Raised on the turn (my first hand posting)

[Lost Shaker Assault]

This is my first time posting a hand--please be gentle. I've had a few hands of this sort, it seems, and I'm never quite sure what to do.

Typical Party 2-4, early in so I don't have any good reads. I'm in the BB with K4o. One EP, one MP, and the SB call, and I check.

Flop is AKA. SB checks to me, and I bet out, thinking that the chances of someone having an A are less since there are two on the board. All fold but the MP.

Turn is a 4. I now have the elusive 3 pair, but it isn't likely to have helped him either. I bet out again, and the MP raises me. At this point, he either 1.) has the A, and has me beaten, 2.) has a K, in which case I'm probably out-kicked, but it wouldn't make a lot of sense for him to raise it now, or 3.) is bluffing. I figure #3 is likely enough that I call him.

River is a blank, I check, he bets. I call, and sure enough, he has A8o for the win.

So which streets did I misplay? Was it right to go in despite my lousy kicker? Should I have folded when he raised the turn?

LSA

[Ed Miller]

Yes, you should fold to the turn raise. The only hand you can beat is a pure bluff, basically. In fact, I would often check-fold the turn, depending on who my opponent was.

[gonores]

Welcome to the board, shaker. We're glad to have you.

I think you should have laid this down to the raise, because even though he might have been bluffing, he would have to be bluffing a decent amount of the time in order for your call to be correct. Once you are raised, you more than likely will have to pay 2 big bets into a pretty small pot to see whether or not he is bluffing.

Good luck and play well,

Doug

[Mike Gallo]

Shaker,

When in doubt toss them out, except with a big pot.

I think you should have checked and made your decision from there. Calling the turn raise commits you to seeing the river.

I doubt with a pot that small your opponent would try a stone cold bluff.

Well written post, welcome aboard.

[kiddo]

I aggree with Majorkong. If the other player aint tricky/aggressive, and I bet flop with K4 and AAK board, I would check-fold turn. Not many players will bet turn with less than your K, no kicker. If they are on a draw or got a lower pair, they will check behind you, gladly accepting that free card.

If you bet a lot of marginal hands on flop, like this K4, you must be able to fold on turn or river when you think you are behind. If you dont like to fold a hand when you bet flop, then raise your standards for betting the flop (or learn to fold), otherwise you will loose a lot.

If you are playing lowlimit, most players would slowplay this flop if they had the A. If you bet flop some of them will think: "Aha, he aint got the A, lets try a bluff on turn with my 88". (This happens more often than you think, this is a good reason to bet out on flop if you got the A.)

If this is the case you could sometimes try to check flop, and if everybody checks, bet out on turn. They will never raise you without the A because they will think YOU were slowplaying. If they raise, it is an easy fold. And if you are lucky they will call you with whatever pair they hit when the turncard came, or a draw, or a lower pocketpair.

The fact that - in a lot of holdem games - people are slowplaying to much, and the fact that they think you are doing the same, can be used to make a lot of $.