I checked and called!

Just so everyone doesn't think I am a one trick pony I thought I post a hand where I thought a slowplay was appropriate. Not super exciting but just an example of a time where I thought I passive approach might help me maximize my win. Curious if people thought it did.


Late night 4-8 game at Muckleshoot Casino outside Seattle, WA. Game is pretty straightforward at this time. 5-6 people seeing every flop and its rarely raised. Knowing those conditions, I limp UTG with Ah4h. 5 others limp behind me. Blinds play for one bet. Perfect.


Flop is 2h3hJh. Blinds check, I check!, middle position player bets--and everyone drops! Very unexpected. I was hoping that there would be a handful of single hearts that would be drawing dead coming along for the ride. This has been a typical flush chasing table but I guess no one has got any this hand.


Turn is the 8c. I check, middle position player hesitates a bit, then bets. I checkraise, he folds.


Comments?


KJS


Here is a couple of hands I did NOT slowplay.


1. I call two cold on button with TT but it comes back to me capped. OK. Flop is T87. I raise the whole way and get paid by AA.


1. I flop a straight on button in 7 handed pot with KJ and board of QT9 with two spades. Raise flop and get paid by 3 players to end. Helped in part by a 9 on turn I am sure.

I like your plays. On the first hand, an alternative strategy might be to simply call his turn bet and then bet the river. This may induce a "curiosity call". But your line was fine.

"I was hoping that there would be a handful of single hearts that would be drawing dead coming along for the ride"


If that's the case, why didn't you bet?

agreed, in the long run i think it's more profitable to lead (on the flop)in these situations, hoping to represent a vulnerable top pair, and then take it from there.

Very good point. I guess I thought it might be best to pretend I was one of them as well. It is rare that I slowplay but I thought this was a good situation, being one of the first to act in a big field. At the time I wanted to see what developed and make my move on an expensive street.


You are probably right that a bet here would have been better.


KJS

Great plays KJS.

Well I know that in the games I play in most folks are regulars and the figure me for tight image so that if I bet out the a board like your first one I get know callers...matter of fact while they will bet behind me on the flop to see if I will fold I have to ckrz on the flop most time because they fear even my call if any kind of scare cards come. I don't mind this as I steal quite a bit so it works.

I also really like your other 2 hands and you got the max while in position and everything held up for you.

I think the other possible hands are what make for a slowplay sit....ie lots of draws against your hand means bet & rz vs. hardly anything against your nuts means let something ge there.

Lance

On the Ah4h hand, I have a little bit o' trouble with how you played it. I like betting the flop rather than checking. No one will believe that you have the nuts if you bet, but when you slowplay, and check-raise the turn, you tend to lose customers with weak draws, who correctly surmise that you were slowplaying a very strong hand. I almost always bet the whole way when I flop the nut flush. Had someone bet INTO you, I would be more understanding about your slowplay.


On your examples, no sense slowplaying a set when there's a one card straight draw out there. Second hand, no sense slowplaying a str8 when there's a flush draw out there. Both go without saying.


Dave in Cali

Dave,


Since I am a tight player and was not getting many playable hands since I moved to this table I thought there would be more callers on the flop if someone else led. Turns out I probably held the only heart at the table and think in this case I got more $ by checking and letting a non-flush hand try to steal. I think if I bet it would have been over on the flop.


I agree with you and Mason that overall leading is the better play.


KJS


PS> I emailed the address on your posts about some SD questions I have. If that email address is not one you really check, could you please email me if you are willing to answer some questions. Thanks.

"Turns out I probably held the only heart at the table and think in this case I got more $ by checking and letting a non-flush hand try to steal."


then why checkraise him off this bluff on the turn? Just smoothcall, he would be obligated to bet the river where you could snap him off and gain another BB, or two if he did have a hand. (lessor flush, etc.)

He was very hesitant when he bet. I don't think he was going to follow through again on the river. Plus, I thought he might have a pair and a heart, in which case he might call the checkraise and the river if a heart came. My read was wrong but I think I won the maximum.


KJS

Several of the posters here have commented on the flop play.I actually think that leading or check-calling the flop was a close play. I think the real decision on this hand, as touched on by Jim Brier and expounded on by Hillbilly, was the turn.


I have a post in the general theory section about my first 100 hours of holdem. One of the hands that I point to as hands that lead to my enlightenment on the game is almost this exact one. I played it just like you did check raising one player on the turn with the nut flush and having him fold.


I think in the hand that I played and maybe the one you post here, we missed some bets. Check raising the turn to the average low limit player screams "I have the nut flush" and many of them will fold. If you call the turn bet you have several positive ev choices on the river. If you bet out, there is a strong possibility that you will get a call. This will be especially true if the river is a rag. Also, I think a check raise on the river has a lot better chance of getting a call than on the turn. My experience, limited as it is, shows that most low limit players have a harder time laying a hand down on the river than the turn...