[Pitcher]

Hi TW Texas,

This is a tough decision on the river, especially without any knowledge of the players' history. Based on the fact that you are posting I suspect you lost, nevertheless, lets take a look.
If you look at the hands he is likely to have in this situation you can quickly narrow it down. 1st. this player min-raised UTG. Without knowing his tendencies, I generally think 3 things. 1st. he may have AA/KK and is attempting to set a trap. The min-raise will drive out some competition but keep some hands that are likely dominated. The second possibility is A good kicker like A-J-A-K. Finally, a lower PP like 99, 10, JJ or QQ. When you raised and are only called you may conclude he doesn't have AA or KK (KK would be pretty tough with you already having two of them!). Again, a tricky player may simply call with AA thinking that he has AK, KK, or QQ captured.

When the flop comes and he check / calls a couple things come to me. 1st. he might have a hand like AJ and is willing to let you bet into him thinking you may have overcards or a smaller pair. Another possibility is AK. Two other thoughts are that he has AA or flopped a set (held 99?) or a 4 flush When the turn comes and there is no re-raise I gotta believe the player has AJ or AK, a four flush or you are hopelessly trapped.

When you bet on the turn and he called, now I would start to get a bit concerned. A four flush or AJ are still possible, but I would be getting a feeling I was being trapped

So lets see where this leaves you. A value bet is simply too risky given his betting pattern and that board. He is likely to only call with a hand that has you beat and you may also be facing a big re-raise if he has trips or the flush. I would check for sure.

As for your play, I am fine with the pre-flop, but would have made a pot sized bet on the flop. This should drive away most competition (I am not sure how big his stack is but a bigger stack would be more likely to call) If smooth called here, I would be quite concerned!

Pitcher