How Do You Play These 7's?

[jmbreslin 0]

Villain was loose but no relevant info other than that.Full Tilt No-Limit Hold'em, 5+0.50 Tournament, 30/60 Blinds (7 handed) - Full-Tilt Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.comBB (t1100)UTG (t2975)MP1 (t2770)Hero (MP2) (t1555)CO (t2095)Button (t1155)SB (t1850)Hero's M: 17.28Preflop: Hero is MP2 with 7, 72 folds, Hero bets t180, 2 folds, SB calls t150, 1 foldFlop: (t420) 3, 2, 5(2 players)SB bets t240, Hero ???

[Tration101 0]

Personally i would raise here. Given that i only know he's a "loose player", this feels like he may have called with a pretty wide range pre-flop: knowing this i'm putting him on maybe a top pair hand or ace high trying to take the pot away. A fold is alright with me though. if you don't feel like you def. have the best hand, i never like to get involved with a huge pot early on in the tourney mainly because you run into so many maniac plays from maniac players. I'd never call this bet... but would like to hear a justification for a call. Maybe call to take it down on the turn if villan checks. But i still don't like calling that much with just 7's.

[pokerinc 0]

I'd definitely raise. I see a lot of players make that bluff out of the blinds like that, and this is a great spot to just take this pot down without seeing an ugly turn.

[wildspoke 2]

I think I would call. It's early in the tournament and I don't want to build a big pot with just one pair. Villain has shown strength before the flop by calling out of position and has bet out on a dry board. You can raise to define your hand but if he shoves you have to fold. By calling you're using your position to max advantage.

[jmbreslin 0]

The problem with raising the flop here is that any decent-sized raise will commit about half of my remaining stack. Do I really want to get that invested with 77 here? I obviously can't fold but I'm wondering if calling and seeing what he does on the turn is the better play. He'll either exhibit weakness by checking or leading out small, or he'll fire a larger bet and I can assume I'm beaten. On the other hand, if he's testing me with something like 88-TT, he might give up to a raise on the flop...

[Gallo 1]

Villain was loose but no relevant info other than that.Full Tilt No-Limit Hold'em, 5+0.50 Tournament, 30/60 Blinds (7 handed) - Full-Tilt Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.comBB (t1100)UTG (t2975)MP1 (t2770)Hero (MP2) (t1555)CO (t2095)Button (t1155)SB (t1850)Hero's M: 17.28Preflop: Hero is MP2 with 7, 72 folds, Hero bets t180, 2 folds, SB calls t150, 1 foldFlop: (t420) 3, 2, 5(2 players)SB bets t240, Hero ???

I'd shove my stack.

[outsider13 0]

I'd shove my stack.

I don't hate this. It's really a tough spot all around because of stack sizes. Shove>flat>fold imo. I don't know what the norm is on ftp about raise sizes. On stars, I would start 2.5x opens at 50/100 to make post flop play less awkward (inn stts). In your spot, obv it would have helped a bit if you opened for less, but again, I'm not too sure what the norm is.

[jmbreslin 0]

I don't hate this. It's really a tough spot all around because of stack sizes. Shove>flat>fold imo. I don't know what the norm is on ftp about raise sizes. On stars, I would start 2.5x opens at 50/100 to make post flop play less awkward (inn stts). In your spot, obv it would have helped a bit if you opened for less, but again, I'm not too sure what the norm is.

Yeesh, I do hate the idea of putting my stack on the line with 77 at blinds of 30/60. This is clearly a way ahead/way behind spot. I suppose he could be leading out with a flush draw, but most likely I'm either way behind a bigger pair or way ahead of a smaller one. Shoving puts me in a spot where I'm either going to pick up the 600+ chip pot, or get called and be drawing extremely thin for my tourney life.As for raise sizes, it really depends on the table. Sometimes tables are tight enough that 3BB raises will often steal the blinds, while other tables are so loose that 3BB raises will get 3 callers. If I recall correctly, this table was on the tighter side. I did hesitate before making the raise to begin with precisely because of my stack size. I couldn't fold but I also didn't want to open limp. So I figured I'd either steal the blinds, or get a caller and make a standard CB on the flop. I wasn't expecting the donkbet.

[Gallo 1]

I don't like just calling here. I mean, what's our action if a draw card comes? What about a face card? I'm pretty much convinced villain has a flush or straight draw here. And if he has a 5, then we're ahead? Do you really think we're behind a loose villain? This is a good flop for 77 imo. Let's just stick it in. Make him pay for a draw. If he gets there, he gets there, so be it.

[RISEorFall 0]

This is clearly a way ahead/way behind spot.

there are a ton of hands he could have that you're not wa/wb to. most notably flush draws with overs and hands like AT or AJ figuring you missed and if not they have some outs. id push it in here as picking up 660 is a good result for your stack. theres not many other boards you like with 77, and on this flop his donk could mean a ton of things.

[jmbreslin 0]

Both of you make very valid points.

[Mercury69 3]

It's eithyer shove or fold. If it was me with 77 and this flop came down, I guarantee you villain has A4, against which I shove and lose.I'd probably shove anyway...

[Gallo 1]

It's eithyer shove or fold. If it was me with 77 and this flop came down, I guarantee you villain has A4, against which I shove and lose.I'd probably shove anyway...

lolYou gotta start thinking more positive!!

[GreeneStreet 0]

No point in calling here. You're not really drawing to anything, and if an overcard comes? Shove. I like your spot here. If you can stomach a shove, then fold.

[sennin 0]

I shove the flop, Id rather fold this hand preflop though. Not much to gain by raising it up

[jmbreslin 0]

Really, you'd fold 77 when it's folded to you in MP2?

[SGFULTON83 0]

Shove this flop, I would NEVER flat call this and a normal raise seems pretty pointless since if villian flats behind that raise then we are comitted to any turn card pretty much. Just make the villian pay to hit his draw now, we could easily scoop the pot now which would be fine. Folding isn't the worst option, but I think at this point of the STT it's a good spot to pad our stack.Shove>>>Fold>>>Normal Raise>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>Call.

[DonkSlayer 1]

The problem with raising the flop here is that any decent-sized raise will commit about half of my remaining stack. Do I really want to get that invested with 77 here? I obviously can't fold but I'm wondering if calling and seeing what he does on the turn is the better play. He'll either exhibit weakness by checking or leading out small, or he'll fire a larger bet and I can assume I'm beaten. On the other hand, if he's testing me with something like 88-TT, he might give up to a raise on the flop...

In my experience, villain would fold an overpair or combo draw to your raise or shove like never.

I don't like just calling here. I mean, what's our action if a draw card comes? What about a face card? I'm pretty much convinced villain has a flush or straight draw here. And if he has a 5, then we're ahead? Do you really think we're behind a loose villain? This is a good flop for 77 imo. Let's just stick it in. Make him pay for a draw. If he gets there, he gets there, so be it.

1. Fold.2. We like black face cards to turn if we just call.3. Meh.I feel pretty differently about this hand, based on the sng's I've played. At this level, there's really nothing compelling the villain to play, but he did. There's nothing really compelling the villain to donkbet 2/3 pot with nothing, but he did. So what range do we assign him?We beat: 44 66We're ahead 2:1 over a random A + overcardWe lose to: 22, 33, 88+We're 42/58 behind AdXd, and slightly behind two diamond overs to our 7'sAgain, we fold him off of only what we're way ahead. He has basically no range that we're slightly ahead of, and he's never folding a better hand. Shoving therefore is a gamble that villain's range is heavily weighted toward 44,66 or 2 overs that include and ace but aren't suited with diamonds.I play decently so I might flat call his donkbet and see if he checks a turn like 10c, Ks, etc, giving me the opportunity to take it away from him....and betting a turn like that may push him off a hand like 88/99 he was never folding if we shoved the flop. For the average player, folding is just fine.

[jmbreslin 0]

Very interesting analysis, Donk. Since there is no hand that we're slightly ahead of, we're behind most of his range, and we're way ahead of only a small % of his range, pushing the flop puts us in a spot where we're going to be behind any hand that calls us. If he's not going to fold any flush draw combo (most of which we're behind because of the coordinated board), then we're actually better off flat calling and giving him a "free card." If a scare card falls we can escape with the rest of our stack.

[RISEorFall 0]

At this level, there's really nothing compelling the villain to play, but he did. There's nothing really compelling the villain to donkbet 2/3 pot with nothing, but he did. So what range do we assign him?

i dont get this. at $5 in my experience most players arent so much concerned with what level we're at. he has a hand he wants to play so he calls the pf raise. he wants to bluff and thinks we missed this flop or he hit it so he donks. theres something compelling him to do what he does, even if its just a "feeling" he has. you have a good reason for waiting for the turn, though. but i think it can get us into some tough situations. when 8c comes off and he bets again, now what? what about the Qh or Js? I guess we could push then, hoping that card missed him. in my experience, when we play the flop this passively, villain is almost always betting the turn, too. And if he does check, i dont see him laying down 88 or 99 unless the turns an A or K, maybe a Q. too many people at this level are stubborn with mid pairs unless they think your AK got there. but then i guess we're turning our hand into a bluff. i dont mind folding out a bluff, as they often have 6 outs against us (and A-x has 10), and the 660 in the pot is over 1/3 of our stack already. we could also be ahead of something like A5s or 56s who might think his hand is best.i dont love this spot, and i really dont love stacking off with 77 this early, but i dont like waiting for the turn, either.

[Gallo 1]

Seriously, I think some people are playing scared poker. I can maybe see at the higher buy-in levels. But OP has already described villain as loose. So his range doesn't necessarily have us beat. Alot of donks like to lead out their draws here. If he had a larger pair I'm pretty sure he might've r/r'd. I don't think he plays an ovepair or a set this way either leading into us.

[jmbreslin 0]

I disagree, for a couple of reasons:1) Most players at this level are loose-passive, usually in the range of 35/5. He could easily have a big pair here.2) There aren't that many draw combos that he would call a raise with that we're actually ahead of here because of the nature of the flop.

[Gallo 1]

I disagree, for a couple of reasons:1) Most players at this level are loose-passive, usually in the range of 35/5. He could easily have a big pair here.2) There aren't that many draw combos that he would call a raise with that we're actually ahead of here because of the nature of the flop.

diamond draw looks to fit here.

[DonkSlayer 1]

diamond draw looks to fit here.

Best case scenario though.Daniel wrote in this blog or last, if you can't fold the best hand sometimes, you're not playing your best poker.

[Gallo 1]

Best case scenario though.Daniel wrote in this blog or last, if you can't fold the best hand sometimes, you're not playing your best poker.

But he's probably referring to deepstack tournies or cash games.