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Flopping The Second Best Hand


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Live 1/2 NLHE.9 Handed.Hero BB, seat 3. Apprx $500Villain seat 8. Apprx $400I have been at the table for about two hours and have not seen anything exceptional from any of the players.I am dealt :5c:3h on the big blind.There are three limpers in the pot and I check the Big Blind.Flop :4h:ts:club:$9 in the pot.I lead out with a $15 overbet to protect my hand in an attempt to get the weak flush draws out.Two limpers fold and the player in the 8 seat (across the table from me) raises to $45.I think about the pre-flop action (or lack thereof) and player positions for awhile and decide to raise. I tell myself that he probably doesn't have AQ because AQ normally raises pre-flop from that spot, so he may be on a flush / straight draw trying to get a free card.So there is $69 in the pot. I make it $145 to go, forcing the raiser to put in another $100.At this point the villain thinks about his hand for maybe 5 seconds and declares all in.Now things get interesting. I have the second best straight. I know nothing about the player as I have never played with him before, but have seen him in the card room.Would AQ limp a four way pot from late position?What could I be looking at here besides AQ that would shove? Possibly a split pot from another Q9? Maybe another Q9 with a diamond draw? Combo draws like KQ? I find a set highly unlikely because pocket pairs this high typically raise from late position.It would be about $250 for me to make the call.On a side note, I mentioned seating positions for a reason.While I thought about the call, the Villain started showing everyone on his side of the table his cards. He seemed over confident about his hand.I made a few comments out loud about my thought process trying to get a read from the Villain or one of the people he showed his cards to but couldn't gain any further information.How often am I up against the nuts in this position? How often does he have a combo draw (flush/straight)? Two pair maybe?Is this a hand that I should mathematically call?Comments are greatly appreciated.Thanks

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this is tough one. especially with no real reads. i'm not a math player, so i can't help you there. i'd go with my gut on this one and call it. i doubt that he's hit the nuts and is on a draw. i like your chances. shove.

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I don't think he has the nuts for the simple fact you say he is showing his hand around. This has only happened a couple times when I have played live, when a player shows he does not have the nuts, more of a ......I'm all over this board......like the KQ,JQ,QT previously mentioned. He is probably figuring you for some random big blind hand that connected just well enough to be in the pot. I'm not folding this hand.

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I don't think he has the nuts for the simple fact you say he is showing his hand around. This has only happened a couple times when I have played live, when a player shows he does not have the nuts, more of a ......I'm all over this board......like the KQ,JQ,QT previously mentioned. He is probably figuring you for some random big blind hand that connected just well enough to be in the pot. I'm not folding this hand.
Usually when a player shows his hand to others like that it is strength, so imo that doesnt make it impossible he has AQ. At the 1/3 game I play at I play a very small ball approach and would limp with AQ in villain's spot. I still call. It could be KQ/KJ/ATdd maaaaybe TT or Q9/AQ
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After long deliberation, I decided to call putting him on some kind of combo hand.Villain had :club::ts .I called and turned my cards face up. The Villain throws his cards up, stands up clapping and cheering like he just won the WSOP. He didn't even realise I had the straight!Of course he fills up on the turn and scoops my chips.Regardless of the outcome, it was a tough hand to play. To go through all of the emotions of leading out thinking I have the table crushed, to re-raising thinking I am ahead to being re-raised all in and wondering if I have a chance in hell to win the pot.I felt good about making the right decision. I think I would do it again should the situation arise.Thanks for the input.

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After long deliberation, I decided to call putting him on some kind of combo hand.Villain had :club::ts .I called and turned my cards face up. The Villain throws his cards up, stands up clapping and cheering like he just won the WSOP. He didn't even realise I had the straight!Of course he fills up on the turn and scoops my chips.Regardless of the outcome, it was a tough hand to play. To go through all of the emotions of leading out thinking I have the table crushed, to re-raising thinking I am ahead to being re-raised all in and wondering if I have a chance in hell to win the pot.I felt good about making the right decision. I think I would do it again should the situation arise.Thanks for the input.
You should never fold that hand. Sorry about the bad beat. It happens.
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You should never fold that hand. Sorry about the bad beat. It happens.
I don't know... I have made the correct fold with the "idiot" end of a straight before. This particular situation was just tough to figure out. I figured he was pushing WAY too hard for some reason. Maybe he had the low straight and wanted my diamond draw out?
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  • 2 weeks later...

This is an insta-snap call. AQ is the only hand we're behind, and even if villain is competent, he shows up with top 2, a set and combo draw much, much, much more often than AQ.

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