No prizes, but an interesting excise all the same.

5/10 NL Holdem full-ring (10 handed) game

I was in MP with JQ suited, 2 limpers in front of me, 4 players behind.  I limped along for the ride.  Folded to the SB who completed, the BB checked.

Flop J 5 8, giving me TP and the flush draw.  Checked to me, I bet pot , SB called, BB folded, first limper called, second limper folded.  Now 3 handed with 200 in the pot.

Turn 5.  SB checked, EP checked.  What would you do and why?

Asumming you checked, river was a brick 2.  SB (a somewhat tricky player) bet 150, EP folded.  What would you do and why?

Also, assuming SP had 5x, giving him trip 5, critique his play.

stack size? tourney or cash game?                                                                                                                                                                                                                       

Assume opponents are decent and that you're 100BB deep, I would just check turn for pot control. You have position -- use it. No need to bloat the pot with 1 pair in a limped pot. If someone turned trip 5s you still have a decent number of outs.

And I would probably call river.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               

interesting

no one likes to talk poker here?  I think this hand illustrates prefect the vaule of position, and the main aim of poker that most players seem to forget: the aim of poker is not to win pots, but to win chips.

I played this hand at my local casino, SB had 56.  SB is one of those players that think he's top class, but in reality is no more than a nut peddler most of the time, and as this hand showed, no more than a very average player at best.

The flop call by SB is really horrible.  Bottom pair no draw, OOP against 3 players, with the risk of a check-raise from the two remaining active players.  If the turn bought a 6, it could easily have bought someone a gut shot straight, and even if he hit his 5 outs WITHOUT giving someone else a better hand, he's unlikely to be paid off with the right odds unless he's against complete donkeys.

Even if we dismiss the risk of a check-raise, this is the type of hand that will either win you a small pot or lose you a massive one if you hit your limited outs.  What is going to giving you strong action when the board pairs the 5, unless its the case 5, and most likely with a much better kicker than a 6, or a full house?  He might have got limited action if the 6 hit, but with strong action, there's a high chance a of a better 2 pairs, gut shot striaght or a set.

Yes, his bottom pair may well be the best hand now, but the pot is small, and the chance of winning a big pot is not high, and unless he hits on the turn, he cant really continue.  Far better to give the pot up and wait for a better chance.  You cannot win every pot, and with some pots its better to give up even though you might have the best hand if the hand is weak and you are conceding position, and the pot small.

Lastly, its normally ok to draw to limited outs, if you can be fairly sure of winning a big pot when you hit.  Examples would be drawing to the nut straight on a gut shot if its cheap enough.  Check-calling to draw to 2 pairs/trips with bottom pair OOP against so many players is just asking for big trouble in the long term.

Wrong anaswer

1. What do I have
2. What does my opponent have
3. What does my opponent think I have
4. What does my opponent think I think he has
5. What does my opponent think I think he thinks I have

All players are at least level 1, otherwsie you should quit poker.... LoL
Level 2 is enough for any low stake games..... don't try to do more than that, you will just out thinking yourself..... some players in low stakes can't even put their opponent in a range of hands