Raising when you're behind

[juschuma]

I've been working on trying to raise to drive people out when I'm likely behind, but have outs. Did I execute this properly?

Only have about 10 hands on villain, but haven't seen anything noteworthy.


PokerStars 2/4 Hold'em (9 handed) Hand History Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com (Format: FlopTurnRiver)

Preflop: Hero is Button with 6, A.
i]2 folds[/i]</font>, MP1 calls, 3 folds</font>, Hero calls, SB completes, BB checks.

Flop: (4 SB) 3, J, 6 (4 players)</font>
SB checks, BB checks, MP1 bets</font>, Hero raises</font>, SB folds, BB folds, MP1 calls.

Turn: (4 BB) 8 (2 players)</font>
MP1 checks, Hero bets</font>, MP1 calls.

River: (6 BB) J 2 players)</font>
MP1 checks, Hero checks.

Final Pot: 6 BB

[sharpie]

Your reasoning is off. If you think you're behind you'd fold because you're not getting the odds, but the next best thing is calling and allowing the other people to pad the pot.

Here you're raising because you think you have the best hand often enough to warrant it and you need to protect your hand.

I'd probably just fold as the pot is small and the only sensible thing you beat is a flush draw that's probably 50/50 with you.

[juschuma]

I thought this was a good example of playing your marginal hands aggressively. Figured when he bet on the flop, my best option to win the pot was to be aggressive and raise.

[sharpie]

You're right, if you're carrying on you have to raise. But it sounded like you was raising for the wrong reason. You have to think you're ahead and will hold up often enough to raise, you don't want to be raising if you think you're behind in a small pot.

[chesspain]

[ QUOTE ]
I've been working on trying to raise to drive people out when I'm likely behind, but have outs.

[/ QUOTE ]

This concept is much more applicable to seven card stud.

[JJH3984]

The pot has to be bigger for this raise to have merit.

[XmasXmas]

i know you weren't looking for this type of comment with your post, but i thought i'd throw it out there. that's a decent looking river. it completes the flush, sure, but it also reduces the possibility that you were behind to a jack. if you have a read on the villain for making some loose calls, you could try bet/folding the river. in this particular situation, you said you only had 10 hands or so on villain, so the move becomes a lot riskier.

[James.]

one limper to you? raise pf.

[Dhani]

I don't know about this raise. Anyone with a flush draw is staying in as well as those holding aces at the $2/$4 level. I wait until the turn and see what happens. if you had more outs then I would agree, but not with this board.

[Haupt_234]

Limping on the button here after 1 limper sucks.

I would like your postflop play a lot better if the pot were bigger. Given that it's small, I would fold the flop.

Haupt_234