Pocket Queens Hand #1

[bobbyi]

Party Poker $25 No-Limit Hold'em (10 handed)

Hero ($25.95)
CO ($18.9)
Button ($32.65)
SB ($24.15)
BB ($19.4)
UTG ($29.75)
UTG+1 ($10.35)
UTG+2 ($40.22)
MP1 ($23.8)
MP2 ($34.05)

Preflop: Hero is MP3 with Q/images/graemlins/diamond.gif, Q/images/graemlins/club.gif.
<font color="#666666">2 folds</font>, UTG+2 calls $0.25, <font color="#666666">1 fold</font>, MP2 calls $0.25, <font color="#CC3333">Hero raises to $1.5</font>, <font color="#666666">4 folds</font>, UTG+2 calls $1.25, MP2 folds.

Flop: ($3.60) 4/images/graemlins/heart.gif, 9/images/graemlins/club.gif, 9/images/graemlins/diamond.gif <font color="#0000FF">(2 players)</font>
UTG+2 checks, <font color="#CC3333">Hero bets $2.5</font>, UTG+2 calls $2.50.

Turn: ($8.60) 7/images/graemlins/spade.gif <font color="#0000FF">(2 players)</font>
UTG+2 checks

What's the plan for the rest of the hand? /images/graemlins/confused.gif

[pk Wools]

bet half the pot on the turn, see what he does

[bobbyi]

[ QUOTE ]
bet half the pot on the turn, see what he does

[/ QUOTE ]
And then what? The reason I posted the hand is because I was hoping for some advice on the best line and I'm still not sure. If he pushes, I think I have to fold (agree?). What if he min-raises? If he calls and checks a blank river (let's say a deuce), am I checking behind or making a value bet?

[nietzreznor]

Do you have any reads here? Would villain limp/call in EP with a 9?
I'm leaning toward checking behind here. The flop is quite drawless, as is the turn, so you are probably either way ahead or way behind. Obviously if you put him on something like TT/JJ, and you think he will call a turn and river bet, I would bet, but if you are unsure I think I would check here and call a reasonable river bet, since your check may make him think his mid-PP or whatever is good, and you lose the minimum vs AA/KK/9x. Of course, a hand like 55 may not be tempted to call on river if another over hits, but its hard to see something like that calling your turn bet, barring any reads. If you check and he checks river, I would probably put out a half-pot bet or so, fold to a check raise.

But I'm not an expert or anything, so if I'm way off please let me know.

[-Skeme-]

$6.

[SirArthur]

Bet the pot.

Checking is the worse thing here.

If he calls your pot sized bet on the turn, I'd slow down on the river though, and go for a cheap show down.

I'm not giving him credit for a 9 here, yet anyway. NL 25 players are so bad, he could have anything.

It would also help to tell us your read on villain here, that's nearly as important as the cards.

[nietzreznor]

Perhaps you could explain, why is checking the worst option here? Its not like you are afraid to give a free card, since the board is drawless.
I'm not of course denying that the $25 players are usually pretty bad, or saying that I fear a 9...
...I guess, sans a read, I'm having a difficult time seeing what a bet accomplishes here. Are we putting villain on a mid-PP that will call flop and turn? But then why slow down on river? If villain has us beat (say AA or a 9), then we are probably not gonna get a cheap river, whereas if we check, we still pick up a nice bet from a mid-pp, and lose less versus stuff that beats us.

Honestly, I don't hate betting here, I would like it though if someone would give their reasoning behind it.

[theben]

in this spot i would generally bet 5 on the turn and check the river. against any turn resistance, i would fold. if he leads the river, i would call a small bet just to see what hes got. dont wanna play a big pot here unless you hit another Q tho.

[SirArthur]

Villain could have A/4, K/4, A/K, etc.

You don't want to give a free card here.
If he has a 9, he should let you know, so far in the hand he hasn't.

If an Ace or King falls on the river, and he bets out, now what?