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I'm not really a donkey, am I? |
Flop is Qs8s8h, $3.00 in the middle (6 players) and I have Js8c. Trips. Good hand. By far not the nuts, but not far off. 2 flush on board, I lead for $2.25 in the BB after the SB checks to me. Gets called by the next two players ($105.84 and $92.52 respectively) as well as the BTN ($20.25).
Turn is a Kd. $12 in the middle. Given the flop action, there are plenty of targets out there for my continued bet: naked Queens, spade draws, T9 and JT gutters, worse 8's. I don't think I should check down the hand at this point given the sheer quantity of draws available. I continue on the turn with a $7.50 bet which gets called by the next player ($96.09 behind), and min raised to $15.00 by the following guy ($75.27 behind. BTN folds. It's a min raise; I can fold here because I can already be beat - and if I'm beat, there is no suckout for me. This could also be a probing bet to determine the strength of my hand, vs. his [at best drawing hand] perceived JsTs which still has a ton of equity. I think about pumping more money in or pumping the brakes - and I settle on brakes; it's a bomb pot and he can have any two cards including (no blockers to some of the combos) QQ, KK, Q8, K8, A8 - all of which have me beat. The other guy seems to settle on the same though: call.
River is a helpful Ks. $57 in the middle. Ks completes flushes, but gives me bottom boat which beats all flushes. With bottom boat, however, I'm only beating flushes and random bluffs. I will not stack off here - I'd prefer to fold a winner than dump 150BB on a random hand that was undefined from the get-go. Checks to the turn raiser who downsizes to $13(?!?!?!?!?!). To me, that feels very much like a teaser bet to get me to check/raise. My mantra for this hand is, "do not stack off," and I follow through with a flat weak-ass call, as does the player to my left. $93 in the middle and we get the reveal:
AhAs for the plyer to my left and Kc8d for the better boat and win. He did not win max value! As for the AA, he's beating nothing by the river save for bluffs. He should have saved money by folding the turn and/or river.
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The hand in question is linked here.