Interesting 15-30 hand - debatable play on all streets

[J_V]

Here is a hand I played at Party Poker recently.

Cutoff open raises. I have KQh on the button and call. I will post my reasons for the way I played my hand this way in the upcoming results post, but let me just say that I did not reraise because this player is tenacious in heads up situations, and I would have troube moving him off A high type hands.

Flop comes Jh 3s 3c. He bets. I call.

Turn is a K. He bets. I call.

River is an A. He checks. I bet.

Comments?

[budman]

I think you played this hand well after the flop. I question calling a raise with KQh, especially against a 'tenacious' heads up player. I lean towards raising or folding.

Good call on the flop. It is unlikely he has a J and even if he does you have outs.

Good turn card. You win. I would raise the turn (which would probably lose the hand for me if he then bets the Ace on the river after you've told him you have a King).

Definitely fire away. You've been hanging around with something, and it doesn't look like he can beat an Ace (or a King).

Please tell me he folded to your river bet.

[J_V]

Results - He called and we split the pot with KQ.

Please don't reply to this post saying, I don't know what to do, because I would never be in that position, I would eithr have three bet or folded preflop. I realize many of you would do this. I disagree with the logic. If you are ever calling in spots like these, you aren't using all the tools available to you in the game of poker. There are only three options, as Andy Fox pointed out, what a shame it would be not to consider all three.

I think the call on the flop is fairly standard. The cutoff could have a wide range of hands and I could be ahead, plus I have a reasonable chance to catch up if I am not, and the cutoff might slowdown on the turn with hands that beat me. Plus, I have a royal flush draw. I am really curious as to what other posters would do here. If I raise, this player is capable of three betting ace high and certainly a jack, so I didn't like that option much.

The problem is if this player never checks the turn and I fold if I don't improve and never make a play for the pot, then I am losing EV. Because I will not improve often enough to justify a call solely on pot odds. So, I am trying to keep my eyes open for stealing possibilities.

What if it wasn't the jack of hearts? Anyone still play on?

Turn. I was very tempted to raise. I didn't because my opponent might fold a rag Ace high now or a small pocket pair, hands which I want a bet out of the river with. If he is behind and I can squeeze one more BB out of him, it would be coup. Plus raising the river is always an option.

My hand not is particularly vulnerable, so I am not worried about him sucking out. If I am behind this play minimizes my loss, and at the max loses 1 BB if I am ahead, but avoids the dilemma of what to do if I get 3-bet. Easy to say raise the turn, fold to a three bet, but I have found this fold easier to make on paper than actually at the table (or in front of my computer). I think its very close here, I don't know what the right play is.

River - His check says he's scared of the ace. Who check raises the river in spots like this? I can beat everything but the ace - so I value bet.

[skp]

Good post.

I agree with you that oddly enough, some guys don't call enough. Having said that, I am sure that you know the benefits of 3 betting preflop in this spot. But ya, it's not as if calling should never be considered. Someone mentioned folding. In this spot, I would never fold KhQh.

I like the call on the turn for the reasons you give unless it was one of those 5 man games. In those games, you are in there posturing so often, you may as well raise when you have the goods.

I like your river bet and logic for that bet.

[Boris]

I would lean towards betting here as you might get paid off by a pocket pair and if he folds then you keep him suspicious.

One trend I have noticed in aggressive players is that a check when out of position will often mean "I finally have a hand good enough to check". Absent player specific tendencies I would bet.

[J_V]

It was a full game, but I play a lot of five man games.

You couldn't be more right. In those games you have to raise the turns so often with nothing that you need to raise when you actually have a hand. Then I would raise the turn. But I also find that a raise from the cutoff in a five handed game means less than a raise from the cutoff in a full game. So, my hand would almost surely be good in a 5 player game.

Thanks for the reply.

[karlson]

You say he is tenacious in HU situations and would probably call you down with A high. Seems like that's a pretty good reason to raise the turn when you hit.

I don't mind the call preflop. It's not very likely that you'll win unimproved, so letting the blinds in is probably ok.

[Mason Malmuth]

I think your whole play is reasonable. On the end, when he checks he's saying to you that he can't beat an ace. If that's the case, the best he will do is tie your KQ, so betting it for value seems ight to me.

MM /forums/images/icons/laugh.gif

[J_V]

Anytime you can get praise from a Grand Poobah, you take it. Praise from the Grand Poobah should at least make me a journeyman or something.

[Dynasty]

Mason's Grand Poobah title is fraudulent. He's only got 85 posts at the moment. I've heard about cheating at poker. But, cheating at posting about poker?