Online $3/6: heads-up

Online $3/6, with small blind sitting in position over the big blind.

I am running over my opponent at the moment, but both of us are actually doing more pre-flop folding than what's usual at the heads-up tables.

I bring it in for a raise with Qc9c from small blind. My opponent calls.

Flop comes: Ts-4c-2s. OP checks, I bet, OP check-raises. I call.

Turn: Kd. OP bets, I raise, OP calls.

River: Qs. OP checks, I bet, OP calls.

Comments?

I will post the results and my own thoughts later.

lars

First, my reasoning on each street:

Pre-flop: Pretty obvious raise under the conditions of having position over the big blind.

Flop: I bet this ragged flop to either take it down here, alternatively set up a turn bluff/free card. I will take it down my fair share of the time here. I then call a check-raise with my double back-door draw and one over-card and a very real chance that hitting my undercard could be enough to win the pot.

On the turn, there is five big bets in the pot when it's up to me, and I could have up to 10 outs as well as my opponent semi-bluffing a draw that cannot beat Q-high. That of course counts for little, as he will no doubt bet the river with his very worst hands if called here and I cannot call with Queen-high. It's a close call.

I decide to semi-bluff raise, even though he will rarely fold a better hand in this spot. He will probably fold A high without any draws, but this is an unlikely holding, and he MAY fold a small pair. An additional bonus with the raise, is that I am probably not getting bluffed out of the pot on the river SHOULD he have a draw with weak high card value.

On the river, I must punish his "keeping honest" style with a marginal value bet once I get lucky and river a pair, even if it is the third flush card and brings three parts to a straight on the board.

He called my river bet and my hand was good (hand history showed that he held T8).

lars

[AceHigh]

"Turn: Kd. OP bets, I raise, OP calls."

I can understand calling here, with as many as 10 outs. But isn't a ten fairly likely if you have been folding more than usual? Seems he would be less likely to have a 4 or 2 if he is playing fairly tight. Flush draw or medium-small pocket pair as also possible.

Anyway I think I would just call the turn and then
a) call if flush draw doesn't get there and he would play aggressively with flush draw or
b) fold on river if I don't improve if he wouldn't play draw this aggressively.

[Ikke]

First I'd like to say that if you play at Paradise I wouldnt play 3/6 HU. You need to have a very big edge over your opponent to make playing there profitable, and if your opponent plays only slightly well, your edge is taken by the rake. I play a lot of 10/20 HU lately and there the rake seems much less of a factor and I've been doing very well (I experienced that there are only a few very good players and still a lot of mediocre players).

But for the hand. Preflop and on the flop are standard. Calling the check-raise as well, first ofcourse for the reason that your six outer may very well be good, but there is an other important reason. When you frequently fold to a check-raise then he's getting way more value for bluffing than if you call and fold the turn. This is because he has to pay 2 SB and one BB on a bluff whereas otherwise 2SB. IMO this is a great principle and you should keep that in mind. I, for instance, am less likely to bluf against players who virtually always call a check-raise than players who can fold for one SB.

The turnraise can be good under some circumstances, but will often cost you money IMO. There are a lot of factors to consider here. Can he laydown a 4, 2 or A high? Does he follow up with a riverbet if he missed his flushdraw? Do YOU often call a check-raise on the flop and then pop him on the turn with top pair for instance? Have you been semi-bluffing a lot? Have you won a lot of pots lately? (It seems so because your running over him, so he's IMO more likely to call you down).

Generally I would just call here.

Your riverbet should be standard.

Regards

I have looked over the hand history, and the flop was actually Ts-7c-4s, which makes a worse pair than Ten and straight draws much more likely.

I suppose this puts my turn play into a slightly better light, no?