Pocket 8’s in Late Position. (1 Viewer)

Playing 9 handed $1/2 game with half agro players mixed with fish. Hero has $185 to start.

UTG +1 opens for $15. Two callers in EP and MP. I’m in LP with pocket 8’s. I flat. The button is a TAG player who raises to $35 total. Button is ABC-ish at times and will raise position often. Pot is now $100, and orig better UTG1 calls as does one other player in MP. $140 in the Pot, and I am assuming most folks will advocate tossing in the $20 to see a flop (Im also closing the action). I don’t hate a fold, if you have specific player info, but against this player I’m never folding.

Pot is now $160. Hero’s stack is $145.

Ok. Flop is 567 rainbow. And it folds to me. My read is this flop hasn’t connected with UTG1 or MP. What’s our play? If button missed, he’d likely check back a flop that was less likely to hit his range.

Hero should move all-in. If called by an overpair, Hero has a reasonable 10 out draw. Hero took on a lot of risk preflop and got relatively lucky < we hope > Let's try to cash in. I expect Hero to get called by Button half the time with an over pair and get folds half the time with a big ace or suited Broadways in buttons hands, perhaps even better than that if Hero's table read is right.

As for the preflop decisions - - - -

Hero first faced a $15 raise with two callers. Though unverified, I assume Hero's $185 is the effective stack. Hero is barely getting enough odds to set mine if no one 3-bets. Barely. Hero notes half the table is aggressive, making the "if no one 3-bets" an uncertain proposition. I think the math will work out to slightly favor a fold vs a call. But the results are close enough that Hero can just decide to gamble which ever way he feels. By the way, a 3-bet from Hero isn't crazy if the stacks were deeper.

Though Hero didn't exactly say so, button has the look of a TAGfish based on his weak 3-bet. Who raises $20 into a $75 pot? What kind of hand range would do this? It seems like an invitation to play a five-way pot holding a premium hand. I will not be shocked to see AA in button's hand. Hero gets lucky here - a better button player makes a real raise with his 3-bet and forces Hero to fold or make a serious error calling.

Hero is getting fine odds to call $20 more. The direct odds alone are roughly acceptable - $20 to win $160 going for a flopped set seems fine combined with the chance for implied odds.

go get 'em tiger. I think Hero might still need one more dose of good luck -=- DrStrange

The Dr is spot on......as played I'm shoving the flop(y) :thumbsup:

+1 for jamming

All you can eat baby......

You have good fold equity on the coordinated board. An overpair might even fold thinking you have a straight or a set........ if you get called by an overpair you still have 10 outs.....

Less than a pot sized bet behind and checked to me I'm jamming it every time.

Trihonda said:

Flop is 567 rainbow.

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Bet something. Shove is fine. I think you're pot committed either way. There might be spots to bet something less than a shove, if you can get hands with top pair to call (A-7, K-7, etc.).

Trihonda said:

$140 in the Pot, and I am assuming most folks will advocate tossing in the $20 to see a flop (Im also closing the action). I don’t hate a fold, if you have specific player info, but against this player I’m never folding

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I don't mind a shove pre-flop here, either, with a pot-sized stack behind. You'd get a call from AK, maybe AQ, maybe KQ, 77, 66, etc.

Shove. You’ve got straight outs if you’re called by the overpair, as strange noted. there aren’t very many turn cards that would be good to see if it checks through 4-way. Gotta push people out because it’d be really easy for someone to turn top pair on you. Big bet size here...at least 2/3 pot...shove it.

Trihonda said:

Flop is 567 rainbow. And it folds to me.

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What do you do next? Scoop the pot of course.

Actually I agree with Dr. assuming it actually checked to you.

Shove, cross your arms in confidence, and smile smugly. You want this pot? Come at me bro.

Easy jam. Your hand might be best right now and you have an OESD with blockers to boot.

I intended to jam, grabbed a barrel of reds (about $90 actually) and slid it in the middle, and immediately realized I left two $25 chips (weird color dark blue) sitting back, along with a few $1 chips... so the villain tanked, then shoved over the top, and I immediately realized he had QQ+. Ugh... I thought for a second, then sent the rest of my chips into the middle (at this point, $50 to win $450). Villain tables KK and I do not improve. I felt like I played that hand very badly, and got myself into trouble early on...

The button raised WAY too small with KK here. There's $63 in the pot after a raise and 3 callers. You made a very reasonable call given your pot odds, even if you put the button on QQ+ preflop, you're calling $20 when the pot is at $140 already. If you held almost any low to middle pocket pair, I'd be inclined to call to set mine if opponents will stack off with an overpair most times given the amount of money that's in the middle.

It didn't work out this time but you played the hand just fine. If the button made a raise to $80 - $105 preflop, then you can easily find a fold with your eights. There's always the next hand!

Kain8 said:

The button raised WAY too small with KK here. There's $63 in the pot after a raise and 3 callers. You made a very reasonable call given your pot odds, even if you put the button on QQ+ preflop, you're calling $20 when the pot is at $140 already. If you held almost any low to middle pocket pair, I'd be inclined to call to set mine if opponents will stack off with an overpair most times given the amount of money that's in the middle.

It didn't work out this time but you played the hand just fine. If the button made a raise to $80 - $105 preflop, then you can easily find a fold with your eights. There's always the next hand!

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Same damn villain got me for $200 last night... LAST hand of the session (game breaking). Boat over boat. He rivered a bigger boat. Damn luck box, lol. Sheesh. This guy has enough of my money already. Lol. At least I still finished the session positive...

Don’t see anything to improve on that hand. Definitely can call preflop with those pot odds, and on the flop you have direct odds to call with just straight outs. You did well

The earlier assessment of the button was right. He was inviting a multi player pot. Sure you can get drawn on but you can also win a big pot which is exactly what happened.