top set on a flush/straight heavy board

[Barretboy]

100NL full ring I'm 1 off the Button. Action is as follows:

CO Folds, CO+1 folds, MP1 folds, MP2 Folds, MP3 folds, MP4 folds, Hero raises to 4xBB with [9 [img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img], 9 [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img]], Button folds, SB folds, BB folds.

Flop [9 [img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img], 8 [img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img], 6 [img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img]] BB bets out half the pot [$3]. Hero...?

Here's my thinking:

Option 1: Call the bet and keep the pot small in case he flopped a straight or flush. If he has flopped a flush and I hit, I can overbet the pot anyway and still get paid off.

Option 2: Raise to 9 and see what happens. If he reraises, it's going to be to a minimum of 25 and I'll end up committing a lot of my chips possibly drawing. If he just calls I can check the turn hoping to hit.

I feel like I learn very little from raising this flop if he calls, he could have the but flush, if he reraises, he could have a straight, lower set or a low flush already and would be drawing. I'm trying to figure out how best to play this without committing a ton of chips on a possibility of drawing to a paired board.

[Albert Moulton]

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I'm trying to figure out how best to play this without committing a ton of chips on a possibility of drawing to a paired board.


[/ QUOTE ]

If this is your objective, then call and proceed cautiously unless the board pairs.

If you raise big, then AsXx probably folds, and a made flush calls. A straight may or may not stay in depending on whether he believes YOU have a flush, and nothing else.

I think calling is just fine.

[nyc999]

Raise to 12.

The straight is unlikely (unless villian's a real donk and is calling a 4x raise OOP with T-7), while a flush is a minor possibility. If the flush, you will usually see a c/r instead of a small bet.

BB most likely has a draw and is sending out a blocking bet. If BB calls your raise, I fire second barrel with a non-spade turn.

[keikiwai]

I'm assuming BB did NOT fold pf like it says.

You should raise this to protect your hand.

Calling is sometimes good if villain is on a FD and you can hit your house when he makes his FD. But in this case, there is no spade that can complete your boat, and there is no card that completes a str8t draw that can make your boat, so you have to protect your hand.

Don't let him draw cheap w/ A[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img]

Not only are you often ahead, but even if you're behind you've got a gazillion outs.

[ThePortuguee]

In spots like this I don't worry a whole lot about made flushes, not becuase our villains are unliekly to have made flushes, but because of how willing so many villains are to invest a lot of money without one.

People are going to put in a ton o fmoney with the A of spades, and also with pairs thinking you're full of crap. raise here to 10-12.

[Grunch]

You have your terminology a little confused. CO isn't the first to act. CO is "cut-off" which is one off the button, which I believe is you. The early players are UTG, UTG+1, etc., "under the gun".

Anyway. The flop raise has to be to more than 12, becasue raising to 12 gives nice implied odds to a good draw. Raise to 15; I might even overbet a little here. You said that one of your choices would be to raise to 9, but that would in fact be the worst thing you could possibly do. He'll be getting 6:18 on a call (if everybody else folds), or 1:3. That's almost good enough expressed odds to call with just a naked spade. To say nothing of implied odds. Raising to 9 would be an absolute crisis.