[Buzz]

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So after UTG 3 bets the turn should my thought process be on the "crying call and hope to get to showdown cheap" side, on the "oh baby cap it up I've got the nutsssss" side, or somewhere in the middle?

[/ QUOTE ]Death Donkey - I don't know what your thought process should be. My own thought process on reading your post was, "DD's getting 3 to 1 reverse implied pot odds for calling the double bet." And then, "I wonder if UTG really has the set of aces he seems to be representing." And then immediately, "Would UTG bluff more often than one time out of four here?"

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Thoughts on 3 betting vs coldcalling and raising good turn cards? SB calls, BB folds, UTG 4 bets, I cap, both call.

[/ QUOTE ]The games in Los Angeles are three raise max. Thus if I made it three bets, there would only be one raise left. I'd be representing a very strong hand if I three bet. And then I could call a re-raise to four bets and still look very strong. But to accomplish the same thing in a four raise max game, if you get re-raised, you have to make it five bets total to cap. Bottom line: I like three-betting this in Los Angeles, but not in Las Vegas (which generally has a four raise limit). The betting pattern already looks like UTG is representing a hand held pair of aces. So in Los Angeles, I three bet it and in Las Vegas I back off and fold to the double bet.

It would hurt me to fold to the double bet, but I don't like chasing with bottom set when it looks a lot like I might be up against top set.

At any rate, I would fold this hand on the second betting round.

But you continue. O.K. Not unreasonable. I hate allowing myself to be intimidated and admire your courage. (I'm not being sarcastic).

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Turn is 8[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img]. I'm feeling like this is a good turn card. Checked to me, I bet, SB checkraises, UTG check 3 bets.

[/ QUOTE ]I don't think 8[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img] is a good card for you because it enables low for somebody else. Not only does that mean you're only playing for half of the pot, it also will be harder for you to determine if the bets or raises are coming from a high hand or a low hand trying-to-promote-a-weakish-high.

At any rate, it's checked to you and you bet. Fine.

But then BB check-raises and UTG check-three-bets. Yikes!!

And now the first question you have to answer,
"Would UTG bluff more often than one time out of four here?"

Assuming UTG is a good poker (not necessarily Omaha-8) player, I think UTG would bluff more than one time out of four if he thought you would fold more than one time out of four.

So before you answer the first question, you have to answer a second question, "Does UTG think you would fold more than one time out of four?" And then the first question more or less answers itself.

If you do fold here, I can almost guarantee UTG, if a good poker player, will bluff the next time you're in a similar situation.

When I get into these spots, it seems to me that I would have done better to have somehow avoided them. And so I hate low pairs in starting hands, at least against tough opponents, because they seem to often lead to very tough situations like this one.

I'd play this starting hand, but then I'd avoid this situation by swallowing my pride and meekly folding to the double bet on the flop.

Buzz