How do you squeeze them?

[betw2outs]

Scenario: NL Hold'em tournament starting at 1000 TC.

Early in tournament, you (BB) have 1500 TC and your lone opponent (Button) has 2500 TC.

You flop second nut straight or make it on the turn. Your pretty sure your hand is good.
There is no flush draw or paired board.

How do you squeeze as much money as you can out of this opponent?

What guidelines do you used to determine how much to bet?

Thanks in advance.

[Mackie]

If I flop it I check. If I turn it I bet about half the pot, unless I know the other guy likes to make moves at heads-up pots in which case a check-raise is my play.

[betw2outs]

It was early in the tournament and everyone else had folded pre-flop.

The blinds were 5-15 making the pot 35 TC (right?).

The button and I both checked the flop.

I made second nut straight on the turn and bet 100 (almost 3 times the pot).

He calls; pot is now 235.

I bet another 100 and he calls. If you like another half-pot sized bet then I'm not too far off here.

Any comments about what you would do on the river?

Thanks in advance.

[Greg (FossilMan)]

This is very much an "it depends" answer.

You simply have to know the opponent. Otherwise, you're guessing. Against some players, a few small bets work best, as they can't resist a cheap call, even when they're drawing dead. Other players see that small bet and figure you're weak, so it motivates them to try and steal the pot with a big raise. Other players see the small bet as sneaky, and will actually fold more often. But, these same players will sometimes be suspicious of a big bet, and be more inclined to call or raise it.

Know or guess which type of player you're facing, and bet accordingly.

Other key concepts are how good is the player's draw (gutshot straight, backdoor flush, small pocket pair, overcards only, etc.), and how inclined will he be to chase it. If he has a gutshot draw to a lesser straight, you need to bet and hope he calls, because if you wait until the river, he won't be able to put any money in the pot if he has missed. Similar concept for other draws. If they'll only put in money when they think they have outs, you need to give them a chance to do so while they still will do it. On the other hand, if they'll fold the thin draws, but pay you off when they do make them (and are still behind you), then you have to wait until their card arrives.

Another issue is scare cards. While the player might have called with A high no pair on the turn or river (when a blank hits), if the river is a scare card, you can lose your action. So, if the river card makes your straight a 1-card straight, or if a 3rd or 4th heart hits the board, they might fold a weak hand they would've called with before.

Again, you have to know the player's likely hands and likely responses with those hands, or guess.

Later, Greg Raymer (FossilMan)