[Buzz]

Hi Pat - (I could write Pat Flush, or Flush Draw, but I can't bring myself to write Pat Flush Draw, so I'll just go with Pat if that's O.K. with you).

I hate starting hands with small pairs, but for a buck I'd probably see the flop with this one too. I don't know about UTG, but whatever.

Anyhow the flop has your spade draw but screws up your low draw and you also make bottom set. And that's why I hate starting hands with little pairs. (Now what???)

I'd immediately want to know if BB had a higher set or top two pairs. In either case, if the board pairs on the turn and you don't make quads, you're between a rock and a hard place.

I don't know how you get that information in a pot limit cat and mouse game, but I'd raise the flop bet for absolute certain. My primary motivation would be to try to get information about BB's hand. Secondary motivation would be to either knock out a possible low draw, or make it more expensive than one should pay to draw for the back-door low.

In a fixed-limit game, it's simple. You raise one small bet, whatever that is. But in a pot-limit game, there's all sorts of stuff you can do. Basically, you can raise to $8, to $12, or to $16.

But I don't want to get re-raised the pot and then have to decide if the re-raise is from a higher set or a bluff or semi-bluff! Yikes!

This game reads like the automobile game "chicken," where you drive your car directly towards a possible head on collision with a possible fool in another card who is headed directly for you. The one who swerves is a "chicken" and loses. Both drivers win the game if they have a head-on collision. (In that case nobody was "chicken").

In a fixed-limit game, you raise, and if you are re-raised, you call. Calling the re-raise is no big deal, just one more small bet. And then you re-assess and decide what to do on the turn, depending on what the turn is.

In pot-limit, you raise, and if you are re-raised, you have to immediately re-assess and decide what to do without getting to see the turn.

But anyhow, I would raise immediately after the flop, and I guess for the whole pot. But I'll be very interested to see what the pot limit experts advise.

When Hero doesn't raise, Villain feels encouraged to bet again on the turn. And then Hero doesn't really know what he's up against. He might not know even if he raised on the flop, but maybe he gets a better idea, and maybe he gives pause to a Villain acting ahead of him on the turn.

So when BB bets the turn, I don't know what to do. I want that information we might have gotten if we had raised on the flop. It's like missing an opportunity that never will come again.

At any rate, enough crying over spilled milk. BB bets $16. Now what?

I think the most likely hand for BB is top two pairs. In that case, we're ahead. If we're ahead, let's apply a bit of pressure. Let's raise just enough so that a Villain with top two pairs doesn't have favorable pot odds to draw.

With top two pairs, Villain has four outs. There is also a possibility Villain has a low draw. Let's give Villain KTA2 (suits don't matter). In that case, Villain scoops with a ten or king (4 outs), and gets half the pot with a five, six, seven, or eight (16 outs).

So it's 24 Hero, 4 Villain, and 16 ties.

Sometimes I can write the correct equation and other times probably not. It doesn't feel like I have it here and I hesitate to write it because it's probably wrong and isn't considering implied pot odds for Villain.

At any rate, here's my equation, such as it is.
(48+H)*4/44+(48/2)*16/44-H*24/44=0
Solving, H = 28.8 and that's the minimum we can raise to give Villain unfavorable odds to draw, assuming Villain had KTA2, and not figuring implied pot odds.

We could raise $42 to put Villain all-in, and that would seem to make it tougher for Villain to call. I think we want to raise enough so Villain probably folds top two pairs, if that is what Villain holds.

If we raise Villain all-in, and if Villain goes for it, at least we can't get hurt any more. (In that case Villain doesn't have any implied pot odds).

Thus the way things stand, I favor a $42 raise on the turn, but I would have much preferred to raise on the flop.

Just curious. What's a "squeeze" pot sized bet?

I keep saying I'll stay out of these pot-limit hands, yet here I go sticking my nose into it again. (It's kind of interesting to me).

Buzz