$8-$16 Hold\'em hand ... California style
 

Hero is on the button with 7d6d and 4 limpers pre-flop. I raise. UTG limper re-raises and it TAG, I'm probably viewed as TAG, but I know this player and he playes pretty formula driven.

As I side, UTG 3 bet, everybody calls and I decide to cap it.

Flop -- Jd 6s 6h UTG bets, 1 caller, and I call.
Turn -- Qd UTG bets, 1 caller, I raise, UTG 3 Bets.
River -- Qc and UTG bets and I call.

UTG shows KK, I show my hand and take the pot.

Questions: (or comment on the following)

I like my pre-flop raise simply because I don't do it very often. Maybe 1 in 8 for suited connector of this sort. On the negative side, I really like 1 more limper.

I was neutral about the cap. At this point I'm neither ganing anything or losing anything, just producing variance, and it gives a nice illusion of action.

The 3 bet on the turn, do I re-raise here or just call? I'm really not liking the 3 bet but so much dead money in the pot at this point, I decided to just call/call. I know his hand range at this point is AA,KK,QQ,JJ so standard bayes tells me I'm 50-50, with 1 out to the nuts, with about 17BB in the pot.

On the river I feel better that the QQ came runner runner. Still suspicious of JJ though. I contemplate a value raise on the end but I'm not going to want to fold my hand if I'm raised ... so I just opt to call.

Comments on all stages welcome.

Re: $8-$16 Hold\'em hand ... California style
 

A comment about the cap only. This is an easier decision than the initial raise. The first raise has a danger of knocking out some of the limpers. After they are all in for three bets nobody is folding for one more.

You mentioned wanting more than one limper to do this. Yes, you only want to do this against a big field with several limpers. Same with small pocket pairs. You want to know that there is going to be minimum five way action on the flop before you commit two or more bets on these hands.

You will add a great deal of variance to your game when you do this with suited connectors. Unlike the small pocket pairs, which either make a set or fold unless they're getting 22 to 1, with the suited connectors you will get a variety of partially made hands and back doors. You make the pot so big that you will usually have pot odds to call the flop, and often the turn, with very little. You will win huge pots when you get there. But you will have a rather big losing investment when you don't also.

Re: $8-$16 Hold\'em hand ... California style
 

riase flop and let UTG 3 bet then raise turn. then bring all the monies to 40/80 and give it to me.

Re: $8-$16 Hold\'em hand ... California style
 

I raise the flop, the last thing UTG expects you to have is a 6, if he 3 bets I call and pop it on the turn. As played once the turn gets 3 bet by villian I go into call down mode, but I play too passive on the big streets. Based on preflop I would say its unlikely that villian has JJ.

I don't like capping preflop but I supposed it doesn't make a whole lot of difference either way. UTG has defined his hand pretty clearly, in this game I usually put a solid player on either AA or KK and not much else, maybe QQ or AKs.

btw who is villian? I play this game all the time and probably know him(and you also).

Re: $8-$16 Hold\'em hand ... California style
 

PF: Dont cap just call the 3-bet.

Flop: Bet here, hope you get raised and 3-bet.

Turn & river : Those queens dont change much. Im ramming and jamming this for value and think im good here like 95% of the time.

Re: $8-$16 Hold\'em hand ... California style
 

[ QUOTE ]
I don't like capping preflop but I supposed it doesn't make a whole lot of difference either way. UTG has defined his hand pretty clearly, in this game I usually put a solid player on either AA or KK and not much else, maybe QQ or AKs.



[/ QUOTE ]

But, of course, those are the types of hands we are least afraid of. AA and KK are no threat to medium suited connectors. The hands that hurt us are medium pocket pairs, and other hands that hold the cards we need to make our hands. Big pairs are the least threat because they are not connected or suited so they won't beat us by making a bigger straight or flush. But they will stay in to pay us off, unlike the smaller pairs that will fold. So we cap here pre-flop. The stronger everyone else's hand is the better it is for us.

Of course, we hope nobody is holding two big suited cards of our suit. But that's really our only worry. AKs, for example, doesn't hurt us unless it is our suit.

Re: $8-$16 Hold\'em hand ... California style
 

Preflop is fine.

Raise the flop, if UTG three bets and the other player calls, I would cap the betting. UTG will not put you on JJ since you have played this hand too fast. Hopefully he will put you on a pair worse than his or a flush draw and come out betting on the turn.

If UTG three bets and the other player goes away you could either reraise or call and raise turn.

After the UTG three bets the turn I would just call down although once the Queen hits the river there is a good argument to raise. Would he limp reraise with JJ,QQ,or AQ? You didn't reraise him on the turn so he doesn't fear JJ or QQ and if you would have played the flop strongly probably wouldn't put you on AQ. His most likely holdings seem to be KK or AA.Nevertheless, I think I would just call unless this guy is super aggro.

Re: $8-$16 Hold\'em hand ... California style
 

Limp-reraise from TAG is A-A or K-K. Formula driven players don't limp-reraise with Q-Q or J-J. I don't like capping pre-flop when I'm a big dog against his hand and he's going to keep betting post-flop anyway since he has a big hand and I'm going to be drawing.

Re: $8-$16 Hold\'em hand ... California style
 

[ QUOTE ]
riase flop and let UTG 3 bet then raise turn. then bring all the monies to 40/80 and give it to me.

[/ QUOTE ]

lol

Re: $8-$16 Hold\'em hand ... California style
 

[ QUOTE ]
bring all the monies to 40/80 and give it to me.

[/ QUOTE ]

I'll just skip the formalities.