Call or fold/bet or check

[MRBAA]

UTG, my very last hand before going home from an all to rare live 3-6 session. I'm dealt Q-3 s and limp (normally I fold this in early or mid position, but it was my last hand). Three limpers and the big blind come. Five to the flop for five small bets. It comes down 10-7-3 rainbow, with one of my suit. So I've got bottom pair and a backdoor flush and a kicker that beats the high card on board. I check, mid position limper bets, all call except bb. I call. 4 bb in pot (allowing for rake). Turn comes another 3 making me trips and also putting a two flush in hearts (not my suit) on board. I bet out and get one caller -- a loose fish. Third heart hits on river, it's checked down and my hand is good.

Leaving aside my pre-flop call, which I know to be bad (this was a loose passive table and I only played because it was my last hand).

1) Did I have a call on the flop?
2) Should I have bet the river?

[Ed Miller]

The flop call is pretty clear, closing the action on a ragged board, IMO. In fact, I would probably have bet the flop with your holding. The board is sufficiently ragged that you might be able to pick it up right there. On the other hand, you might get an overcard call or a gutshot call on the flop... and they might fold on the turn if you bet out again. I would definitely have bet the flop if there were only two limpers to act behind me... with three... it's not as clear... but I might still have bet.

On the turn.. did you consider checkraising? The bettor was on your left, which would allow you to trap the table for an extra bet. Of course, if you had reason to believe that the flop bettor would no longer like his hand after all the flop calls and check, then betting out is better.

You definitely should have bet the river, and it's not close. You have a big hand, and a loose fish will call you with all sorts of trash that you can beat. Yes... he might have hit a backdoor flush... but gee... you aren't always gonna have the nuts, and you have darn close here.

[MRBAA]

The loose fish who called me on the river (and several others in this game) would call with middle pair and all kinds of crap, so I didn't want to try betting the turn without improvement. Yet their passivity made it likely they would check around on the turn unless someone had a big hand, in which case they would raise, hence my turn bet. Yeah, on the river I was too timid. Against a better player, the flush draw would have been one of the few explanations for the turn call. But against a bad player, he could call with anything. At showdown, he had a seven, for middle pair on the flop.