Mike Rand

I've noticed on this board lately some people saying you can safely lay down to a bluff in the online UB PL games. These comments brought the following hand to mind...


I am playing pretty well and have my stack up over $400 when the following hand comes up:


I am in the BB with 86s, there are two limpers, the SB calls, and I check. The flop comes 7s-5c-2c. It's checked around to the button, who bets $6. The button has about $180.


I have been playing with the button for a while and have noticed that he is a good player who may be a little on the tight side. I know he would NEVER limp from late position with a big pair, but he could have a small set, or possibly 75 suited. If he doesn't have either of these hands, I figure a checkraise from the BB on this board will get him to fold most other hands, and if he calls I have straight outs. So I check raise the pot $20, the other limper folds and he calls. With his flat call I put him on a draw, most likely the nut flush draw. I think that most of the time he would reraise with a set, though he might call with 77 or 55. He could also just call with 75.


Turn comes 3s.


I pick up the small flush draw and decide to follow through with a bet on the turn, as I now believe this player will fold a club draw for a large bet. If he has a set I am nearly certain he will raise, and I can fold out only about $85. He just calls.


River comes 10d.


I do not believe the 10d could help his hand, as I don't believe he would limp in and still be here with 10-10. I bet out $100, betting on my read that he was on a draw that must have missed when the 10d fell. Obviously if I check I lose the pot. Of course he calls, showing Ac-7c, which was top pair and the nut flush draw on the flop, and a pair of 7's for $100 on the river.


Any thoughts?

its a case of putting someone on a hand, and not willing to let go of your money which is in the pot already.


i do this ALL the time .. and it is usually how i bow out of tournaments. once i put someone on a hand and the turn and river don't help .. i'm going to bet all the way .. no matter what.


thing is a lot of the time, if they are happy to call the turn, and the river doesn't help anyone, they will probably call the river about half the time.


i bet you still win a lot of money playing this angle, but sometimes you will lose money like in this instance. so i'd stick with it, but pick the right player and the right position.


it also helps to have SOMETHING to fall back on .. just incase they think you are bluffing and call with low pair or ace high ..

Being able to make this play will earn you a lot of chips in the long run, as long as your read on your opponents is good. The only thing that might have given him a clue as to where you were at (thus the river call) was that you check-raised on the flop. Of course with this kind of board it is very possible from your position you hit the flop, but a good player knows this, and knows that you know that he knows this. Add this to the fact that many players check-raise with draws more than really top notch hands in your position, and he probably felt he had to make a stand. Of course, he should have raised you at some point, probably on the flop, rather than just call you down.

In general, though, you were the aggressor and you put the pressure on him to just call with a pair of 7s. In the long run he probably won't fare too well in that situation. Neither of you was really wrong to play like you did, but when he did actually call the turn bet, I might have been a little worried he had more than just a draw, and hesitated to put in that extra 100$. Still, I'd rather be the one in control of the hand...

Calling that turn bet is the key. You can't win the pot without a hand now. You are certainly not going to buy it on the river when a rag comes off. Once he calls that turn bet, it's clear he's in call-down mode. Your only hope is to get an extra scary river card to make him think twice about calling a big river bet.


Firing both barrels is tough and admirable, but firing three barrels from out of position in an attempt to push someone off the winning hand is often a big money loser. I think you needed to give up on the river here.


This hand also illustrates the difficulty of playing drawing hands from out of position.


natedogg