I hate it when they are licking their chops

[Josh W]

I was playing 25-50 on Friday at the Hustler. The game was pretty good, really, but this hand really stuck with me.

It's folded to me in the SB. I have JJ, and the BB does not chop. I raise, and he threebets.

Let me interject. The BB is a pro/prop, likes to threebet with suited connectors, but respects my play. He still doesn't believe I have a day job, and thinks I play cards for a living.

His threebet could mean a wide variety of hands, of course, so I fourbet, of course. He acts like he wants to 5-bet, but just calls. I now have narrowed down his holding to: Two cards.

I bet the flop blind, he raises, and I threebet. I dunno why he'd do this, but not 5-bet preflop. He calls my threebet.

Flop comes 443, rainbow. I bet the turn blind, and he calls blind.

Turn is a 3.

Then, I decided to see the river, and not do anything blind. It was an ugly ace. I check, he bets, and I think.

I call, and he shows AK.

This hand really isn't that interesting, I guess. It's just that when we were discussing the hand after the fact, he said his favorite part was when the ace came...he was licking his chops knowing I was going to call.

I defended myself by saying that I **had** to call. He EASILY could have had 66, 77, 88, 99, TT, etc, and saw this as his one chance to push me off a likely bigger pair.

Do you guys have any thoughts on this hand? Or is it so routine it's boring?

I guess the best answer is "it depends. what level is he thinking at? if he knows i will call with JJ, then he can decide to not bet his potential 99, and then i can fold".

guess i shoulda asked him what level he was thinking at.

Josh

[mikelow]

Folding was an option. And I would have called at the table also. But with what's going on at the table, you know
he has you beat.

[andyfox]

"I defended myself by saying that I **had** to call."

Why do this? Why not just shake your head in agreement? A guy is licking his chops because you were going to call for one big bet getting 11:1?

If he's never betting on the river when you check when an ace comes when the ace doesn't help him, you should be licking your chops.

[Josh W]

No, I really didn't.

[elysium]

hi josh
i see more than the occasional dark bet around here, but somehow i think that the better player loses a little info when he bets or calls before the cards come. now, there is a way of betting in the dark that gives the dark bettor a small advantage, but i can't remember the circumstance; i think it was something like JJ or TT and the dark bet was suppose to do something. can anyone give me the basics out there about how to obtain a strategic advantage by dark betting? i've never done in my life.

i've only been playing for less than 2 years though.

yeah, he'll call you down when you 3 bet in the dark. that's what dark betting may do! it may incite the call-down. i'm not sure, but it just seems like a dark bet will get your opponent to call. if he raises, you can't figure him for AA, or KK heads up, so calling him on the river is fine. i need more familiarity with this area of hold em. not sure.

[bruce]

Only a clueless idiot would fold on the river when an Ace comes.