Wierd 50-100 hand

[Diplomat]

50-100. The game has gotten progressively better as it has gotten short, as a couple strong players have left the game. We currently are 6-handed.

I have 94o in the big blind. Folded to the small blind who plays quite terribly who completes. I consider raising but check. (any thoughts here?)

The flop comes down 39Q rainbow. Check/bet/call.

The turn is another 3. Check/bet/call.

The river is an ace. Check/check.

Comments? Did I miss a bet on the river? Is a raise pre-flop a bad idea, or is there merrit to it?

-Diplomat

[Paluka]

I think you played it great. I think a raise preflop is a bad idea. I've been surprised by the strength of my opponent's small blind limping hand on many occasions. I think you are better off betting any flop if checked to than raising preflop.

[Clarkmeister]

I would DEFINITELY bet the river. Even terrible players raise an ace preflop when folded to them in the SB. He doesn't have an ace, and a queen or 3 would have let you know.

I know, I know, what worse hands can he call with? I'll let the terrible player in the SB decide - they seem to come up with all sorts of answers to that question on a regular basis.

[Coilean]

Does terrible mean the SB might call the river here with K or J high? Might he check raise the river with a worse (or equal) hand than yours? If the answers are yes and no with sufficient certainty, then I'd bet the river.

[Diplomat]

Yes, he would call with quite a few hands here that I can beat. And there is an off-chance he might fold a nine, having not improved. (but if he calls with a nine, that's fine, because we would chop)

-Diplomat

[Diplomat]

Yes he would call the river with any pair, king-high, jack-high. No I don't think he's capable of checkraising the river with a worse hand.

When I say bad, I mean a typical pedestrian player who bets/raises his good hands, calls with crap and everything else, and does not checkraise. He's a 20-40 player taking a shot at the 50 game; yet he is not playing any differently. (in other words the stakes have not made him weak tight)

-Diplomat

[Tommy Angelo]

I starting chopping a couple years ago and your post brought back some memories. From the big blind, I've raised a limping SB lots of times with bad hands, sometimes in the dark. But not unless I've seen him limp-fold before the flop before, and also seen him check-fold a lot on the flop after a miss.

Some guys make the muck decision at the last second. When they limp headsup from the SB, they don't much anticipate a raise, but probably figure on playing if the BB does raise, and then, after the raise -- when it comes from someone they don't necessarily look forward to playing against headsup out of position against after a raise -- with an oh-why-bother sigh, they muck. (I used to do that same thing a bunch before I figured out that my best play is to routinely muck the SB vs the BB, even when I don't expect a raise.)



Tommy

[SossMan]

[ QUOTE ]
I know, I know, what worse hands can he call with? I'll let the terrible player in the SB decide - they seem to come up with all sorts of answers to that question on a regular basis.

[/ QUOTE ]

LOL...I'm finding this to be more and more true of late. /images/graemlins/smirk.gif

[budman]

I think if you are going to play a bad hand based only on the small blind's poor play and lack of aggression, you've got to pump it preflop.

After that I think you played it fine. If the small blind had gone that far with a bad ace, he probably would throw in one more bet on the river. I agree with you he was probably not going for a checkraise.

[Georgia Peach]

Yeah, a bet on the river.

[Diplomat]

At the time it was not so obvious, but it is now, when I reflect. Anyway he flipped over 55 and my hand was good. He smirked at me and said I was lucky. /images/graemlins/laugh.gif

Bet the river...it's interesting, I had a conversation the other day that freaked me out -- if you miss just one big bet a session at 50-100, and you play twice a week, that is over ten grand a year.

Next time I'll bet.

-Diplomat

[stripsqueez]

"He smirked at me and said i was lucky"

reminds me of draw players who fail to raise before the flop with 2 small pair and pay off the BB who draws 5 cards and makes 3 of a kind

stripsqueez - chickenhawk

[ACPlayer]

Preflop raise only against a possible folder (pre or on the flop) and only if your previous pre-flop raising frequency when blind vs blind justifies it. Against horrible players (ie members of the frequent calling society) no preflop raises for me.

River bet player dependent. Against Ace chasers check is fine. Against someone who will not go for c-r when hitting Ace, bet is fine.

[Ronm]

Actually, you were lucky; lucky to have a player in your game and to your right that will not raise the BB with a pair of 5's---- /images/graemlins/smile.gif