30-60 hand

[Boris]

Did some heavy duty gambling over the weekend at the Bellagio. Here are some hands I played.

30-60 limit. I have two red Kings on the button. several limpers, I raise, sb and limpers call. Flop comes Ace(h) high with two hearts. I bet and only the sb calls. Turn is another heart. SB thinks for a bit and then bets. I raise.

I can think of some pretty good reasons for just calling but I'm curious what others think.

[Boris]

Not that anybody cares, but the SB folded to my turn raise. This got me to thinking that I had him in quite a pickle and that maybe I should've just called and let him continue to bluff me. I havn't thought about it too much, but calling saves me a bet those times when he has an ace and checks on the river.

The nice thing about raising is that I make extra money when I have him drawing dead and will occaisionally steal the pot when he lays down a crappy ace.

[nykenny]

i would call.

i think his turn bet means either he had you beat: flush, 2 pair, very big A, or has almost no chance of winning: middle pair with small or no heart or a good high card of hearts

[Matt D]

Not too many players would call the flop with multiple players behind with a hopeless hand just to bluff the turn if everyone else folds. Almost any hand he could have has outs on you. If there was any chance that this player would fold a better hand than yours (ie a weak ace) than I like your raise.

[John Gaspar]

I think this is a perfect spot for your semi-bluff raise. If he throws away a weak Ace, even better. If he is semi-bluffing himself on the turn, he'll fold if you raise or check the river if you didn't raise and you get a free showdown. Either way, I don't think you're getting any more money from him unless he has you beaten on the turn and you catch the nuts on the river.

[Diplomat]

I like your play for sure, although it would be interesting to know the rest of the board as well...did he turn a pair and a flushdraw, maybe? Or something else?

In regards to your play, I see at least three possible reactions to your raise:

1. He folds. Either he folds an ace or a draw or whatever. Yum. /forums/images/icons/smile.gif

2. He calls your raise. Maybe he has middle pair and a flushdraw, or a decent ace that he is scared to re-raise with. He checks to you on the river and you check behind him if you do not improve. It's classic...same amount of money to call him down if he has a better hand (provided you planned on calling him down, and he does not bet into you again on the river) or you make at least one extra big bet if you improve on the river (and he calls your river bet/raise)

3. He comes right over the top at you. This is probably the least likely as he might rather checkraise you on the river (and you would have checked behind him if you do not improve) than three-bet right here, but it is a possibility. In this case, I would call and fold the river if you do not improve.

In all three options, you stand to make money by your raise, with the exception of the third option (if you do not improve on the river), or loose no more than by calling the other player down. I would make this play about %90 percent of the time, unless I was almost sure I would be three-bet on the turn.

[Gabe]

"I can think of some pretty good reasons for just calling ..."

What are they?

[nykenny]

3. He comes right over the top at you. This is probably the least likely as he might rather checkraise you on the river (and you would have checked behind him if you do not improve) than three-bet right here, but it is a possibility. In this case, I would call and fold the river if you do not improve.

Why might he rather check-raise the river instead of raise the turn? that's the oddest thing.

[nykenny]

I meant, Bet-Raise-Reraise(3 bets) + Bet on river = 4 bets. And Bet-Raise-Call(2 bets) + check-raise(2 bets) = 4 bets. Why would anyone prefer the latter? And risking check around? And risking Check-Raise-Fold?

Too Fancy of a play is just not the best IMO

[Boris]

With a 3 flush on the board, many players will check hands on the river that are better than mine, but will not fold if I raise on the turn. Thus I sometimes save a bet by just calling. Also, there are many cards to come that make my hand better but not that many that make my hand worse. So it's not like I have to protect my hand.