NL 100 6 max hand that confused me (misplayed?)

[Go_Blue88]

Hey, I haven't posted a hand in a while as I was taking some time off. But, I finally broke my downswing for the week, and here's a hand that confused me from earlier today. Thanks...

Hero 9c10d UTG+2 (164) raises to 4. Folded to Villian Button (96) who calls, BB calls.

Flop: Tc Ts 7c

BB checks, hero bets 9, villian calls, bb folds.

Turn Ah

Hero bets 20, Villian calls.

River Js

Hero??

Villian just sat at the table and so I have no read. At first I was thinking that he had an Ace high flush draw, but at the river I wasn't really sure. Is there a better way to play this? What's your play on the river?

[rikz]

I don't play 6-max, but is 6-max so different that raising with 9To is +EV?

Once you raised, the continuation bet looks fine, but Villain's call is disturbing. You put him on a draw, so you bet the turn, but Villain's call is even more disturbing. If he's drawing to a flush, then he can't do his math very well.

By the river, the way this hand went, what about betting half the pot on the river and seriously consider folding to an all-in push from villain? Without a read, this really seems like your beaten by either a full house or a T with higher kicker. Of course, if you feel pot committed by that point, I guess you could call and cross your fingers that he's overplaying a JJ or something.

With all this calling, villain might be in here with

-a mid-sized pocket pair like QQ, JJ, or 99 that he called preflop, and called every street putting you on a missed AK or mid pocket pair (KK or AA would have raised, and QQ might have reraised too), or

-the other T, in which case he probably has a higher kicker like a JT, QT, KT or AT, I doubt he'd call your preflop raise with T7 or something like that, or

- the flopped full house 77 (I think he has this), which is a serious possibility given the way he called, called, called all of your betting on every street; if you have any kind of data on villain as being aggressive post flop, his atypical calling might be a warning that you should fold to a huge river reraise, or

- a club draw, especially an Ac Xc or a Kc Xc type of hand where he's drawing to a flush, or

- a suited connector like 89 where he is drawing to a straight, or even a possible open ended straight flush draw, which would give villain a straight on the river with the J.

In a full ring game, I almost never see anybody play the way that villain is unless he has the full house. Hands like AT would probably reraise by the turn just in case YOU were drawing to a flush with overcards like Ac Xc? Is 6-max much different? Do people in 6-max bluff all their chips with a call/call/push when the board pairs on the flop very much?

[TheWorstPlayer]

I'd probably bet 20 and fold to a push. In this game, people aren't pushing here without a straight or a boat after you bet three streets. But checking lets him off the hook too easily and might induce a bluff push that you won't be happy calling.

[Triumph36]

My standard move here is check/call. Obviously you have no read and most times he will check behind, but sometimes he will bet a missed draw, sometimes he will bet a 7, sometimes he will bet an ace. Most of the hands he bets, you beat or chop with. As for hands that beat you, I find most players value bet very poorly at the river, and love giving you 6 to 1 to call with hands they crush.

FWIW, I almost never blocking bet at 5 max NL. Maybe this is a leak, but I raise blocking bets so often and take it down that I find them to be worthless against good opponents - the same good opponents who will bluff you if you show 'weakness' at the river.

[TheWorstPlayer]

I don't know if you play in this game or not, but the chance that villain bluff pushes this river is about 0%. Maybe maybe maybe 2% if you know the guy is a maniac.

[Triumph36]

Where did I say Villain would push? I said 'bet'. There's a difference between betting and pushing. I find that a lot of bad opponents will make odd bets of like $10 here with an ace, or a jack, or a missed flush draw.

Villain's stack seems wrong for a blocking bet - the pot is what, 62 on the turn, Hero bets 20, Villain raises all-in to 60.. Hero is getting 3.5:1 on his money? I just find an all-in very unlikely for Villain here - he's played the hand very passively and is unlikely to think his opponent has a ten. Maybe a blocking bet therefore becomes a value bet - but I'd like that kind of bet a lot more if Villain started the hand with 120 behind.

[TheWorstPlayer]

Yes it's a value bet and a pretty easy fold to a push. Seems like you're leaving money on the table when he could easily call with a pair of aces or even worse on the end.

[Go_Blue88]

if you value bet, how much would you bet so that you could still get away from the hand? I think that this is the most important issue...i'll post the results soon...

[TheWorstPlayer]

[ QUOTE ]
I'd probably bet 20 and fold to a push. In this game, people aren't pushing here without a straight or a boat after you bet three streets. But checking lets him off the hook too easily and might induce a bluff push that you won't be happy calling.

[/ QUOTE ]

[Go_Blue88]

I bet 35 and he called with Q10. My river bet was really stupid b/c if he pushed i'd pretty much have to call. Also, I can't see worse hands calling a 35 dollar river bet (maybe 810, or an overpair, but i doubt it). Yeeep I played this one like a shmuck.

[Triumph36]

You chop with 8T.

A badly played AK or AJ probably calls a river bet of 35, but Villain would have to be very bad to play either of those hands like that.

I think if you check there, Villain bets something like 20-25, and you can see a relatively cheap showdown.