4 handed 15/30 K9s on the button.

[PokerDork]

Live 4 handed 15/30 game. With the exception of me, everyone is very loose and very passive and generally bad, utg just last orbit limped utg with AQo, sb is not terrible like bb or utg, but also isn't very good, his normally a little loose fullhanded, but sicne he hasn't changed his starting requirements much he's about where he should be, however he has called every one of my button raises except one or two, but he also plays pretty well postflop. BB will play just about any two, and recently cited the "half in rule" from his big blind as he took down a pot with 72o (seriously). Anyway, UTG limps, I limp on the button with Ks9s, sb completes, bb checks.
Family pot flop comes QQKr.
SB checks, bb bets out, utg folds, I raise, sb folds.
BB's bet here could be any K, maybe a Q (I've played with him frequently and sometimes he slowplays and sometimes he fastplays to create the illusion that he doesnt have a big hand), also a hand like JT or even AJ wouldn't be out of the question, but he is less likely to semi-bluff than the other two players here. He will also almost definitely check to the raiser on the turn, and either call, or check-raise, he's not folding any hand he bet the flop with. So I decide that I'll check behind on the turn, and call or bet the river, regardless of what falls, as I figure to either be way ahead or way behind in this situation, and he will "sense" weakness and bet the river pretty much no matter what when I check behind on the turn.
Turn 4
River 5 with no flush possible.
Everything goes as planned and I call the river bet. Is this line good, bad, or ugly... Comments on all streets welcomed.

[Paluka]

Why not raise preflop?

[Gamblor]

With what is likely the best hand vs. the limper, I'd raise preflop.

The rest looks good. Getting check-raised on the turn would suck, so with a tiny pot you want to get to showdown as cheap as possible.

[PokerDork]

Seems like both yourself and Paluka feel I should've raised preflop. But, There is almost no way either of the blinds are folding, and most of the time it will check to me on the flop if I raised pf. And, since the best I can really hope for is top pair shaky kicker, or middle pair good kicker, and while these are valuable hands 4 handed, I thought a preflop raise that would almost assuredly be called in all 3 spots, would end up giving me a lot of situations I'd have to pay off with a second best hand, and have to proceed cautiously with what might be a good hand, and unsure of what to do when I missed. Because these players will check/call with pretty much any pair or any draw getting at least 9:1 on the flop. So I figured keeping the pot smaller would help protect a hand where I figured to be best yet vulnerable, and not being the aggressor would enable to better read the hands of the other players, since they are less likely to trap and are more likely to play more straightforward/predictably with no preflop aggression.

[Gamblor]

So I figured keeping the pot smaller would help protect a hand where I figured to be best yet vulnerable, and not being the aggressor would enable to better read the hands of the other players, since they are less likely to trap and are more likely to play more straightforward/predictably with no preflop aggression.

Then you HAVE to raise the flop. If you want to keep the pot small to induce a larger mistake, then the subsequent action would be to induce the mistake and raise the flop.

[PokerDork]

I did raise the flop.

[kowboy]

with multiples in this pot your never truly going to know where you are at. I like your raise on the flop to give yourself the best chance of winning. Like you said your either ahead or way behind. You might want to bet fourth and then check check fifth. The bet on fourth may give you that free card with the best hand on fifth and then you wouldnt have the check raise quandry. If he does check raise you on fourth you just have to hope for the best if you want to stay in. Your sort of in a prisoners dillema. You may get checked down if you both comply. If he trys a steal you may try a resteal. If he doesnt have a queen you both are in the same dillema. With your position you have a sequential strategy though, if you bet first on fourth he has to make a decision giving you the edge. He may fold. You still have the advantage if he bets because you can check raise wich would be reasonable if you did have the queen. I like those plays on fourth because he may have an advantage on fifth by betting. If your weak he may bet and it now puts you to the test. /images/graemlins/spade.gif