Standard river play?

[esspo]

On line 15-30. Not enough hands to have any read on button.

EP limps, folded to me in the cutoff and I raise with AQo, button cold calls, blinds call.

Flop: J /images/graemlins/spade.gif 7 /images/graemlins/heart.gif 3 /images/graemlins/spade.gif

Checked to me, I bet, button calls, everyone else folds.

Turn: 2 /images/graemlins/club.gif

I bet, button calls.

River: Q /images/graemlins/diamond.gif

I check. Comments on all streets appreciated.

[steveyz]

I'd bet here. I think it's more likely he has a pocket pair that will check through the river with (that he would have called a bet) than a busted draw that he'll bet with.

[esspo]

But he didn't raise the flop or the turn and on party my sense is that its SOP to pop it with any pair somewhere along the way if no A or K is on the board. I suppose they do that with draws too.

Anyway, the plan was to check-call any non-spade river and I stuck to the plan.

[TStoneMBD]

checkraising here looks good to me

[steveyz]

i think check calling the river would be fine if you didn't improve. Given that you did, I'd bet out because I think some of the time he will have a draw and some of the time he'll have a small pair (or even a weak J if he's loose passive) and many opponents will not bluff bet the river if you check to them because they expect AKo unimproved to call. However, a small pair may make a "value" bet if checked to, but these are the same hands that are almost guaranteed to call a river bet anyways.

[skp]

Plus, these river bets make your bluff river bets more believable.

[TStoneMBD]

well obviously checkraising has its metagame strengths too, and in my opinion, those strengths are far greater than the ones you gain by betting.