Two Pair and Straights

[silverfist]

I was wondering what the best strategy was when I hit two pair on a straight draw. Today, I was re-re-raised up to all-in by someone I knew had a high pair (from his preflop crazy raises). Anyway, to make a long story short, when a 4 dropped on the river, he made his gutshot straight A2345 and I was left with no money.

This kind of thing happens to me all the time. If someone reraises me when I have two pair on a straight board, what should I do?

I guess a second question is whether I should bother drawing to two pair if it might make a straight for someone else.

[DeusX]

A hand history might help make things a little clearer here. From the sounds of it you played it right and your op even bet into you with TP and an inside straight draw, which is a money making situation over time. Chances are he won't hit his inside straight draw most of the time so you're making money.

On the subject of two pair flopped, its an appealing hand and powerful, but also very beatable. Numerous times my set has been paid off by someone holding two pair. I've found that slowplaying the hand (2 pair) is just asking for trouble. Play it aggressively. As for trying to draw one pair to two pair (if that's what you're asking) that's not a good idea. You have very few outs and you're chasing miracle cards. And even if you do make your 2 pair, it doesn't necessarily hold up too well. One time I limped preflop with a mid pocket pair and it went to a 2 or 3 way pot preflop. I flopped my set and threw out a pot sized bet, and op called (with 1 pair). He turned 2 pair, pushed and his hand went unimproved on the river. What I'm trying to say is that many players overplay a 2 pair hand.

I'm relatively new to poker myself so any other comments/thoughts/ideas?

[Rondavu]

The point of poker is to get the most money in the middle while you're ahead. If you did that, then you have nothing to be ashamed of. If you do that everytime you bet, you make a lot of money.

So you pushed hard with two pair, and he called you with one pair. Sounds like you played it right to me.

Here's the thing about what I'm saying. Even if people have outs to made hands such as straights and flushes when they're behind you, they normally don't have enough outs to justify calling big bets in the longrun. So for everytime someone draws out on you, there will be two times your hand holds up in most cases. You can obviously see why that's profitable. Just expect to get rundown 30% of the time, and the beats will hurt less.

Poker is a longterm game. Treat it as such.

[Greedo017]

"I guess a second question is whether I should bother drawing to two pair if it might make a straight for someone else."

explain what you mean by, drawing to two pair.

[Checkways]

Don't play your two pair like it's god when the board looks like a flopped straight.

For instance, you have 87s and the flop is 789. Raise, but if you get reraised then you are most likely beat. No reraising hand in that situation is worse than yours. Does that make sense?

I guess a second question is whether I should bother drawing to two pair if it might make a straight for someone else.

No you should not. If you are holding JT and the board is 78T then a Jack probably KILLS your hand. You cannot count Jack as an out now. The nine is calling you and will hit their straight.