$10 NLHE Full Ring: Rush ring game QQ with draw

Full Tilt - $0.05/$0.10 No Limit Hold'em RUSH (9 players)
Full Tilt Hand Converter Tool from CardsChat.com
BU: $4.00
BB Hero: $9.24
UTG: $10.31
MP: $10.05
MP+1: $9.62
MP+2: $16.87
LP: $19.97
CO: $17.90
BTN: $10.87
Pre-flop: ($0.15) Hero is BB and dealt
6 folds, BTN raises $0.30, BU folds, Hero raises $0.85, BTN calls $0.65
(Note: Standard preflop raise in this level RUSH is 2BB or 3BB currently. A bigger initial preflop raise is indicative of either an aggressive or desperate player -- or a really good hand. It's now a good idea to re-pop that standard 3xBB if you want to either drive the others out or proceed HU). I know why I re-pop -- not sure why others do.)

Flop: ($1.95) (2 players)
Hero bets $1.95, BTN calls $1.95

Turn:($5.85) (2 players)

Now what? I've made my set, have a 2nd nut flush draw --- should I come out betting again? What the heck does he have? Am I in a ton of trouble or far ahead?

Well, it is rush, so I would generally think people play a lot tighter. Although, he is on the button, so I think that might be disregarded a bit. Against a rush range though I think you are pretty much crushing him at this point. To me a check feels pretty comfortable. Plus, I think it will make him more comfortable to not worry about the flush, and he could possibly just be wanting to rep a big hand. I honestly think betting here will just scare him away too much, but that is just me.

GrimlyGrim said:

Well, it is rush, so I would generally think people play a lot tighter. Although, he is on the button, so I think that might be disregarded a bit. Against a rush range though I think you are pretty much crushing him at this point. To me a check feels pretty comfortable. Plus, I think it will make him more comfortable to not worry about the flush, and he could possibly just be wanting to rep a big hand. I honestly think betting here will just scare him away too much, but that is just me.

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It's RUSH. There are the nits and there are the LAGs, and not much in between. If you give the LAGs an inch, they will take a mile. And there's no way to know which this guy is. Until you throw in that bet. IMO. What think you?

I'm missing how this isn't an uber-easy bet. What's your thinking, OP?

doops said:

It's RUSH. There are the nits and there are the LAGs, and not much in between. If you give the LAGs an inch, they will take a mile. And there's no way to know which this guy is. Until you throw in that bet. IMO. What think you?

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Exactly, Give the LAG a chance to make a dumb barrel here, and if he is a nit I doubt he beats the QQ's set. The point is that a nit is too easy to believe you made a flush and fold the pair of A's. I would double barrel that flop a lot with nothing for a reason.

I don't see how you could be dealing with a nit here. Two hands for you to worry about AA and K-x of diamonds. AA seems unlikely to me because no 4-bet or re-raise of your flop bet. I assume you're not planning on folding, so I would bet $2-3.

3bet bigger preflop (~$1.20). Once you turn the set just keep betting. You're crushing his range.

WVHillbilly said:

3bet bigger preflop (~$1.20). Once you turn the set just keep betting. You're crushing his range.

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Oh. That's a good thought. I tend to pot bet if I 3-bet in Rush. A bigger bet would definitely clarify how good the QQ is against whatever the villain has.

Everyone is thinking pretty much as I was on this. I was a little uncomfortable on the flop, but felt pretty good when he only called my flop bet. Put him on the flush draw, like myself. The set on the turn looked safe enough.

Next part of this hand:
I bet $3 on the turn and he shoved. Holy cow. Did I misunderstand his call on the flop? Did he just make 2 pair? Or did I saunter into a trap? Should I have folded?

doops said:

Oh. That's a good thought. I tend to pot bet if I 3-bet in Rush. A bigger bet would definitely clarify how good the QQ is against whatever the villain has.

Everyone is thinking pretty much as I was on this. I was a little uncomfortable on the flop, but felt pretty good when he only called my flop bet. Put him on the flush draw, like myself. The set on the turn looked safe enough.

Next part of this hand:
I bet $3 on the turn and he shoved. Holy cow. Did I misunderstand his call on the flop? Did he just make 2 pair? Or did I saunter into a trap? Should I have folded?

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I'm not suggesting 3betting larger for better information, strictly for value. A pot-sized 3bet here would be to 95 cents. I like 3x the raise size when I'm in position and 4x the raise size OOP as starting points. If you're against someone you know will call more, bet more.

As played you have a set on an Ace high board in a 3bet pot after committing more than 50% of your stack, put your money in the middle. If he has a flush or a set of Aces, so what.

WVHillbilly said:

I'm not suggesting 3betting larger for better information, strictly for value. A pot-sized 3bet here would be to 95 cents. I like 3x the raise size when I'm in position and 4x the raise size OOP as starting points. If you're against someone you know will call more, bet more.

As played you have a set on an Ace high board in a 3bet pot after committing more than 50% of your stack, put your money in the middle. If he has a flush or a set of Aces, so what.

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Oh. Right. Of course.

I tend to think of raises preflop as both value and information gathering. In this case, it might have chased off his middle suited connectors that hit that flop so nicely. (Then again, the re-raise I made preflop should have accomplished that. Would have accomplished that with most players making a button raise in Rush.) Standard quandry -- win a little now or possibly much more later? Or lose much more later.

Of course I shipped it on the turn. And lost, as it turned out. But losing one hand is not the point of this. I knew perfectly well that he could already have the flush. I had outs even if he did. The result did not thrill me, but -- next hand, you know. I posted this not because of the results, but to see if there is something I could have done differently. Something I might try the next many times. See how I feel with it, and what happens as a result.

TY, WV. And all.