trouble with trusting my hand reading

[Tyler Durden]

I was playing a 6-handed 5-10 game the other night. Lately I've been trying to read hands, but a problem I'm having is trusting my read enough to fold my hand.

I was heads-up with a solid player. I had JJ and raised pre-flop from MP. He called from the BB.

The flop came 9-9-6. He bet into me. So I was thinking he either had a 9 or a 6. But I didn't know which one. I called.

Turn blanked. He bet again, I called. Now I was pretty sure he had a 9.

River blanked. He bet and I called. He turned over A9s. Just what I thought. What should i have done? raised the flop, and folded to a reraise? Or, if he called my flop raise and bet out on the turn, fold then? I was pretty sure I should call the river after I called the turn.

But how do I come to trust my read enough to fold my hand?
Any help would be most appreciated.

[Ed Miller]

Heads up against any but the most predictable players is not the place that "trusting your reads" is most important. Basic hand reading is much more valuable in multiway pots where the number of players involved forces people to use less deception and you can really narrow hands down to a small range based on logic.

In this situation, folding would be, IMHO, insane. There is no good reason for you to suspect that he has a 9 (unless he is very straightforward and passive). I would have played the hand exactly as you did... and expect to see a 6, a 9, a smaller pocket pair... a busted draw, etc. Against most players, I think you will have the better hand the majority of the time in this situation.