Tough 3-bet

[Gamblor]

Party 15/30, my very first hand at the table.

Through table scouting, I have determined that my main opponent in this hand is tight-passive, calls a bit, hasn't raised or bet once in the 15 hands or so I watched, but he only played 1 of them past the flop. He seems very ABC.

No PT history at all on him.

Folded to Main Opponent who limps in MP, button limps, I check with A /images/graemlins/spade.gif Q /images/graemlins/heart.gif.

3 to the flop (3 2/3) SB: T /images/graemlins/club.gif A /images/graemlins/heart.gif T /images/graemlins/spade.gif

I bet, MO raises, I 3-bet, MO folds.

Comments?

[Clarkmeister]

Raise preflop.

What are you hoping to accomplish by 3-betting the flop?

[GuyOnTilt]

Hey Gamblor,

This is pretty ugly. You have a very clear raise preflop, and your flop reraise is pretty questionable as well. How bad it was depends on you reasoning behind it. Care to explain?

GoT

[Tosh]

Sorry to be a sheep but the preflop raise is not even close.

[Gamblor]

He was tight-passive and ABC (only 15 hands of scouting, mind you), that I wanted to find out immediately if he had the T or not. JTs or ATs is certainly a possibility here.

I ruled out AK as I assumed he would have raised.

The three bet costs me 1 BB if I'm behind to a T.

If he caps, I can fold (no chance am I taking one card off).

If I just call down to the river, that's another 2 BB if I'm beat.

The worst situation would be if he calls and then raises the turn: I fold and that's still 2 BB.

The three-bet was to define his hand.

[Gamblor]

Let him define his hand for me.

A cap (considering I have him pegged for ABC player) would let me fold for only one BB more, while calling him down would cost me 2 BB if I'm behind.

[daryn]

so you would 3 bet the flop and fold to a cap?

oh man, this is a joke post. definitely.

[GuyOnTilt]

I wanted to find out immediately if he had the T or not.

And how effectively is 3-betting going to help you do that?? If he has a very strong hand, he'll most likely smooth call and raise the turn. He may even be passive enough to just call down with a hand like JTs.

The three bet costs me 1 BB if I'm behind to a T.

If he caps, which he most likely will not.

If I just call down to the river, that's another 2 BB if I'm beat.

And then...

The worst situation would be if he calls and then raises the turn: I fold and that's still 2 BB.

So you risk the same amount most of the time, but don't give yourself the chance to improve on the river, and will push your opponent off of a weaker ace who is drawing very thin to only chopping outs a lot of times. I'm not sure I would check and call the whole way against this opponent (probably bet out on the river), but 3-betting the flop to "define his hand" is a bad play.

GoT

[Gamblor]

So it was a bad play.

As usual, you've been most helpful. /images/graemlins/smirk.gif