Hitting trips with a crappy kicker

How would you play this situation? NL $1/$2 Hero on the small blind and calls with 5 6 unsuited. Four people in the hand, SB (hero), BB , mid limper, and BTN, all limped in and early in the game with no real reads. Flop comes down 6 6 4 and its the hero`s turn. Do you lead out? check raise? What if someone comes over top of your raise? Personally I would lead out with half the pot instead of check raising, mostly because of concern of my crappy kicker, just to see where I`m at. I`d rather take a small pot than get caught calling bigger bets with that kicker, though you`ll probably be raised anyway by someone trying to re-steal. Confused!!!

I wouldn't be terribly opposed to leading out with a bet of about half the pot, especially because of the straight draw possibility, so you want to get them out of the hand. Keep in mind though, you shouldn't put someone on the last 6 in the deck. The chances that someone has it are very low. If you are actually concerned about that hand, then there's no purpose in limping from the SB with that hand, because that's one of the best flops you can possibly see.

Well, obviously this is why trips aren't as strong as a set. Everyone sees those two 6's out there, so if you get significant action, you're likely in trouble to either a boat, or a better 6 (Did they really limp with 62 or 63?).

I would classify this situation as a way ahead/way behind scenario. If no one has a 6 with you, then you're in great shape, and they're drawing to 2 outs with an overpair. If someone does have a 6, then you're the one looking for a three outer.

You're not likely to get a good outcome from a big pot, so you're going to want to check either the flop or turn. I like checking the flop here, trying to let someone catch a piece on the turn enough to pay you a small bet or two on the turn and river. Don't try to find out where you're at through bets, you can already do so through analysis like I have just conducted.

Check either the flop or turn, and bet the other two streets modestly, whatever you deem you can sell it for, but don't be looking to play a monster pot with this hand.

OK first I would have RAISED on the SB.. 5 6o is a crap hand.. what would you actually need to see on the flop for it to be a decent hand?

55x 66x 23 34 24 47 78 79... (89 makes a definite straight possibility for others)

So a raise from the SB is needed to

1. thin the field
2. make your c-bet on the flop make sense, if you don't hit, i.e. help with a bluff.
3. make post flop decisions easier.

But OK you have trip 6's. Without the raise pref lop there could be all kinds of hands out there. The raise should have raised the starting hands such that your worries would be gone on a flop like that.

Your biggest worry here is not someone having a 6 with a bigger kicker.. Its the likely hood of mid pairs hanging around and the size of the field. On a flop like that with no pref lop aggression mid pairs are likely to hang around as they will have flopped 2 pair and may well believe they have the best hand.

Therefore they will stay in the pot and may spike trips to their pocket pair giving them a full house.. and one that dominates your possible draw to a FH.

But saying that, its a flop which is unlikely to have hit anyone..

Bet out c-bet size (3/4 pot) and if someone raises, re-raise.

I would not call here for 2 reasons

1. They will most likely think you are bluffing and further re-raise you on the turn by floating the flop and then re-raising you again on the turn to bluff you. ESPECIALLY if a scare card shows

2. I would not want to show 5 6 o down on a showdown.. even if it were the winner.. It would hurt my table image, so yes i would win the pot but give others the incentive to bet into me as I have shown I am happy to limp with nothing.

3. To me the biggest scare cards would be 7 8 9 or T because its those kinds of pairs that are well worth seeing a flop but not necessarily raising.

I would just be far happier with the hand had you raised pre-flop.. or folded

easy

In this situation you have to slow play it in my opinion. If you bet out odds are your opponents will fold especially if it is a rainbow flop. So by checking you can let someone who has A Q for example be aggressive and when they bet you just call. Then when the turn comes and they hit their ace or their queen you drag them along to the end and then make your move. The only time I wouldnt play it this way is if the board shows a flush draw oppurtunity on the flop or a str8 draw even. It all depends on the situation and who your opponents are. This is my general strategy though when hitting this type of board

You should bet this hand out of the SB 100 percent of the time.

There is absolutely no reason to slowplay this.

1. You have a very strong hand. When you have a strong hand, you want to build a big pot. Don't count on someone else to build it for you.
2. Many many people will call you with worse. Almost all pocket pairs higher than 4 will call and sometimes even 33 or 22 will call. Many people with Ace-high will float this flop because they don't believe you. People limping with 75s and 87s will probably call and so will 54 or A4. These hands are all drawing dead or incredibly thin. When people will make a mistake, you should let them. Poker is a game where you should push tiny edges and this is a case where you have a huge edge -- ergo, you definitely push it!

Letting someone with overcards hit their hand is bad advice. If someone has 88 and an ace hits the turn and you bet, he's not putting money in the pot.
3. If you are beat the only way you'll find out by betting. If one or more call and is trying to jam/check-raise on the turn or river, you have a tough decision to make but you may be able to get away from it. BTW, it's fine if you go broke here.
4. If you get to showdown and win with this hand, you will have a new table image. That's good. In the future you can lead out on flops like this from the blinds and get folds with absolute air.

But as Ungar said, you should fold preflop.

i would lead out with 1/2 pot bets (i wouldn't be afraid of the other 6) and the only callers would be someone with a 4, a straight draw,a flush draw,or mid pair. it would be really hard to fold, unless some scare cards come followed with a big raise.

So by checking you can let someone who has A Q for example be aggressive

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Do you not think that the lack of any pre-flop raise has made it unlikely that hands like AQ are actually out there?

4. If you get to showdown and win with this hand, you will have a new table image. That's good. In the future you can lead out on flops like this from the blinds and get folds with absolute air.

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I think his table image will be more like... plays any two cards from SB.. raise him pre-flop or else!!!

I play at lower limits so I see the weirdest things all the time. Let's say AT then.

I agree about raising him out preflop. Limped pots pricing the SB in make poker gods cry.

How would you play this situation? NL $1/$2 Hero on the small blind and calls with 5 6 unsuited. Four people in the hand, SB (hero), BB , mid limper, and BTN, all limped in and early in the game with no real reads.

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Fold. No reason to complete with a crap hand, for 2 reasons. You have crap, and the BB is still to act, behind. So you can't really guarantee a cheap flop.

Ok, 3rd reason. With that flop why post? It creamed you, imo.

Thanks for all the great replys!!!

Well the reason for the post was that this was an actual hand played by my nephew in a cash game in AC this past weekend. It turned out that one of the limpers (I`m not sure which one) raised his initial bet, which turned into a re-raise/all in moment. Turned out he had 6 4 for the full house to take my guys` entire stack. I agree with most of you that if you`re gonna play that crap of a hand, you gotta raise it to thin the field and know where you stand on the flop. Though I gotta admit, I like playing that junk once in a while, cause if you hit it, they never see it coming. Thank you all the great insight though, some of it is really brilliant!

65 vs 64 on a flop of 664 LOL

Thing with playing junk is there you have to be deep stacked against another deep stack to do it .. Otherwise one of you will become pot committed before really knowing where you are. A limp whilst deep stacked isnt so bad.

Other way is as a positional raise.. more of a tournament / short stack play, but with a positional raise you would really doing that from the button. And it would be a raise!! you dont have the chips to go too far!!

When you hit trips why worry about your kicker? What are the odds that the 1 other card is out there? I would play my trips in most cases strong no matter the kicker

yankeenut23 said:

When you hit trips why worry about your kicker? What are the odds that the 1 other card is out there? I would play my trips in most cases strong no matter the kicker

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It's happened to me and I've seen it happen several other times. I got booted from a tournament with QJ against KJ, with an 8JJ flop. Saw someone get booted with AJ against 22 with an AA2 flop. Seen it many times online as well, of course. Not a hand that's easy to get away from, but sometimes you have to or at least be real cautious especially if a really tight player is suddenly raising like crazy against you or calling big raises without hesitation. I'd lead out and maybe reraise but if they keep coming back I would at least slow down and not push all in. If they don't have you beat they aren't going to call anyway.

I'dplay it strong but not too strong, if someone has a set your goose is cooked.

I got booted from a tournament with QJ against KJ, with an 8JJ flop

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TBH Jx on a JJx board is much weaker than 6x on a 66x board.

Too many people will play things like AJ, KJ, QJ, JT, J9s, J8s Where as 6x is more likely to be A6s 56s, 67s.

So getting all your cash in with trip Jacks might not be a great move. Its a way ahead / way behind situation.. Most of the time you will be called by a better jack and folded by a worse jack.