This really reduces to 4 hands. Otherwise, I was making some loose bets that probably about broke even. These should be reasonably representative, though:

1) I have about $100 and 4678ss in SB. CO (200 player who raises a fair amount but is reasonably tight) makes it $3 to go, and I call, as does BB. (CO has $60 or so, and BB has about the same)

Flop comes 45Jr. I figure in a 3-way pot, CO is going to CB, and hence go for the CR here. Sure enough, CO pots, I CR, then BB pushes. I clearly call. BB has 345J, and I spike a 3 on the river to win. Play on that one seems pretty straightforward.

2) I have KK87 (black KK, 87 suited in diamonds) in MP1 and limp. Loose player but fairly tight raiser (67/3--seems pretty decent post-flop and has $165; I'm at $150 or so) makes it 3, and we end up with a 3-way pot. Flop comes 822 with club draw.

Well, he could have AA (possibly with a 2 or possibly with clubs), and he could have very little here. I bet out $6 into the pot of $9. He calls--doesn't look to me like a 2. I feel like my main advantage here is that he probably has very little idea what I have. I think I'm repping a 2 or 88.

Turn is a J, making a heart draw in addition to clubs. I decide to pot it, and he folds. Not a huge pot, but somewhat risky on the betting here.

Anyhow, I felt like I was really more or less value-betting here and wanted the initiative. If he has me beat, I'll fold to a raise. But I also may get him to lay down an AA or a club draw.

Thoughts?

3) I have AK98ss with clubs to the K in SB. 2 limpers, and I figure this is a fairly decent hand to get short-handed. So, I pot PF. BB folds, and limpers call.

Flop comes K44 with heart draw. I half-pot it for $8 and take it down. I felt like repping KK was a good idea here--reducing risk and putting the pressure on heart draws (I also have the Ah).

4) Finally, one that I lost (HU mediocre draw that I played passively). I limp QJT6ss (suited to the J in spades) OTB after the rest of the table has folded. SB makes it $3 to go. I've played with this guy before, and he loves to raise AA, although he's new to this table. Anyhow, BB folds and I call.

Flop comes 974 with spade draw. So, I have a gutshot with spades and position in a HU pot. He bets $4 into the pot of $7. Well, I could raise, I guess (or fold), but I remember this guy tending to overplay AA, and he may have AA with flush draw. So, I figure I'll just call his passive bet and see what happens. Basically, draw for cheap with a hand that I'm not sure is good unless I hit the gutshot.

Turn 2c. He bets $9 into the pot of $15, and I again call with the same idea. River offsuit 2. He fires full pot, and I obviously fold with nothing.

Once I've limped here, I can't see folding to an extra $2 PF.

Anyone have strong opinions about folding or raising the flop? I was more of the opinion "mediocre hand, so just keep the pot small and draw for cheap." I clearly have pot odds with those bets if my flush draw is good, but I'm not planning on getting over-excited if I hit anything but the non-flush gutshot.

I don't completely understand the disinclination to raise on hand 3.

I see several advantages:

1) It hopefully gets out at least BB, making it a 3-way pot.

2) It increases pot-size making other players less inclined to try raising frivolously.

3) I'm rather unlikely to hit a truly big flop with this hand, but quite likely to hit TP. On a lot of boards, this will already be good, and it leaves them wondering whether I may have hit top set (which it's now very unlikely for them to have) or AA.

4) I don't think it's a big disadvantage being OOP on this particular hand. I would much prefer to be betting with TP than calling, and there are very few flops that will give me much of a draw. A pretty hard hit on this hand is going to be top 2.