heads-up battle

[marbles]

online game from the other day... Loose and a little more aggressive than usual.

Folded to the CO who limps, I raise in the SB with red tens, BB folds and CO limp-reraises. Hmm... Looks like a big pair or big cards, eh?

Flop comes 237, all spades. I checkraise with my overpair, and he 3-bets. Yep, sure looks like a big pair, but I'm calling him down just in case.

Turn is another brick, 6d if I recall correctly. Check-call.

River is the Tc. I bet with top set, and he raises. I 3-bet, he caps and I call.

What would you do differently?

[Nottom]

I think you probably did ok, but I generally don't take a limp-reraise from the CO all that seriously. I figure he has some sort of pair, but not necessarily a big one.

I have a feeling you won this, because unless he had AKs or something I don't see him 3-betting pre-flop with a suited hand. I tend to think he may have had a pair of 7s or something.

[Homer]

I wouldn't have done anything differently against an unknown opponent, other than possibly trying to checkraise the river instead of betting out (though I don't think I would be correct). I like your bet more, because to your opponent it will appear to be a last-ditch effort at the pot and he might raise with his overpair/set, allowing you to three-bet.

If I knew my opponent well then I might fold to the flop three-bet if he is a passive player.

-- Homer

[marbles]

"If I knew my opponent well then I might fold to the flop three-bet if he is a passive player."

--I don't know this opponent all that well, but he's certainly not passive. Wouldn't call him over-aggressive, either... Come to think of it, he's a pretty decent player overall.

[Homer]

Against a decent player I'm not going anywhere. He could have a smaller PP (88/99), a flush draw (three-betting for a free card) or even just overcards (he could have three-bet thinking that you checkraised the flop with overcards because you put him on overcards).

Perhaps calling the flop three-bet and betting out on the turn is reasonable. If he raises then he must have you beat, no? If he just calls then he is probably on a flush draw or has two big cards.

-- Homer

[marbles]

"Perhaps calling the flop three-bet and betting out on the turn is reasonable. If he raises then he must have you beat, no? If he just calls then he is probably on a flush draw or has two big cards."

-Had the turn brought an overcard to my tens, that's likely what I would have done. But since I didn't trust myself to lay down my overpair on the turn, I couldn't do it.

Results FYI: Of course he showed down AsTs for the flopped nuts. Doh.

[Homer]

Oops, I thought the flop was two spades, not three. I need to read more closely in the future. This changes my thoughts on the hand a little. The biggest change is that I don't think you should three-bet the river.

-- Homer

[marbles]

"This changes my thoughts on the hand a little. The biggest change is that I don't think you should three-bet the river."

--Yeah, that's kinda what I was thinking... Right after the hand. But I'm still not totally sure which way to go on this one. He very likely would have raised that river with an overpair, reading me for a last-ditch stab at the pot. Plus, the ONLY thing that would beat me was a flush, and heads-up, I just don't see that as a major factor. Perhaps I should rethink the whole thing a few more times.

[Louie Landale]

Check-Raise on the end.

You cannot 3-bet the river since he's already announce a few times he has at least a big pair, and when you bet into him on the river you are saying you can beat AA, so you can expect him to just call (thus my advise to check-raise the river). 3-betting the river looked hopeless to me, especially since he's going to 4-bet with the now likely big flush.

I notice that the information you got confirming he had "a big pair" didn't do you any good since you called on the turn with your 1 or 2 (or actually zero) out hand anyway. If you figure to call him down anyway, perhaps just go into check-call mode on the flop.

- Louie

[marbles]

Excellent point on the checkraise. I have to admit it never occurred to me, but it makes perfect sense.

As for my decision to call him down despite my read, the possibility of unimproved big cards was small, but certainly not zero. The pot was getting fairly decent-sized, and he had every incentive to ram me off of my obvious middle pair. I'd personally have to know my opponent like the back of my hand to fold that turn heads-up.

[Louie Landale]

So you called the flop 3-bet. I count 6BB out there on the turn, he's betting the turn and will surely bet the river. So you can win 8BB and it costs 2BB, so your pot odds to call him down are only 4:1. Plus, if YOU have the better hand he surely has 6 outs and can easily have 15; and if HE has the best hand you have 0, 1, or 2 outs. I didn't do all the math, but I'd guess you can call if you are the favorite at least one-third of the time. Hopefully your "read" is better than that.

I'd say you'd have to know the opponent like the back of your hand before calling could be correct.

- Louie