Trips on the flop
 

UTG is a younger semi-solid tag player. Villain is a middle-aged asian nut job and gets crazy with borderline hands.

On to the hand. Hero is in the BB with Q9o. UTG raises, 6 players including villain in MP2 calls. Hero thinks "what the hell, I'm getting 15:1 on my money" and calls.

(16sb) flop is 9[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img]9[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img]J[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img]. <font color="red">Hero bets</font>. Everyone calls.

(12bb) turn is 2[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img] Hero bets, UTG calls, MP1 calls, Villain in MP2 Raises, Folded to <font color="red">Hero who 3-bets</font>, UTG folds, MP1 calls 2, Villain caps, Hero &amp; MP1 call.

(25bb) river K[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img], <font color="red">Hero checks</font>...

I'm interested in feedback on Hero's actions on each street. I know that preflop is pretty marginal.

Re: Trips on the flop
 

PF is totally fine IMHO. How bad can it possible be?
Flop is an easy lead out for value.
Turn is again an easy lead-out for value with the blankest blank in the deck coming off. I like the 3-bet also.
I check the river as well, planning to call 1 bet. I think you played this fine. And man do I hate Tom Brady.

Re: Trips on the flop
 

how often do you think UTG is gonna CBet this flop?

Re: Trips on the flop
 

Based on UTGs play, he was checking this flop every time with AK or AQ, and c-betting AJ, AA, KK, QQ, and JJ (of course). If it had been a rainbow flop I may have checked. As it was, I wanted money to go in on the flop and the pot was big enough to get callers even if UTG raised.

jesse - how can you hate Brady? The man is just doing his job (really well). I thought the Steelers/Pats game was going to be a good one, but after you guys lost to the JETS yesterday, I'm not so sure. You guys play well at home but on the road? - not so much.

Re: Trips on the flop
 

PF: I can live with it...

Flop: I'd c/r for value with the PF aggressor on your left, although with the big pot and all the draws available, I guess leading with a chance to b/3b is good also.

Turn: Nice, although when villain caps, he can have 22. When he has the case 9, I assume the worst 9 he'll have is around 97s, which puts you in trouble with your kicker a little less than half of the time here. MP has a J, [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img]s or QT/T8.

River: I'm puking if it gets checked through, but I don't want to put in two bets here, and I can't b/f against the nut job. With such an aggressive opponent, I'd count on villain betting it when my hand is still good, and MP betting and villain raising the times when the K completed MP's OESD. C/c one bet.

Re: Trips on the flop
 

* grunch *

I fold preflop but that's probably too tight. I also don't play this on the button for a single bet even with a zillion limpers. But I'd play QTo in both cases so I'm guessing this is close.

With an aggressive raiser on my left then I think I attempt a checkraise here for value. Pot is huge, a lot of hands would still be able to continue even facing two cold. I'd get a little sick if it checked thru though...

Turn I'd play the same.

River I lead. You said yourself that Villain is a nut job. In my mind the only question is whether to 3bet if he raises again. And if he's a real nut job, I probably do though that's probably master level spewy.

GtryingtotonedownthespewynessG

Re: Trips on the flop
 

I love bet/threebetting. Villain is raising some hands on the flop that we beat, therefore hopefully knock out some 1 heart hands, backdoor straightdraws, gutshots. I think checkraising does not accomplish this.

I like the threebet on the turn. Once it is capped, you are often beat. You cannot fold on the river though since the pot is enormous.

Re: Trips on the flop
 

Closing the action PF with this many limpers in, this hand is fine.

Thought about a this a bit and I play this one the same as you did. MP1 I think I might be mroe scared than the nut job dude. He looks to possibly on some sort of draw

Re: Trips on the flop
 

[ QUOTE ]
Based on UTGs play, he was checking this flop every time with AK or AQ, and c-betting AJ, AA, KK, QQ, and JJ (of course). If it had been a rainbow flop I may have checked. As it was, I wanted money to go in on the flop and the pot was big enough to get callers even if UTG raised.


[/ QUOTE ]

im not sure the presence of the flush draw changes your strategy much here. but, given your read of UTG, I think your lead is correct.

Re: Trips on the flop
 

The consideration of a c-bet from UTG is an important one, but I think just betting out and hoping to 3-bet is fine. This checking through would be an unmitigated disaster (to quote SI).

[ QUOTE ]
jesse - how can you hate Brady? The man is just doing his job (really well).

[/ QUOTE ]

I see the confusion. You assume I hate the man because of his performance this season, when in fact I hate the man because of his luck-boxing in the snow, winning of two AFC title games against steelers teams that went 15-1 and 13-3 respectively, and in general because going to college in Boston meant I had to deal with enough Patriots fans for the rest of my life [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img] That and, well, Belecheck is a cheater [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]