the pot with a combo until you are all in is based more on shallower games. DS it's hard to get the FE you need by rereraising till you are able to push into a large pot, or the pot-size to stack ratio you want to make a staight push worthwhile.

I would be grateful he only min-raised and see the turn.

PF, what is the minimum hand range people would raise to steal with here? Because I am quite close to raising this one up.

[/ QUOTE ]

Imo you will get called too often to make that profitable. You'll just end up playing more drawing hands oop in bloated pots.