Tough river decision (1-2 NL)

1-2 Crazy NL game online.
UTG calls Im UTG +2 and I raise to 7.35 with AhQh. (I have 300 in my stack)
Maniac to my left with a huge stack cold-calls (as usual)

Button also cold calls with a much bigger stack than mine (around 700) He has shown some cray hands and I do not respect him very much as a player. Thats all the details I can give you about him.

Sb and and UTG calls. BB folds. 5 players in.
around 35$ in pot after rake.

Flop comes: Qs3s8c
Blinds check and I bet 20$. Button calls and rest fold.

Turn:5d
That couldnt have helped him?
So, I bet 65$. He calls again.
Rivercard: 7s
Board: Qs3s8c 5d 7s

Now what?

I checked and so did he...
My hand was good. He held JsJh.

[Ignatius]

> 35$ in pot [..] Flop comes: Qs3s8c, Blinds check and I bet 20$.

Given the flush draw, I don't like your underbet here. Make it $40, so that you can make a pot committing bet if the turn is safe.

If you want to get tricky and your opponents are very aggressive, you can try to go for a check-raise. But betting 1/2 the pot gets you the worst of both worlds: It's enough to prevent weaker pairs from raising but not enough to get draws to fold. You also set yourself up for a tough decision if you get raised as your weak bet as the preflop raiser looks like a half-hearted steal attempt and could easily inspire someone behind to semi-bluff.

> Board: Qs3s8c 5d 7s [...] Now what?

Checking here only makes sense if the button is a chronic bluffer and you intend to call him down no matter what or if he is so weak passive that you know he would neither bet nor call w/o the flush. Otherwise, bet whatever amount you think he would pay you off with a hand like QJ, 2nd pair or even A8. If you check here, you're just begging to be bluffed out of the pot.

cu

Ignatius

[Boris]

I would've bet alot more on the turn. It sounds like you're not going to be making any sort of "good laydowns" against these players. You have about $270 left in your stack on the turn. You could bet $70 now and then you will have to make at least a $100 bet on the river or check and snap off a bluff. Since you can't really put them on a hand with any degree of accuracy, and since you don't have that much money in your stack, I would've bet at least $120 on the turn. This gives them a chance to make a big mistake and it commits you to the pot.

I RESPECTFULLY disagree with you both. the way the games are being played on the net, AQ is nothing but a trap hand. You rarely get the correct price for a draw, and it's a drawing hand.

FAR more players will have you beat if they CALL rather than calling you with say, KQ. The only thing this hand is good for ON THE NET is top pair, top kicker AND a flush draw. You'll go broke playing it.

The blinds are so small, pick a better spot for the big bets. /forums/images/icons/wink.gif

[Diplomat]

I agree somewhat with an above post about hitting it harder on the flop, I would bet at least 3/4 the size of the pot. The pot is an ok size, and you want to take it down then and there when you seem to be ahead.

When a blank hits on the turn, I would bet even harder, particularily if you suspect the button was on a flushdraw. I think a pot-sized bet should do the trick.

The river is tricky...I never know what to do here. I probably would toss out a bet of around $30 and see what happens.

Glad it worked out.

Just my opinion...

[Lurker]

Hmm, I understand how it could be a trap hand if a passive player calls your preflop raise or reraise with A-K and then calls you all the way down when an A flops. It has happened to me.

But he flopped a Q, not an A, giving him top pair, top kicker. And in this situation the two opponents will call a $5 raise with any hand, it seems. In this situation I will always raise when I have the best hand to make THEM get the wrong odds to flop out on me. I see no reason to let someone flop a split bottom pair cheaply when I flop my Q with this hand.

What do you think?

L

>I RESPECTFULLY disagree with you both. the way the games >are being played on the net, AQ is nothing but a trap >hand. You rarely get the correct price for a draw, and >it's a drawing hand.
>
>FAR more players will have you beat if they CALL rather >than calling you with say, KQ. The only thing this hand is >good for ON THE NET is top pair, top kicker AND a flush >draw. You'll go broke playing it.
>
>The blinds are so small, pick a better spot for the big >bets.