Semi-bluffing with showdown equity

[Renaud]

100-200
late limper. His limping requirements are loose in late position. Otherwise, he is a very good player.
I have 9dQd in SB and completes.
BB, agressive, seems to really have tightened up lately.
Flop is 3d4Q rainbow. I check, BB check, LP bets, I call, BB folds.
Turn is 8d.
I check raise, he three bets, I cap, he calls.
River is Ac
I bet he calls.
Is the turn cap mandatory?
A mistake?(I know that "if it is a mistake, it is a small one", but I don't want to make any mistake)
What about the river bet?
Is checking really better because it might induce a check by a better hand?

[skp]

I assume that this is online given that you say that the 4th bet even when headsup is a cap. If so, I like the play by a lot. If not, I would say that the play should be used sparingly.

As for the river play, checking is better given that his last call was a forced call (i.e. you had already capped). So, you don't have that added information as to the strength of his hand that you might have got had your 4th bet not been a cap.

Not only might you be raised again by a set, you might indeed get him to check a better hand such as two pairs, KQ etc. Having said that, I doubt that he has a set or KQ as he would have raised preflop with a pocket pair or KQ. Well, who knows, he might check his Q8 two pairs or something.

If your 4th bet was not a cap meaning that his last call was not a forced call, then I would like your river bet.

BTW, I recently downloaded Pokerstars on the advice of a buddy and saw that you (and a few others including my pal) were playing four 30-60 games at one time. Shorthanded games no less. Amazing!

[elysium]

hi renaud
you played it very well. i'm not sure whether you want the BB in or out pre-flop. that appears to be the only issue; whether you should have raised the BB out of there.

it's positional, that's for sure. if the good opponent were in first position with the BB acting last, in his tight mode like this, that's great. it forces the LP to consider that his bluff will have an over-caller in there who will likely call with the goods. it looks like that's exactly what you pick up on and to achieve a better positional betting sequence, you check on the flop and let's see.....did the BB check behind?......yes, the BB checks behind you, and as you hoped, the LP bets.

you know the LP isn't bluff reraising you. you also know that whatever you do, the LP will not think you're bluffing because you also are betting into a legitimate over-caller AT THIS TIME. the danger isn't that if you only call on the flop, the MP will call as well; the danger is that if you only call, the MP will fold. his fold will put the good LP in total control unless the MP folds to your raise. if the MP folds to your raise, you own the table and everything that has made it across the betting line. if the MP folds to your raise, all of that is yours AT THIS TIME.

but if the MP calls your flop raise, he then takes a passive lead; if he calls your flop call, you don't improve, but that's better than his folding.

my problem with this hand is that i know that he folds when you call on the flop, so my advice may be tainted, maybe not. i'll go out on a limb here and say it's a toss up whether you should call or raise the flop. what would i do? i would want to fold out the MP in a blaze of glory, fearlessly, letting the good LP know that i'm in the lead. i would use the MP tight image to enhance the image of my hand; and i would reason that since the MP did check to just one remaining opponent, the likihood of his folding anyway, even if i call, is high enough for me not to take that chance. if i knew that he would call my call, i would call and see how the hand developed. but this guy might fold when i call on the flop. well, what's the dang good LP going to think? exactly! that i called because of the tight MP who might actually have a hand, meaning that i don't. i tell the LP i don't have anything when i call. when i call and the MP folds, i tell the good LP i don't have anything and i also don't have a MP tight player safety switch either. i lose my brakes and uncontrolled betting is going to break out against my crummy 9 kicker. but raising the MP out, now you're talking. when i bet out on the turn to stop the free-card, i ain't getting raised. but yes, if the MP calls the raise, i will have to check the turn unless i improve, but there is a chance that i will see the river for free. so.....i think i'll raise the flop.

on the turn, your check-raise is to get the fold right then and there. when your opponent doesn't fold, i like calling the 3 bet since my hand can improve. but your turn play isn't wrong and may be the better play. i'm a little more cautious when my hand can improve. i will say this though. i like the semi-bluff/ value check-raise by you on the turn. but hidden deeply inside of the flop action, where no one can find it, is yet another reason to check-raise the flop.

on the flop, you know that you won't have a powerful hand on the turn. therefore, on the turn, you would rather call a legitimate raise than be faced with a questionable 3 bet. if you check-raise the flop, and get this thing heads up on the turn, you will bet out on the turn and avoid that 3 bet. and since there is nothing in your post that indicates that this is the opponent whose 3 bet you'd like to raise with a 9 high kicker; there are some maniacs though who you'd like to do just that against; but your post doesn't suggest that this opponent's 3 bet is a candidate to 4 bet or cap, but i could be wrong. i can't say that capping in this situation is wrong, just avoidable.

you played the river perfectly. and according to your take on the situation, you played all rounds very well.

oh, and yes renaud! keeping the BB in pre-flop was correct. pre-flop played brilliantly.

[Renaud]

I thought more about the hand, and this can not be seen as a semi-bluff as as you said basically the only better hands that he "could" fold, he would raise preflop with them.
A4d for instance is a far more appropriate semi-bluff.
However the cap is good for the cases he would three bet with a weak queen and check the river.
The river bet is a pure image play in my opinion, but you are right, checking is better EVwise.
He had Q4s
I played 4 games at once once and didn't like it, yet I feel very comfortable playing three.
Thanks for your reply.

[elysium]

hi renaud
very good renaud. obviously your thinking at a higher level still having to contend with 30 opponents at once. i take on 10 at a time and whew......i can hardly keep up.

may all your 9 high kickers continue do well against the crowd. my gosh you capped.