Hand of the day IX?

Question

it's back, lol

it's a $1-2 cash game with $350 effective stacks...the utg player, a very good player who plays fairly LAG, limps in, as does a player in middle position...you also call in the cutoff with Q-9 of clubs, and both blinds complete...the flop comes down 9-7-4 with two hearts, and it gets checked to utg who bets $7...the middle player folds, and you make a feeler raise to $17, which gets called only by the utg player...the turn is the 2h, and your opponent leads out for $45...is this as easy a fold as it would seem to be? or do you think there could be other plans for this hand?

Answer 1

It is an easy fold.  I don't think I would have played that hand in any possition except in an unraised blind.  There really is not enough information available to you to play that hand with any comfort.  The utg could have any range of hands from a set, in which case you are  beat, to a heart flush, in which case you are beat.  He could also have a 9 with a bigger kicker (I doubt it, but you can't rule that out).  Top pair with 3d kicker ain't the best hand in the world.  You  say he is a LAG player, he could have limped with a monster hoping someone was gonna preflop raise behind him, however, there was a heart attack draw on the flop, so, I also doubt that was the case.  My thoughts are he has a set, or possibly hit his flush on turn, but if it was the nut flush or big flush, I don't see him leading on the flop......I would fold, not because of the flush, but because of the possibility of a set.  If it is a bluff, so be it, top pair with queen kicker just ain't the hand I wanna play sherrif with.

Answer 2

It really depends on your image.

I wouldn't put him on the flush, because with a board this weak, there's no reason to overbet the pot with a flush when you just raised into him post-flop.  If he has the flush, he'll make a lot more money by letting you play into him or at least playing a callable bet.  

So the question is, can you sell the flush?  Do you have a table image where you bet for value?  Have you been playing tight?

If so, perhaps you can represent the flush with a small value raise, and even if he calls your raise, go over the top all-in post-river and he'll have to fold.

Side note:  There is a risk here obviously.  If he actually HAS the flush (and was doing some double-negative-reverse-psychology, which good players almost never do) you're screwed, AND if he beats you all-in, you'll have to fold.  So you really have to trust your instincts on your table image.  If you think he'll smell the bluff, there's nothing wrong with folding; you'll get out cheap anyway.

Answer 3

fold

you are only ahead of a bluff.  If he has a good player and LAG, his limp utg might have been a trap and AA KK is a possibility

If you call the 45, you might as well push all in because he is betting the river and what card could come out that would make you change your mind?

You have an easily dominated hand ... just fold and walk away

Answer 4

Seems like an easy fold. Way too many hands beat our pair of 9's decent kicker. 3 hearts on board. Even if a 10, Jack, King or Ace comes it shrivels our hands up. His original bet of $7 on flop into a $10 pot smells fishy. Or like the Ace high flush draw, and he has to call the reraise on flop.

Not even worth bluffing in a cash game.