This was my dubious double up hand of the night. The flop about summed up my night but I am really interested in thoughts on my play. I really put some grey matter into me approach to this so I would really love any comments, good or bad.

For the record the raise preflop was just me mixing it up for variety, Iceman style!

Party Poker No-Limit Hold'em, $ BB (9 handed)

MP1 ($55.1)
MP2 ($54.55)
Hero ($49)
CO ($50)
Button ($64.33)
SB ($27.29)
BB ($49.5)
UTG ($59.8)
UTG+1 ($79.25)

Preflop: Hero is MP3 with , . CO posts a blind of $0.5. SB posts a blind of $0.25.
UTG calls $0.50, 1 fold, MP1 calls $0.50, 1 fold, Hero raises to $1.5, CO (poster) raises to $2, 2 folds, BB calls $2, UTG folds, MP1 folds, Hero calls $1.

This is my opportunistic open raise. When I get raised behind by the BB I am not too worried, I just figure he has some kind of pair and I have lost my bluff at the flop. If I hit hard its just easier to take his stack and its only another $1. Without a hard hit I am out of it.

Flop: ($8.75) , , (3 players)
BB bets $8, Hero raises to $20, CO folds, BB calls $12.

Bollocks, maybe. He bets, pretty pro forma for his reraise. Now I do not put him on the flush since the ace is out. Would he reraise KQs? And if so why stick such a big bet out? No, no flush here. An ace is possible so I have him beat. MP1 I am a little worried about since he is loose and could have the hearts. I figure I am reraising since I want to put MP1 to the test to see if he has it and I want to get the intiative for the later streets. $20 seemed like a "don't mess with me" amount. A big reraise then we have a decision to make but we shall cross that bridge when we come to it. I raise too small I am still leaving the straight and flush draw out there.

Turn: ($48.75) (2 players)
BB checks, Hero calls $26.50 (All-In), BB calls $26.50.

His check squeals top pair and I reckon with the pot so big he is married to it. I might be about to be played here but I still have outs. Him calling me like that on the flop would still be consistant with AK on these tables. I am not super worried about the set as his small reraise discounts 88 and 77. I actually have him down as AKs, AQs or AJs but with a different suit. Given the size of the pot now I figure I have the best and its large enough I will get the call all-in with him holding top pair.

River: ($101.75) (2 players, 1 all-in)

Final Pot: $101.75

Results in below:

BB has 8s As (two pair, aces and eights).
Hero has 7d 8d (full house, sevens full of eights).
Outcome: Hero wins $101.75.

Well it seems I actually laid a pretty good beat on someone hitting my two outer! Odd thing was I never actually saw the river card. I had gone to another table since there was nothing more to do here and I could see the chips get pushed me way, as I thought. It wasn't till some guy made a comment about nice river I went back and looked at the hand! I never figured for the med AXs hand, just the potential flush going against me.

I have made this quite long winded since I really want to get my thinking across.

Thoughts anyone?

Rich

that was ME that said "nice river"... I'm the one who folded the freakin flush, which I guess I should thank you for, or you would've taken my whole stack too...

As for the hand... you were pretty pot committed after that flop raise... If he (or I) had the flush, you're gonna lose it all unless you boat up, which of course you knew was gonna happen the whole time anyways...

Had you been in I would have instantly folded of course!

On the flop had I got a big reraise from the middle player I prob would have been out of it. I am willing to play that hand hard to point but I am not going to martyr myself to it. I figure I will lose a bit in making the laydown but I had to play it hard to win anything.

Rich

Not sure what your previous reads were on the guy, but I probably fold to his massive flop reraise with only bottom two pair on a flush board. Too many ways to get beat in the hand and if you are calling that raise, you might as well go all in because it will be there by the river.

I might be someone biased as just last week I lost my stack heads up where I had a big overpair and he flopped a flush and I wouldn't believe his massive reraises.

Tim