How do you play trips with two of the three on the table?

Yesterday I lost three times this way with only minor variaton in cards:

(.25/.5$ NL 10 players)
I hold (10 9s) and call BB from late position
flop (9 9 5)
I bet 5$ - only one caller
turn (J) - no flush draw
I bet 10$ - still get called
river (2)
I bet 12$ and he calls and is all in
He shows (K 9) and wins on better kicker

Should I not bet this kind of hand? Should I fold to a caller?
Damn frustrating!

That's some bad luck... most of the time you'll be the only person with the trips. The lower the card is, the more likely it's just you. I usually play it like this: check, wait to see if someone else bets, then raise them. They'll almost always fold if they don't have it. If they have it and their kicker isn't crap, they'll re-raise and you can let it go there. If they paired the other card on the board they might also just call, and then I'd suggest playing it with cautious aggression. Bet on all streets, but don't feel like you have to ramp up the bets so much.

Originally Posted by Borax

Should I not bet this kind of hand? Should I fold to a caller?
Damn frustrating!

Look at it this way: in this very hand, the only holdings you don't beat are A9 (which is a mediocre hand), K9 (which is a crap hand), Q9 (which is a mediocre hand), J9 (which is a decent hand that has you beat even before he builds a house), and 95 (because of his house).

That's a grand total of ONE decent hand that beats you in this situation. The rest of them are mediocre AT BEST.

You must, as dale said, bet this hand...though you might have reigned in the amount a bit.

Assume you have the best hand and slow play it for the most money as long as there is no flush or straight draw.

Originally Posted by dalecooper

That's some bad luck... most of the time you'll be the only person with the trips. The lower the card is, the more likely it's just you. I usually play it like this: check, wait to see if someone else bets, then raise them. They'll almost always fold if they don't have it. If they have it and their kicker isn't crap, they'll re-raise and you can let it go there. If they paired the other card on the board they might also just call, and then I'd suggest playing it with cautious aggression. Bet on all streets, but don't feel like you have to ramp up the bets so much.

Maybe it's just me but I would have a very hard time laying down trips with any kind of kicker, and no straight or flush draws on the board. It would be interesting to see what the exact odds are that someone has the other 9 with a better kicker. The way I see it would be like getting KK, someone going AI before you and laying it down b/c you think they have rockets. I might've possibly layed that hand down because it smelled like a boat the way he kept smooth calling you, but not because I suspected I was outkicked.

if there is a flush draw, you need to bet the pot or more, because retards in microlimits chase EVERY flush draw they get

Originally Posted by bdawg56kg

Maybe it's just me but I would have a very hard time laying down trips with any kind of kicker

This is one of the characteristics that seperates mediocre players from good players IMHO.

There are a ton of hands you lose to with trips + a 10 kicker.

When you are betting, if you are getting called on a board like that...it's for a reason. He's not calling you with nothing.

Back to the original topic. The only difference I might make there is betting the river. He is checking to you I'm assuming since you have position. Once you get called on 4th street I'd shut it down as your hand isn't too powerful against a person who has smooth called you on the flop and turn.

tkanx for the advice. I have saved some money lately on checking back on the river instead of allways go for a final bet.

Originally Posted by bdawg56kg

Maybe it's just me but I would have a very hard time laying down trips with any kind of kicker, and no straight or flush draws on the board. It would be interesting to see what the exact odds are that someone has the other 9 with a better kicker. The way I see it would be like getting KK, someone going AI before you and laying it down b/c you think they have rockets. I might've possibly layed that hand down because it smelled like a boat the way he kept smooth calling you, but not because I suspected I was outkicked.

If you get into a raise war on the flop (after check-raising), with a pair on the board, you have to start thinking about the possibility that you're beat. If you don't think about it then, it will cost you money. I find this is particularly true in scenarios like these:

- you're in the small blind with a crap hand like 96 suited
- flop comes 99x
- you check, BB checks, a player bets; you raise, then BB raises you, and the other guy folds

At this point you have to wonder why the big blind would re-raise UNLESS he had a 9 - and while it's possible his other card is lower than a 6, it's not likely.

As far as the kings vs. aces scenario, there's really no comparison. The odds of aces vs. kings on a single hand is really low, but the odds of someone else playing the 9 (especially in an unraised pot with a couple of limpers + the blinds) is decent. I'm not saying you should just fold - far from it - but you also shouldn't shove your chips in the pot as quickly as possible, because there's a chance you're beat. That's more true the higher the card is - lots of players will limp in with hands like T9, J9, even Q9-A9 (because they like the high card & the 9 doesn't look that bad).