People Are More Important Than Bets...

[ProfessorBen]

20/40 (Commerce/8 handed)
UTG is a loose passive, calling station. He would be something like 60/5 preflop and calls down weak draws and 2nd/3rd pair very often. He has never shown aggression in the hour+ he's been at the table.

UTG+1 is an OK player and straight-forward. Haven't seen him get out of line once in several hours though he probably isn't aggressive or tight enough to be a TAG.(He has some elements of your typical LP in him.)

MP has only been around for a few orbits. Nothing out of significance in particular but she did raise AKo preflop UTG and c/c turn HU to a MP coldcaller on a JxxQ(r) board. This is the only lead I have on her as a read possibly being passive postflop(relevant here).

Preflop(8 Players):
UTG limps, UTG+1 limps, MP raises, Hero calls Q[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img]8[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img] in BB, All call.

Flop(4 Players):
J [img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img] 9 [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] 2 [img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img]
Hero...

Arguments for bet/possible 3bet, c/r, and c/c?
Obviously, bet/3betting would be the best of all worlds if this pot stays 4 way, but there are forces working against us.

[private joker]

If the lineup here was the same as when I was at the table (was I SB in this hand?) then I think c/r is the best play. Sure, you shut out the field and lose customers for your 12-out draw, but you have enough equity against MP to try and take it down here. She never bluffs, and if she takes a stab on the flop and gets called, she never bets the turn with a hand like A-high. So c/r, get it heads up, and bet any turn. She won't raise a A/K turn (with top pair) because you might have aces up. She won't call a J turn or anything smaller unless she has specifically TT, though she might fold TT to a flop c/r. This is a pot worth winning now, and worst-case scenario is you get called and still have a lot of outs.

Against more aggressive opponents I would say c/c or bet out, but if you bet against these guys (especially that fool in seat 8 UTG) then they will peel this flop with anything and they may catch a pair on the turn.

Great meeting you, by the way. (FWIW, I ended up 3/4 [img]/images/graemlins/frown.gif[/img] )

[ProfessorBen]

PJ - This hand is before you get here. I'm still sitting in seat 9 when this hand happens. UTG+1 is the only holdover from that game. He was the guy in seat 4 I told you about. UTG and MP both left. UTG was a gold mine that you missed. The game got way more aggressive after you and cute girl in seat 3 came.

Does that change your thoughts?

You disappointed greatly today. Not just on the girlfriend sweatin bit; I also expected you to be a black man.

[private joker]

[ QUOTE ]
PJ - This hand is before you get here. I'm still sitting in seat 9 when this hand happens. UTG+1 is the only holdover from that game. He was the guy in seat 4 I told you about. UTG and MP both left. UTG was a gold mine that you missed. The game got way more aggressive after you and cute girl in seat 3 came.

Does that change your thoughts?

[/ QUOTE ]

Yeah, I assumed MP was the seat 3 you were talking about (her name is Tanya and I've been coaching her a bit the past few months). Too bad I missed the donks; but the table was still good (and got a bit better after you left), even though I ended up down like 12BBs.

As for this hand, I dunno I guess I recommend the same line but I might not bet an A/K turn.

[ QUOTE ]
You disappointed greatly today. Not just on the girlfriend sweatin bit; I also expected you to be a black man.

[/ QUOTE ]

Don't blow my cover.

[ProfessorBen]

MP isn't your friend. It was this older, asian lady who left. Tanya doesn't seem to be passive.

[cowboy billy]

this is a super-duper-easy donk, which is my standard line here

it would suck to see it get checked through, which seems possible if MP has something like AK/AQ, you're possibly giving away free cards, you're decreasing the possibility to pick up the pot UI on the turn, you're not giving MP the chance to raise and possibly trap the limpers for a couple more when you've got the best of it, whether MP raises you or not is valuable info bc it basically tells you what she's holding, etc, etc

not saying this is a 100% always donk, bc you can't always play your hands the exact same way, it also depends on how the table is playing and our reads (esp on MP obv), but without a clear read on MP, I'm donking flop

[esspo]

You have lots of e-kitty here so I wouldn't worry so much about convincing yourself a particular line is best. These types of spots are a great opportunity to mix up your play. Bet/3-bet is sexy. Check/raise is fine. Check/call is the worst option but still OK.

They most important thing is to not get wack-o on the big streets if the board bricks off.

[Fianchetto]

Lead/3-bet. I think that is your best chance of trapping the players in between for multiple bets.

[ProfessorBen]

[ QUOTE ]
They most important thing is to not get wack-o on the big streets if the board bricks off.

[/ QUOTE ]

Assuming it's not heads up, you're c/c a blank turn then?

Preflop(8 Players):
UTG limps, UTG+1 limps, MP raises, Hero calls Q[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img]8[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img] in BB, All call.

Flop(4 Players):
J [img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img] 9 [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] 2 [img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img]
Hero bets, UTG calls, UTG+1 folds, MP calls.

Turn(3 Players):
4 [img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img]
Hero...

[Joe Tall]

Clear c/r, clean up some pair outs.