NL 25 - drawing to low end of straight with one card...

[CazicT]

OK first of all this isn't my hand, this is a hand I replayed in PT between two other people and switched around the converter to show it from one of the other player's POV.

I was wondering if and when it is ever worth it to chase with the low end of a 1 card straight. It seems like never. If you hit, you will probably not be comfortable enough to bet/raise enough to give you decent implied odds, so it doesn't seem worth it in the first place...

Having a pair helps a little, but how much?? Not enough I think...

PokerStars No-Limit Hold'em, $0.25 BB (9 handed) Hand History Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com (Format: 2+2 Forums)

Button ($18.15)
SB ($25)
BB ($26.70)
UTG ($21.65)
UTG+1 ($44.20)
MP1 ($11.85)
MP2 ($4.95)
MP3 :#A500AF(Hero)/ ($13.75)
CO ($32.40)

Preflop: Hero is MP3 with 7[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img], 4[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img].
<font color="#666666">1 fold</font>, UTG+1 calls $0.25, <font color="#666666">2 folds</font>, MP3 :#A500AF(Hero)/ calls $0.25, <font color="#666666">1 fold</font>, Button calls $0.25, SB completes, BB checks.

Flop: ($1.25) 7[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img], A[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img], 5[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img] <font color="#0000FF">(5 players)</font>
SB checks, BB checks, UTG+1 checks, Hero checks, Button checks.

Turn: ($1.25) 6[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] <font color="#0000FF">(5 players)</font>
SB checks, <font color="#CC3333">BB bets $1.25</font>, UTG+1 calls $1.25, Hero calls $1.25, Button folds, SB folds.

River: ($5) 8[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img] <font color="#0000FF">(3 players)</font>
<font color="#CC3333">BB bets $3</font>, UTG+1 folds, Hero calls $3.

Final Pot: $11

[flytrap]

Only way it's okay is if you think a semi-bluff is profitable, but from what I hear about the games at these stakes, semi-bluffing doesn't work real often. In bigger games, there's a chance it may work. In this hand, if the turn checked around to me I would bet it, since no one else has. If called, I may fire again on the river unimproved, since they seem to have a pretty marginal hand. That being said, there was way too much action on the turn here to justify puttin any money in the pot. And I agree with your comment about calling being dumb in these spots. If we're drawing to bottom one card straights, it should be because we're semi-bluffing and got called, or we have something like a flush draw with it.

[CazicT]

Yeah I don't know, I keep going back and forth with whether the villian was justified in calling.

If you think about it, when the 8 falls, what is the villian afraid of really? I mean why would someone be in there with a 9? Not that it is impossible someone bet or called with a gutshot, but it isn't THAT likely. It does make the board scarier looking though and you have to now wonder when you are bet into why the villian isn't afraid... Are they just clueless and know that they have 2 pair or do they the high end of the straight...

I don't know, it seems like the hero has alot of outs and most of them are probably "live" but it's hard to tell which one's are and none of them are to the nuts...

[flytrap]

Well, this is low stakes, so like you said they could think their 2-pair is good, but there has been a bet, a call, and hero would have to call with 2 people still to act. Even hitting the straight with a 3 would be fine, but an 8 is rough, with so many people in the pot. Lots of possible hands could have 9s in them. A 7 would be a decent card, but a 4 would be scary, since anyone with an 8 OR 3 now has a straight. In a nutshell, do to likely not having the best hand, and most of our outs are notclean, and the fact that this may go 4 or 5 handed on the turn, all point to folding being right.