Bay 101, 20-40 hand Is this a bad play?

[mauisupaman]

Good Bay 101 game. Lot's of loose players and passive at that. It's sure nice when your opponents don't shoot back at you like Vegas. My opponent in question is weak tight. Here's the hand:

I limp UTG with A /images/graemlins/club.gifT /images/graemlins/club.gif followed by several limpers (these guys were playing hands like Q4 - suited of course). The button slides $40 into the pot and I as well as the limpers call. 5 of us see a flop of Q /images/graemlins/club.gif J /images/graemlins/diamond.gif 7 /images/graemlins/spade.gif. Checked to the button who bets. I was about to just call here, but I felt the button was most likely on AK and the limpers in between us had who knows what. So, I popped it back with $40 and to my delight the field folds to the button who calls. Turn is a 3 /images/graemlins/spade.gif. We both check. I think perhaps I should've followed up with a bet here. River is a 2 /images/graemlins/spade.gif. I can't win now so, I bet out and the button folds and I rake in the pot.

Comments appreciated.
A hui hou,
Adam

[tipperdog]

When you check-raise the flop, you've made the threshold decision to play this hand aggressively. Having made that decision, I think it's critical to follow up with a bet on the turn. If your read is correct that your opponent has AK, it's a tough call for him to make.

Having checked the turn, you were very lucky that your river bluff succeeded. After you've shown such weakness, many players (myself included) would make a river crying call with AK hoping you were messing around on the flop.

[Nightwish]

I don't like this. The pot isn't that large, and you're attempting a steal against 4 other players. Granted, your steals are more likely to work when the pot is smaller, but the immediate reward you're getting for investing 2 BB is only 5.5 BB.

[Avatar]

If you are going to make this play and it's folded to the button who obviously is going to call that extra 1 SB, why on earth would not bet the turn?

I think the majority (myself included), calls your river bet.

[TStoneMBD]

you said you read him as AK simply on the notion that he raised pf and bet the flop, i dont know how you come about this read. the read seems to be more wishful thinking than anything. i think i would rather just call here as you dont really mind the other players in the pot calling along. raising here is also a reasonable play, but to just assume the button has AK is foolish. after you raise the flop, clearly you have to bet the turn. checking this here is just wasting your bet on the flop. you got lucky that the button folded to your river bet as most people would call here with the presumed "AK".

[mauisupaman]

TStone,
I put him on AK purely by the probability of having the combination of AK. I already had an A so I figured his most likely hand out of the range of hands he'd raise with would be about AK. After he failed to reraise the flop and checked behind on the turn I was fairly certain he missed or perhaps even held a small pocket. And I agree with you and everyone else that I should've followed up on the turn.

[Chris Daddy Cool]

hi mauisupaman,

sometimes i'll checkraise a flop and check a turn for a reverse free card play, but clearly thats not what you were trying to do that here. if you checkraise this flop and get it heads up with what you believe is AK you must follow through on the turn because. most players will call you down on the river after such a bizarre turn check.

[anatta]

The pot is big and I think your flop play is okay. If I did this, I would usually bet the turn, but I think your turn check is good here if you really think he will check the turn and define his hand, yet laydown for one bet on the river (he doesn't think you are "tricky", but rather tight "solid"). This is pretty rare, so again bet the turn.

The only problem I see here is that a flop of QJX will hit the preflop raiser or one of the limpers quite often. The fact that they all checked to the button could just mean a check to the raiser. As far as the preflop raiser, he has AK 12 times, AA 3, KK 6, AQ 9, JJ 3, QQ 3. Since he is passive, I will ignore AJ which you are behind, and TT which he might fold. Given my hand range, 33% of the time he has AK.

Because of the size of the pot and the weakness of the raiser, I like your play.

I think its better to do plays like this when the flop comes low and you happen to have a draw. Say you limp in with A5s and flop comes 237. Then I would certainly check raise the button raiser and follow up with a turn bet. (this opportunity arises a lot when you are in the blinds). So next time try to get A5s and a flop of 237. /images/graemlins/laugh.gif