Missing bets and giving free cards...

[ElSapo]

BB is a LAG, I think, though I base this on about three hands. He capped AQs, but that means little. He's down to about 10 BB on front of him.

Folded to me on the button, I raise ATo. Only the BB calls.

Flop is Q5Q. Checked to me, I bet, he checkraises.
I don't think he has a Queen so much as a 5, ace-high, pocket pair or a bluff. I think I'm drawing live here.

I call, and the river is a T. He checks, and I re-think and decide he could be trying to check-raise. I check.

Turn is a 3, he bets and I call.

I have a hard time with these turn situations, where I think I have the best hand but face a scary board or overcard(s) for some reason. I make my hand but tend to allow the opponent to continue dictating the flow of play...

[spydog]

I play the hand the same against a LAGGY opponent. His flop checkraise and turn check is generally a very strong hand or a very weak one. Betting the turn doesn't make sense against either holding.

[ElSapo]

[ QUOTE ]
I play the hand the same against a LAGGY opponent. His flop checkraise and turn check is generally a very strong hand or a very weak one. Betting the turn doesn't make sense against either holding.

[/ QUOTE ]

See, that was my thinking - except it was tempered by believing he was too LAG. I make this play often, with flush draws that get there, and sets when I think my opponent has an overpair.

So on the one hand, it looks like he has a strong hand. On the other hand, I think he's weak. It's about 50-50 maybe — making sure a bet goes in on the river may be the best plan.

I just feel like I get there on the turn and am often lost. This may not be the best example of what I think is a larger problem.

[spydog]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
I play the hand the same against a LAGGY opponent. His flop checkraise and turn check is generally a very strong hand or a very weak one. Betting the turn doesn't make sense against either holding.

[/ QUOTE ]

See, that was my thinking - except it was tempered by believing he was too LAG. I make this play often, with flush draws that get there, and sets when I think my opponent has an overpair.

So on the one hand, it looks like he has a strong hand. On the other hand, I think he's weak. It's about 50-50 maybe — making sure a bet goes in on the river may be the best plan.

I just feel like I get there on the turn and am often lost. This may not be the best example of what I think is a larger problem.

[/ QUOTE ]

OK.

When you question the strength of your hand versus a LAG, it's generally a good idea to become passive and allow them to make bluffing mistakes. If you aren't sure what to do if you get checkraised by a LAG, then check. Basically, you want to get to a lot of showdowns against this type of player and the normal '2+2 bet/raise/slam it down their throat' style of play isn't optimal. We TAGs feel like schoolgirls when we play passively, but we shouldn't.

[Trix]

Can you fold to a 3bet if you raise the river ?

Also, how often do you think he will check-raise on something worse than yours if you bet the turn ?

[ElSapo]

[ QUOTE ]
Can you fold to a 3bet if you raise the river ?

Also, how often do you think he will check-raise on something worse than yours if you bet the turn ?

[/ QUOTE ]

The problem is, I don't know. I only just got here.

I don't -think- he'll checkraise with a worse hand, but I don't know that he wont get weird with a hand like 88 or something.

As for folding to a river check-raise, yeah, on my good days. But it's been a while since I had one of those.

[Trix]

If you raise the river, will he then just call with weak hands and only 3bet with trip queens or better ?

[ElSapo]

I dunno Trix, this was the third or fourth hand I'd seen him play.