would you ever check this?

[Che]

8th hand of a Stars 100+9 tourney several weeks ago. Blinds 10/20.

8 at the table – two with ~1200, one with 1800, the rest still right around 1500.

UTG (1240) limps
I’ve played UTG before. Plays a very high variance game. He’s not quite on autobet but pretty close. He’s not in the Stars top 30, but I’ve seen his name at several final tables which doesn’t surprise me since he does a reasonable job of staying out of trouble despite his extremely aggressive style (and, of course, the cards bail him out sometimes when he’s in trouble, which puts people on tilt, which gets him more chips later – you’ve all seen this type of player).

I raise to 80 from UTG+2
I have 1580. I have played one hand and won a small pot with a standard flop bet.

SB (1480) calls.
I know nothing about this player. First hand he has played.

UTG calls.

Flop is 6 /images/graemlins/spade.gif 3 /images/graemlins/club.gif K /images/graemlins/heart.gif. SB checks, UTG checks.

260 in the pot. 1500 left in my stack. I’m the preflop raiser. With position.

I checked.

My initial reaction when reading the history was: WHAT?!?

Would you ever check here? (I know I haven’t said what I have.)

After further consideration, I was only able to think of one scenario where I would usually check and that is if I had KK. (I wouldn’t have raised 33, 66, or 45s so this is the only big hand or big draw I could have other than AK.)

As for possible checking situations, I might check if the flop missed me and I was at a loose table, meaning a pot-sized bet would get called or checkraised more than half the time.

If you were my opponent in my hand, what would you think? Small chance he’s slowplaying a whopper vs. big chance he’s a moron?

[Che]

The table was playing pretty tight, and I though UTG was playing a drawing hand so I raised with AJo to isolate him. SB called and messed up my plan. UTG just called which confirmed drawing hand (he would have raised if trapping with a big pair, obviously).

I played wimpy when the flop missed me.

J /images/graemlins/club.gif turned. SB bet 120. UTG called. I called. I’m thinking second pair, top kicker is best right now.

River is 5 /images/graemlins/diamond.gif. All check.

SB shows K9o for the win. UTG mucked Q /images/graemlins/club.gif T /images/graemlins/club.gif.

I couldn’t believe he called my preflop bet with K9o, but I was probably more stupid than him so I can’t complain.

[Edge34]

I've tried to figure this hand out without reading the "What Actually Happened" part of the story, and I've come up with my own idea. Unless you've got KK, you really should bet at this pot. I don't know if you're sitting with guys who might call a 4xBB raise with hands such as K6, 66, or 33, or if they would check it if they hit such hands. The best I can come up with is that you only have any business checking if you've got KK, and sometimes not even then, since you don't need to slowplay EVERY hand you make. The last thing you want is to be so predictable. From reading your story, you're acting last on every round of betting, and if you've got any chance of giving them a free card that could beat your hand, you should bet at this pot.