Tough spot #2

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I generally agree with what you're saying, but I'm not so sure this hand plays well 3 handed. It's a hand I'll definitely complete in the BB in a 4 way pot, but generally you're playing 87 97 here alot in a 3 way pot, so I'm not so sure how well it plays hu or multiway.

I'm only saying this because I'm fairly confident I've spewed quite alot of money playing hands like this against aggro buttons.

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I agree its a close decision, if there was a better way to measure equity I would of course. From years of play and gut instinct I think calling has a slightly greater expected value over folding or 3-betting.

One thing i have done in the past year is tighten my blind defense range. I used to play hands like 23xxx all the time, now I only play that hand in the BB when defending. I think that was a leak... I got in too many rough situations because I started with a 2 card hand, improved to a 3 card hand and stayed with it to the river because in my mind it was a defense - yuck. I dont feel the same about 735xx in the SB however, I can play that hand pretty comfortably because its easy to dump and its also easy to improve and know where you stand.

I think the #1 error that most good players make is they don't adjust how they play the hand if they improve, you must adjust vs an opponent who is very agro and 100% showdown bound, don't let them put the pressure on you... sometimes there is value in checking. Too many great players play straight from SSII, they don't bother applying Theory of Poker concepts... when you get back to the fact that its just poker then there are some very subtle nuances you can add to your game to adjust.