Did I play this hand properly?

[y_burro]

I was playing at a very loose 3/5 game at commerce. In response I tightened my game thinking if I hit a hand I would get paid off. I was down about $60 for the session and was (except for the player directly to my right with about $120) the shortstack at the table with $140.

The hand in question:

Four limpers counting the small blind to me in the big blind. I check with pocket 2's (pot $24)

Flop: 7c,2h,7s

I check and it is checked to the button (THE ONLY OTHER CONSERVATIVE PLAYER AT THE TABLE), who bet out 20. The small blind called, and I called here hoping to induce more callers or a raise. The other two players in the pot called (pot $123).

Turn 7c,2h,7s,5s

The small blind (who seemed on a mission to give away money, he was playing every hand chasing every draw) bet $80. I pushed all-in, and the button and small blind called.

The river was irrelevant but the button had pocket 5's and hit a better full house on the turn.

Considering there were so many players in the pot should I have check-raised the button's bet on the flop? I am 90% sure I would have bet him off of his pocket 5's at that time. He was a conservative player who respected my raises in other instances. Or was it better to try to maximize my hand and I just got unluckly.

The small blind as it turned out had 7,8. Had I raised on the flop the likely scenario was that I would have chased out the button and got paid from the small blind.

[FoxInTheHenHouse]

I personally never slow play baby pocket pairs for the reason you just demonstrated. There are just too many times when even after you flop a set, there is a bigger set made on the turn or river.

A huge raise or even an all-in after the flop would have been my play here. Take away the pot odds, take the pot.

It's too bad you were in this hand by default, getting a free look at the flop. A big bet pre-flop from anyone at the table would have saved you a ton of money here.

[HeroInBlack]

First, don't be results-oriented. He hit one of 4 outs (the other two 7's, and the other villain had one of those), so really, you did a pretty good job given the cards that were in play.

That said, it's much easier to get people to put money in with overpairs and such (stuff like 88-TT) on this board by raising the flop than by slowplaying. I play these hands quickly, especially in B&M where people aren't fond of folding.

Also of note is the difference in having 22 on a 772 board from having 77 on a 722 board. A 2 or the turn and river going 55 doesn't counterfeit you on the latter board, but on the former board, a 7 ruins your hand, and if the turn and river go 55 (or anything else paired) your hand is likely not good anymore. So, you should be more inclined to fastplay with the lower possible full house than with the 2nd nuts you'd have on the latter board.

Anyway, you didn't play it bad, really. You had a hand that was very likely to be the best one, and you got all the money in. Don't beat yourself up over it. Your mistake wasn't some kind of total donk play.

Keep in mind that one of the most common mistakes beginners make is slowplaying too often. I tend to reserve it for situations where I know I can get my opponent committed without giving away the strength of my hand. In a deep (100BB or so) game, it's usually best to bet and raise and try to get the money in that way.

I just noticed that this was a relatively short-stacked game (you were at 60BB and you had 5x pot left after the flop) so that's a little more of an argument for the slowplay, but I'd still have bet out on the flop if it were me. If the 87 guy raises you, then you try to figure out if you can just call and get him all in on the turn or if you should go ahead and raise. Probably best to bet/call flop and call or raise all in on the turn vs. 87 guy.

Wow, I'm long-winded today. I hope this made some sense.

[Abeatdown]

Most of my play is in the B & M and from my experience on that flop you could have pushed pretty hard on flop and still got callers with an overpair, definitely any 7, and maybe even A2 or or an underpair to the 7's depending on the looseness of the table (I have seen some call with AK in a simiar spot for all their chips figuring you are trying to steal the pot with a weaker ace or 2 overcards)

I agree that you did get unlucky with someone hitting one of the few outs that could beat you, but at the same time with your hand its really hard to gauge where you are at come the turn and river, especially if a big card like an Ace comes off to counterfit your hand if they have something like A7 suited. If you see a 6 or 8 too you are going to have to wonder if your full house is good as B & M players love to come in to multiway pots with hands with 67 or 78.

I like the idea of check raising here, especially in the loose game. Looks like a resteal possibly with such a ragged board. Any marginal hand or better is likely to at least call or put you all in maximizing value for your hand and getting you down to heads up minimizing your risk.