Playing the open-ended straight on the flop.

[heat680]

PokerStars No-Limit Hold'em Tourney, Big Blind is t200 (5 handed) Hand History Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com (Format: FlopTurnRiver)

BB (t6769)
UTG (t7110)
MP (t1304)
Button (t3582)
Hero (t2380)

Preflop: Hero is SB with J, Q.
3 folds, Hero completes, BB checks.

Flop: (t400) 4, T, 9 (2 players)
Hero: ???

Final Pot: t400

Should you lead into a flop w/ an open-ended straight as above? Or is check / calling a better line hoping for free cards and basing decision on odds?

[THaC]

It's just SB v BB, you may as well lead and try to take the pot down. If he calls and you hit, check-raise would be perfect (Especially if it's the K, it doesn't stand out as easy). He'll think you tried to steal the pot and are giving up and should bet around 2/3-3/4 of the pot, which should be at around 900-1000 after your flop bet and his call.

You have ~1800 left, and he'd hopefully bet around 700, so just shove the rest in.

If the turn is a blank, re-evaluate. He may check behind, but if he bets, you don't really have the stack to call and pray for a lucky river.

[fjuanl]

definetly lead out. you also have 2 overcards to go with your open-ended. betting can take down the pot without having to catch something

[swiggidy]

Is this a 2 table SnG, FT? So top 4 get paid? That needs to factor in your decision. Unless BB is tight I would consider folding pre-flop.

Why no raise pre-flop? I would take a stab at the pot. You are behind any pair and even if he min-bets, you really aren't getting odds to call.

[heat680]

This was a 3 table SnG, down to 10 players at this point.

Raising in a blind vs. blind is one part of the game that I've yet to bring myself to do when I should. Harrington advocates open raising w/ face cards and A's from the SB....

I always have it in my mind that he's sitting in the BB with a monster.

[zenbitz]

This hand... I am less inclined to probe bet /semi bluff considering the two clubs already out. Your M is also < 10 and BB waaaaaaay stacks you. Also you are not quite desperate enough to open push this flop with a decent draw.

It's close though. Give stack sizes, I would have expected an aggressive BB to raise you preflop with any 2. So, either he's trapping, or is going to punt his 83 to the first bet (just hope it's not an 84 or 94) Others have made good arguments for betting that I don't disagree.

Also, I would have raised QJ pf here. If he re-raises, fold (yay, you didn't get trapped).

Finaallly... playing SB with an ok hand and pretty small stack against a big stack is very hard. I hate just folding my SB, but I hate completing and getting raised off more. I hate getting trapped by a big pair or AK worst of all, though.

[JeffreyGB]

If you have a better than average hand (Q7) in the SB, you're usually better off betting in my book. You're ahead of a random hand. Why let them catch up and flop something? Fear of running into a monster is costing you chips. You shouldn't fear a monster hand; the worst thing to fear is the big stack being aggro, and limping isn't a solution to this unless you're trapping.

[drmcboy]

lead. check calling sucks with the FD there. good spot for CR if he's aggressive.