Fire once more on the river?

[VarlosZ]

PokerStars $1/$2 NLHE (buy-in $200). I'm in the BB w/ A /images/graemlins/heart.gif 5 /images/graemlins/club.gif and $217 before posting. No reads on the table.

fold, EP2 ($88) calls, fold, MP2 ($78) calls, MP3 ($194) calls, 2 folds, SB ($194) completes, I check. 5 players.

Flop (pot=$10): A /images/graemlins/spade.gif J /images/graemlins/heart.gif 5 /images/graemlins/heart.gif

SB checks, I bet $10. MP2 & MP3 call, the other two fold. 3 players.

Turn (pot=$40): Q /images/graemlins/club.gif

I bet $30, MP2 & MP3 call again.

River (pot=$130): 9 /images/graemlins/diamond.gif

MP2 has $36 left; MP3 has $152 left -- I have them both covered. Bet again? If so, how much? If you check, how big a bet do you call from MP3?

[VarlosZ]

I'm gonna give this just one <bump>.

[Tilt]

Very tough.

Its very possible that KT is up against you and is now drawing you in. Likely no trips out there, since no preflop raise or flop raise. I put one on TPTK, the other on KT. JQ is also possible, but I would have expected him to raise too.

I like your play up to this point. I would make a small bet - give the appearnce of a value bet - as though you have KT. 20 -30 should do it. You'll know if you are up against KT when he reraises pot sized. Huge river bluffs are fairly rare. And if you dont have a read on them, then they probably dont have a read on you, so I would not expect a big bluff. If TPTK calls and the other folds, then you not only win a nice pot, you have some tasty fish to fry as well.

[VarlosZ]

I checked the river, figuring I was up against at least one missed heart draw and one made hand that could easily have me beat (lots of straights, better two-pair, etc. out there).

In retrospect, I think your idea is better since it gets me what I can against an inferior hand, and also gives me a better idea of when I should fold to a big bet.

Results: MP2 and MP3 both checked behind me. MP2 had T /images/graemlins/heart.gif 6 /images/graemlins/heart.gif, while MP3 had Q /images/graemlins/heart.gif 9 /images/graemlins/heart.gif (and made a nice check on the river). At no point from preflop to the turn should they have stayed in the hand. ( /images/graemlins/smile.gif)

[thatpfunk]

I like this line a lot. I do not think you can be called by a hand that you beat, even with a value bet. This seems the most reasonable with such a mediocre hand in a big pot with semi-coordinated board.