Interesting straight flush draw bubble hand

[adanthar]

4 people left on the bubble of a 50+5 with 150/300 blinds. I'm in the BB with 2200 chips after posting; UTG has 1500, the button has 5300, and the SB has 450 left after the blind.

The button is pretty loose (but not terrible PF) and loves minraising big hands (minraised KK in L2, then minraised a Kxx flop and again on an A turn.) For the second or third time, he open limps on the button. Every other time he's done this, he minbet the flop, I had eight high or something and folded. This time, the SB folds and I check my 98 /images/graemlins/heart.gif .

The flop is J /images/graemlins/heart.gif T /images/graemlins/spade.gif 2 /images/graemlins/heart.gif. I check. The button doesn't disappoint me and minbets. I call.

The turn is K /images/graemlins/heart.gif. I check and miss my checkraise as he turbochecks behind.

The river is a T. I bet around 700 into the 1300 pot and get paid off.

I'm mostly interested in the flop and turn. Thoughts?

[nuclear500]

You should not have checked your flush, you should have bet. You were letting the Ah get the river for free and its entirely possible he had it and if another heart came, would you be able to trust your flush if he bet more than his standard min-bet? (unless of course it was the Q /images/graemlins/heart.gif)

[montybear]

I like it and don't mind giving the free river card even if he checks behind on the turn. If a heart does fall on the river, I'll call a large bet, but maybe not a small one.

[assron]

I would have probably bet a 1/3 pot or so on each street, I like to take the lead when my draws are strong so I can hopefully both control the size of the pot and disguise my hand to make it pay better when it hits (or sometimes to take it down if it doesnt). If that makes any sense. With a straight flush draw, I have to think I'm probably slightly favored regardless of what the button holds, so I'm putting money in with or without a read on the button's hand.

Check-calling is definitely an option too on the flop though, and you played the turn correctly as well - you probably dont want to bet the flush card on the turn after check-calling the flop if you really want to be paid.

[emil3000]

[ QUOTE ]
You should not have checked your flush, you should have bet. You were letting the Ah get the river for free and its entirely possible he had it and if another heart came, would you be able to trust your flush if he bet more than his standard min-bet? (unless of course it was the Q /images/graemlins/heart.gif)

[/ QUOTE ]

I think that it may well be wrong to check a flush here, but not because he might make a bigger one. Everything is possible of course, but it isn't a very important factor for me. Rather the question is, does it get any more chips into the pot than betting out. He doesn't seem to be one to make a big bet, regardless of his hand, so from that point of view, you don't gain much by checkraising. Checkraising is quite a strong play, I think you're giving him a better opportunity to get away from his mediocre hands than you do by betting out. He seems to be more of a payoff station than a LAG so I say valuebet him on the turn. He might even get frisky and minraise you, and then you've got him.

[adanthar]

I'm 100% sure check/calling the flop was the right play, but I think I do bet the turn next time this comes up.

Results in white: <font color="white">He mucked QQ, no hearts.</font>

[schwza]

i like your line. if this were not the bubble you could play it much faster, but you don't want to get all-in on this flop.

the turn check is less clear. had he been following up his flop minbets when he missed? (i guess you thought so, or you wouldn't have checked the turn). one nice benefit to the turn check is that if he has something like T9, he will probably pay off a small bet on the river if the turn goes check-check. and there are only three cards in the deck (excluding sets/2 pair) that are drawing live against you, so risking a free card is not a big problem. the A /images/graemlins/heart.gif is unlikely b/c he probably would have raised.

if the action had been the same but the turn were the K /images/graemlins/club.gif (brick), would you have bet the river?

[adanthar]

[ QUOTE ]
if the action had been the same but the turn were the K /images/graemlins/club.gif (brick), would you have bet the river?

[/ QUOTE ]

Anything more than a minbet and suddenly it's a race for third, plus this guy's going to pay off with any pair and probably Ax, so no.

A better question would be what I do on the river if the turn is an 8, he checks behind and the river is a brick. If he bets more than the minimum it's an easy fold, but I'm not sure if the minbet is worth calling. Probably not.

[The Yugoslavian]

I like your line here. There is a stack on the bubble significantly smaller than you so you want to be careful vs. the big stack until you hit your hand. Then it is merely about extracting a good amount of chips from your opponent (I would have been liable to bet a bit less on the river for this reason). You certainly can bet the turn but I like going for the check-raise and if he checks behind you can play the river as you did and probably get paid off as he won't know you made your hand on the turn.

Yugoslav