middle pocket pair SH

[thesharpie]

1/2 crypto 6 max, passivish

I get black 7s in the BB, 2 limpers, SB calls, I check.

Flop 845r

SB leads, I raise, Button cold calls, SB calls

Turn J completes rainbow - 5BB

SB checks, I bet, Button folds, SB calls

River 8 pairing the board

SB checks, I check.

The only read I have on SB is he likes to check call alot with crap. I haven't seen him bet much, but then again everything he's shown down hasn't been worth betting. No read on the button. I figure with the gutshot I might as well carry on with the hand.

[Kumubou]

I probably bet the river, fold to a raise. If he's calling down with crap, let him! If he spiked an 8 or a J, that is life.

So why did he bet the flop, then? Seems like a curious action from him... maybe he was just betting it because he figured it was bricks all around, or that he had some piece of it. Or he has TP and had you owned the entire time.

-K

[thesharpie]

Villain showed A3o. I don't know why he bet the flop, maybe it was the best looking hand he'd had. I agree I probably should've bet the river, even though he probably wouldn't have called this time.

[Brice]

What is up with people on the board telling others to fold the river if you bet and are re-raised? If you are not willing to call the raise, do not put in the first bet! You are against a single opponent and you have to call for just one bet. Often, the pot odds will make this a profitable call!

[shadow29]

[ QUOTE ]
What is up with people on the board telling others to fold the river if you bet and are re-raised? If you are not willing to call the raise, do not put in the first bet! You are against a single opponent and you have to call for just one bet. Often, the pot odds will make this a profitable call!

[/ QUOTE ]

...

[Kumubou]

Are you agreeing with him or questioning why he is making that statement?

An explanation (for those of you playing at home) may be in order. Betting this flop is the easy part to explain: I figure the Hero is good here 55% of the time or more, and there are many worse hands that will call a single bet but may check the river through. Therefore, you bet to extract an extra BB.

Folding to the raise is closer. The player is passive -- usually will not raise without having a monster hand. This probably also means that you will rarely see a bluff-raise (which you rarely see from anyone except absolute maniacs at this limit) -- so if he raises here, he is representing trips (and probably has it). Even if he has FPS and is raising the river as a semi-bluff with top pair... you still lose! (I've run into that a few times playing 1/2 6-max, people waiting until the river to pop off with TP.)

Bet/fold is more of a 6-max thing, where there is a lot more checkraising, and the pots tend to be much smaller than at a full table. At low limits, it is not much of a problem (since the pots are bigger and your opponents mistakes are also larger), but if you pay off too much at higher limits you will get creamed. Just something to think about.

-K

[kapw7]

At higher tables if you do this play too often you can be bluffed with the risk of losing a whole pot instead of a value bet. But I agree it's a good play against passive predictable players. But sometimes you need to call that raise.

[Kumubou]

You are right -- if you have an opponent who is more aggro, you check/call for two (related) reasons: you may bait a bluff and snap it off (getting the BB anyway), and you put yourself in a position where you can not be bluff-raised out of a pot.

You are also right in stating that sometimes you will bet, get raised, and you should pay off. As with everything else in poker, it depends.

-K

[Brice]

[ QUOTE ]
You are right -- if you have an opponent who is more aggro, you check/call for two (related) reasons: you may bait a bluff and snap it off (getting the BB anyway), and you put yourself in a position where you can not be bluff-raised out of a pot.

You are also right in stating that sometimes you will bet, get raised, and you should pay off. As with everything else in poker, it depends.

-K

[/ QUOTE ]

I can agree with that. But if the pot is laying me 7 to 1 (which is just a figure that popped in my head, I did not calculate the pot odds on this one) then I only have to win the pot one out of seven times to break even on it. Given the loose play in micro limits, I think that play has a positive EV.

[DeathDonkey]

[ QUOTE ]
If you are not willing to call the raise, do not put in the first bet!

[/ QUOTE ]

This is backwards, actually. If you can fold to the raise that makes it more correct to make a close value bet. If you have to call then you should have checked (or 3 bet if you want him to raise)

-DeathDonkey