What should I have bet?

[Justaloser]

$5 SNG, 4th hand
Blinds are 5/10

I get Ah8h in BB. It's raised to 40 by MP. 5 see the flop.

It's great for me. 5h6h9h. I've flopped the nut flush, and no major worries about a strflush.

I check. One of the MP bets to 100. Myself and 2 others call.

Turn is 8c. I check, MP bets 60. Everyone calls.

River is 5s. Now I'm stumped. I don't want to check. I want to bet, but I have no clue how much to bet at this point. I want it to LOOK like I'm bluffing, to get callers.

What would be a good bet here?


BTW, I checked. And all checked to me. Drat /forums/images/icons/frown.gif

[Nottom]

I think the bigger mistake is how you played the turn, the pot is pretty big at this point so winning it now wouldn't be a bad thing. I think a check-raise for about 400 will often get payed off by anyone with a 7 or a small flush or someone with a big /forums/images/icons/heart.gif. If the flush card hits on the river you lose the bets from a 7, if it doesn't come you lose the bets from the flush draw ... so bet the turn.

[Bama Boy]

I'm teaching myself not to check the river with a hand I want to get paid off with. You do better to make a value bet of sorts then a check. Check raises on the river send flags off in everyone's mind and you usually won't get any calls that way. With 2 people in the pot, I'd make a weak 100 chip bet and if I won it right there, its no different then otherwise, except you don't have to advertise your hand.

[Kurn, son of Mogh]

Go all-in on the turn. There's enough in the pot and you want to deny a set the proper odds to fill on the river.

[cferejohn]

At these low buy-in level tournaments, people call way way too much (as you can probably tell by the action so far). Personally, I would bet out 100 on the river, since you could easily get 2 or even 3 callers, while a bet of 200 or 300 will probably just make everyone fold. Given MPs weak turn bet, this may look like an attempt to buy the pot with a pretty small bet (pot's ~600 right now, yes?).

Unless I know I have some very aggressive players at my table (or I am pretty sure someone has a strong 2nd best hand), I wouldn't slow-play a cinch hand from EP on the river.

It's a pretty tough situation, and it helps alot to see how these players play. There are some players who will almost always call a small bet on the river "just to see" with as little as ace high. Here it seems likely that one of the 2 callers has 2nd or 3rd pair and will call you down.

[Sarge85]

I think you lost your opportunity to get money in the pot on the turn. The check-raise opportunity was there, why not take it?

Play this hand straight up...get your money in the pot when you have it. MP is betting and will probably call you.

[cferejohn]

For the record, I agree with the 'check-raise the turn' sentiment. I wasn't thinking about going back in the hand (and I should have), just the question asked (how much to bet on the river). Check-raising the turn for a moderate amount (say up 200) would be good because a) a set will probably push all-in as an underdog b) at this level, some yahoo with an open ended straight draw or the K of hearts may well call and c) if they do all fold, it discourages them from making such weak bets in the future. The pot is big enough that you don't hate just taking it down on the turn.