Blind Stealing...Critique my play please

Limit holdem, $100-200 stage with $50-100 blinds. 2 tables remaining out of 165 entries, 20 places paid. Everyone started with $100T and I am 2nd or 3rd highest at my table with around $1500T. There was a lot of blind stealing at this juncture with hardly any flops being seen.


I'm in the cutoff and it is folded to me. I pick up Q-9 of spades and raise. Comments here?


Button folds, SB folds, BB ($800T) calls


Didn't really have any kind of a handle of what kind of player the BB was.


Flop: Q 2 8 rainbow


BB checks, I bet, BB calls.


Turn: Q 2 8 (Q) now two hearts


BB checks; I bet; BB raises; I call


River: Q 2 8 Q (3 no heart)


BB goes all in for $100, I call


BB shows me Q-10 of diamonds.


Should I have considered checking behind when the Q hit the turn?


I did consider folding to his raise but couldn't bring myself laying down trips, although I was almost certain I was dominated. Did I create my own trap trying to steal the blinds from the cutoff with Q-9s in the first place?


All comments welcome.


Gene (holdemdude)

you could have checked behind on fourth street and hoped he would bluff on the river or call with a weaker hand. it just turned out he had you beat.

I would have played it the same as you

Stealing with Q9 is fine, as long as you can play well when they don't all fold.


Later, Greg Raymer (FossilMan)

Well then, how do you think I played the hand? I would appreciate your thoughts.

Hard for me to say. I don't know the player, and wasn't there. I do know that I would have to be super-sure of my read to lay down your hand on the turn or river.


The option of checking the turn is a good one, however. If he has nothing, he can't call your bet anyway. This is a spot where you're either way ahead or way behind, so checking and hoping he'll bluff the river if he has nothing isn't a bad idea.


But, would he have called you on the turn with AK? Bad check if he would've paid you off.


That's why I'm not sure.


Later, Greg Raymer (FossilMan)