My experiment with passive play...

[Ed Miller]

10-20 game at Muckleshoot. We are 5 or 6-handed at the moment. EP is a player I haven't played with before, but my read on him is already quite strong after only 45 minutes or so. He plays like a Small Stakes poster and thinks like a Small Stakes poster. He plays reasonably tight, and tries to be aggressive, but ends up just being very readable. I think a lot of his flop action is intended "for information" (in his mind at least). He also talks too much about his play (which is why I have such a strong read already). BB is a little loose and overaggressive... but sometimes can be an unpleasant opponent.

EP open-raises. I 3-bet from the CO with the A /forums/images/icons/spade.gif A /forums/images/icons/diamond.gif. BB calls and EP calls. 3-ways for 3 SB each.

Flop is Q /forums/images/icons/heart.gif J /forums/images/icons/club.gif 5 /forums/images/icons/heart.gif. BB checks and EP bets. I call and the BB calls. Turn is the 7 /forums/images/icons/diamond.gif. BB checks, EP bets, I call, BB calls. River is the 3 /forums/images/icons/heart.gif. BB checks, EP checks and I bet. BB folds, and EP calls shaking his head and saying, "your flush is good."

[Vehn]

I save this sort of thing for smaller pots that are heads up and without two broadway on the board.

[Ed Miller]

I usually do too... which is why this was an experiment, but I thought this wasn't actually such a bad place for it. I put my betting opponent on one of four hands... AQ, KQ, QQ, or JJ (FWIW, I was right). KT and T9 are both unlikely for the BB due to the preflop action. Given those reads, I don't think this line of play is too bad.

[rtrombone]

I did something similar in a 20-40 game last night where I just called a turn bet with top pair (aces), Q kicker, trying to be cute and thinking my hand was reasonably safe. Such a dumb f*cking play. It's never safe. The guy who called behind me made two pair on the river with 53 offsuit (yes, I'd raised before the flop).

[Ed Miller]

Safe or not is not the issue. Your opponent might well have been wrong to call that turn bet. I'm perfectly happy to let my opponents call with hands that can beat me as long as they aren't getting correct odds to do so.

[rtrombone]

Well, the big blind was getting 8-1 on his turn call, giving him the proper odds to hit a 5-outer.

Whatever. I know you don't normally play like this. In my hand, the guy wasn't getting the proper odds, but I still lost. I still consider not raising a horrible mistake.