How would you play this?

[frob23]

So today I get home from a very stressful day at work and decide to play some super-micro stakes to relax. About the 4th hand, this happens.

PokerStars No-Limit Hold'em, $0.02 BB (7 handed) Poker-Stars Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com (Format: FlopTurnRiver Cards)

saw flop|saw showdown

SB ($2.98)
Hero ($1.98)
UTG ($0.50)
MP1 ($2.27)
MP2 ($3)
CO ($1.98)
Button ($3.85)

Preflop: Hero is BB with , . MP2 posts a blind of $0.02.
UTG calls $0.02, MP1 calls $0.02, MP2 (poster) checks, 1 fold, Button calls $0.02, 1 fold, Hero raises to $0.25, UTG folds, MP1 folds, MP2 calls $0.23, Button folds.

Flop: ($0.57) , , (2 players)
Hero bets $0.2, MP2 calls $0.20.

Turn: ($0.97) (2 players)
Hero bets $0.5, MP2 calls $0.50.

River: ($1.97) (2 players)
Hero ???

You have to love that board. What is your action?

If you check and he bets, or bet and he raises... what then?

How much more are you willing to put in the pot here?

[PointerJake]

I probably check and bang my head against the wall. I would have check raised flop though and been all in on turn.

[frob23]

This is a very loose passive table. It was only 4 hands but none of the players had yet shown aggression. A check on the flop was likely to give a free card. I had no reason to assume that he would bet so I bet for value. I also kept the bet slightly under half the pot to induce a call from weaker hands. At these tables, I have never found playing tricky to be a benefit. If he had raised at any point in the hand, I would have been all-in instantly.

Well, with the possible exception of the river. And even there, with my stack size and the size of the pot... it would be hard to let this go.

[irishpkr]

First off, bet more on flop, ~50cents, then ofcourse more on the turn too, as played bet 80-90cents. If he has hit this flop for top pair, top 2 pair, you gotta extract value, and ofcourse if he is drawing, you better charge him. Even with that river I'm still betting it, I can't see him having 2 here, I think there is more value from his non-J hands that can be had by betting, compared to what you might lose to his possible straight. So I'm gonna bet more on flop and turn, and bet maybe 1/2 pot on river.

Edit: By poorly betting this hand you've left yourself in a difficult decision, you're left with roughly 50big blinds left come the river, but betting more on F and T will commit you to the hand (what you want to be doing here for sure) and leave you with a nicer amount left on the river (~20BB) which makes it an easy all-in.

[frob23]

Although I am usually a fan of larger raises, when I flop top set the last thing I want to do is pick up the pot on the flop. I had no reason to assume that this flop had hit the player hard. The worst hand I could be facing is J-10 which is possible but not a major concern. When I sit at a table with nearly 80% of the players seeing a flop, I have to expect some loose pre-flop action. On this flop I was more concerned about getting money in than being outdrawn. Also, if the flop wasn't seen heads up, then a pot-sized bet would be more natural because it would be more likely that someone had something worth calling with.

As it happened, with the hand the player had, I am shocked I was able to get as much money as I was in the pot on the flop and turn. This was probably pretty close to the theoretical maximum he would have put in.

If I had a read on this player which would suggest that he's playing K-Q A-K or A-Q... then I would try for more. I don't have a read and from the stats and his 100% involvement in the 5-7 hands I had history for, I can't assume he's even calling with something as good as Q-J. I'm playing in the dark against this person.

Yes, the bets are low... even offering the correct implied odds to draw for J-10 (assuming I call when they hit which I probably would have). I don't know but I do know I don't want to chase him out. I'd rather have to face a river decision like this every so often than I would just like to win the 57 cents on the flop. The last thing I want to do is look eager to get my chips in and chase off my customer.

Edit: I do agree with betting the river (which I didn't do in the hand as played). At this point, if I am beat... I'm beat and probably will end up paying him off anyway. at the time, I didn't bet because it seemed like one of those places where you're only getting called when you're losing but he could have easily had a calling hand that wasn't the straight.

[irishpkr]

I understand the desire not to chase him off, but odds are he will probably call slightly more on the flop and turn. But there's no way I'm folding this river, he will have 2clubs like never, and ofcourse had can have a load of possible 2pair hands, he might even be calling down with a big Ace

[ZZZZZZZZZ]

On the river, you need to check call, casue he will most likely only calll/raise with the straight, but he may bluff if you check to him, so betting gives you no equity, but checking and calling gives you equity equal to the percentage of time he thinks he can bluff you off. The best advice so far though is to bet more on the flop, and then the money is in by the river and it is a moot point.

[Latrocinium]

ok. My take is to walk through the hand.

You raise preflop .25. So that's like 12.5xbb. He smooth calls, but he's got the position. So he could be on a range of hands. TT,99,JJ,QQ,AA or drawing AQ,AK,AJ,AT,Ax I would think the AT,Ax would have to be suited to play a raised pot. If he quick called, I'd lean more to the pocket pair, and the high draws. If it had any length to it. I would add QT, QJ, KJ.

The flop comes KQ8 rainbow. You bet .20 on the milk, but again he has position. So he smooth calls. You're giving him 3 to 1 or actually a little less. So he has to be getting better than 3 to 1. No flush draw, yet. lol. So maybe a straight draw, or top pair. If he's a lag, I'm saying top pair or second pair. So AK, AQ. possibly suited. Ya know how those lags like the back doors. Good player, I'm saying KQ, KJ, AK. But he does'nt raise. So he either is really good, or really drawing. KQ would be 2 pair, so really good.(To him), AK, same, AQ not so much, KJ, drawing, QJ really drawing. etc. He could still have a pocket pair, but anything that did'nt trip, would surely be thrown away. So given our hand, maybe QQ,AA,JJ,TT,88. With AA,QQ,JJ I think he would have reraised preflop. TT, na he'd have to walk away, with a double belly buster. 88 maybe, but once again. I think he would raise to get more money in the pot. Putting you on AK, AA, KK, QQ, AQ. So we can rule that out.

Then the 9c. You bet .50 into .97. So now you're giving less than 2 to 1. If he's drawing he's a moron, and stay cuz you'll make a lot more money on him. So that goes with AK, AQ, KJ, being a weak play, and KQ being a good player. Now was there any hesitation. Did that flush bother him. It might not of, because he had a backdoor now. So maybe KQs.

The Tc. OMFG. could ya have picked a worse card. So now if he is suited, well ur SOL. But maybe not. If you check and he's a lag, then you can expect a bluff raise. So I'd bet out, hoping not to get called. If he's a good player. I'd check or post oak, in order to keep the price cheap to see what he had. Otherwise I would check and call a medium bet, but probably walk away for an all in. Wait for a better spot, better board, when ya know you have em by the nutz. lol works in a couple of ways.

[frob23]

Okay... I don't want to ruin the fun... but you're going to love his hand. You might need to go back and look at the board and see what he was calling for (because I can't tell).







Honestly... I was terrified of that?!!!

Talk about worrying about monsters under the bed.

[Latrocinium]

ROFLMAO, that's classic.

He was praying for a jack on that board.


Nice hand, can't wait to see what ya post next.