Cap flop HU with middle pair +FD?

[Noir_Desir]

Party Poker 1/2 Hold'em (3 handed) Hand History Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com (Format: FlopTurnRiver)

Preflop: Hero is Button with 6h, 7h.
Hero raises</font>,SB 3-bets</font>,1 fold, Hero calls.

Flop: (7 SB) 7d, 5h, Jh (2 players)
SB bets,Hero raises, SB 3-bets,Hero caps</font>


Villain has TAG-Stats, no other reads. Cap OK here? What's the plan on Turn UI if checked to or lead into?

[Nick C]

If the TAG is aggro at all and sometimes postures in blind-steal situations, then you're probably a favorite versus his range even after he 3-bets. (With two cards to come, I mean. I don't think you're a favorite to be currently ahead.) So that makes the cap for value.

If I capped the flop, I would probably try to play the hand so that only one bet went in on the big streets unless I improved. The safest way to do this is to check the turn if you can. The problem with this is that you're only going to win one bet on the river if the flush hits. (You still will likely win two if you make trips or two pair.)

If you bet the turn instead, you can bet again on the river if you improve and check if you don't. The problem with this is that there's some chance Villain is lining up a turn checkraise, and suddenly you're paying 2 bets on the big streets (then again, at least in that scenario you pretty much know you don't need to show down UI, but folding a pair on the river in a big pot is never going to feel completely "safe" in a blind-steal situation when your only read on your opponent is "TAG").

Anyway, another option is to just call the 3-bet with the plan of calling down UI and popping the turn or river if you do improve.

[Apanage]

I would prefer to call down from flop. He is not going to fold anything that you beat.And maybe he puts you only on a flush draw and decides to bet with an unimproved hand with just 4 outs that he would fold to a reraise.And if he is ahead you save yourself some bets.

[Roland32]

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I would prefer to call down from flop. He is not going to fold anything that you beat.And maybe he puts you only on a flush draw and decides to bet with an unimproved hand with just 4 outs that he would fold to a reraise.And if he is ahead you save yourself some bets.

[/ QUOTE ]

I agree with this. The cap is fine value wise, but unimproved turn changes things. Any additional monies going on on turn would be his value. Check call and bet out river if u improve.

[lank4ever]

I cap here because I want a TAG to know that I can cap here in this position with just a FD because I cap the flop so rarely I don't want it to always be with a set. I think the image benefits are pretty big here.

[lank4ever]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
I would prefer to call down from flop. He is not going to fold anything that you beat.And maybe he puts you only on a flush draw and decides to bet with an unimproved hand with just 4 outs that he would fold to a reraise.And if he is ahead you save yourself some bets.

[/ QUOTE ]

I agree with this. The cap is fine value wise, but unimproved turn changes things. Any additional monies going on on turn would be his value. Check call and bet out river if u improve.

[/ QUOTE ]

Those seem to be very good arguments for capping the flop which may give you the chance to check behind on the turn if you don't improve. Even if it doesn't always you will get a free card some of the time and that's gravy for you. If you agree that capping the flop is fine value wise.

[Noir_Desir]

Thanks for your opinions. As it turned out, i didnt have to make any further decisions because villain folded right on the flop, which i think is good for me because my hand doesn't play that well if i dont improve and overcards keep falling even if i'm ahead.

[Apanage]

To avoid him folding flop is exactly why you shouldn´t raise flop.If he is putting you on a flush draw without a pair he probably bets his UI hand on turn and possibly even on river.

[jba]

"To avoid him folding flop is exactly why you shouldn´t raise flop."

him folding to the flop cap is very good for us.

[Apanage]

We are talking about different things here. I prefer to call the flop here to make villain continue to bet hands that would fold to a flop raise and that probably has very few outs. We have little folding equity on this board and I can´t se any hand that villain folds to a flop raise that we beat if he is an ordinary shorthand player.

Once we have raised the flop and got 3-bet a cap might be OK because we now have much better pot equity and might fold out 88-TT that makes a last stand. But then a flop Cap is good because we have been pumping our own money in to create that pot equity.