Use Caution or Exert Pressure? Flopping Middle Pair in a Three-Bet Pot

Jonathan LittleToday we have a fun hand from the $10,000 buy-in World Poker Tour L.A. Poker Classic Main Event at the Commerce Casino.

The tournament was not a re-entry — that is to say, it was a standard "freezeout" which has actually become less common these days. That's relevant to point out, as this hand comes early and in freezeouts I tend to be a little more aggressive during the first levels if I think my opponents are leaning toward not wanting to go broke.

The blinds were 50/100, and it folded to a loose-aggressive player in the cutoff who had about 28,000 to start and raised to 300. I had 30,000 and was dealt on the button, and I chose three-bet to 900. My opponent called, the flop…