BB hand - Middle Pair - What's your move?

[razor]

PokerStars No-Limit Hold'em Tourney, Big Blind is t150 (5 handed) converter

saw flop|<font color="C00000">saw showdown</font>

<font color="C00000">SB (t1340)</font>
<font color="C00000">Hero (t1375)</font>
UTG (t7375)
MP (t2180)
Button (t1230)

Preflop: Hero is BB with 9[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img], 5[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img].
<font color="666666">3 folds</font>, SB completes, Hero checks,

Flop: (t300) K[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img], 6[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img], 9[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img] <font color="blue">(2 players)</font>
SB checks, <font color="CC3333">Hero ?????</font>


I haven't noticed SB doing anything out of the ordinary in this tourney. He's been passive. I would expect him to fold if he didn't have a piece of this flop. However, the fact he checked doesn't necessarily mean he doesn't have part of the flop and would probably call a pot-sized or small bet if he did.

What's my move here?

[Stoneii]

Got to bet, you have to find out where your hand is and better define the range of hands he has. I'm already wondering why he completed and didn't try to steal, weakness?, strength? I'm usually in favour of it being a sign of weakness but I need to bet to find out.

If you bet small if I were your opponent I'd jump all over it whether I'm weak or strong, so I'd bet around the pot or so (250?)

Please note, this is only my opinion and am vastly underqualified to take too seriously !!

G'Luck

stoneii

[razor]

If he does call the $250 bet do you give up on the hand unless the turn and river help you?

[Sam T.]

I agree with the pot-sized bet on the flop, but your follow-up question is a good one. This is why passive players give me fits. He could have just about anything, from a pair like yours (or worse), a King with a lousy kicker, to Ax.

The pot is now worth winning, so unless the turn makes you nervous (I would not want to see an Ace), you can get aggressive if he checks again. I would probably make a pot-sized bet, or even larger.

[razor]

So after he calls the Flop bet the pot is T800 and I'd have just under T1000. So if I'm gonna bet the turn then pushing would be correct move?

[Sam T.]

Unless there is some reason to think that the turn helped him (in which case he'd bet out), I would probably push. But I'd be happy to hear from someone who actualy knows what he is doing, 'cause I certianly don't. [img]/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]

Edit: See Strassa2's post. No doubt you should listen to him, not me.

[Jason Strasser]

This is one of those hands where you want to win the small pot, yet don't want to get involved in a big pot. I also find that in the war of the blinds, you don't need to make a pot sized bet to get your opponent to fold his/her hand. I'd make a 150 bet. Your opponent will fold if he or she didn't hit the board, or doesn't have a draw. If you get to the turn check behind, and on the river play with caution. Most times the SB will check raise top pair on the flop, so that's easy to handle (fold).

My best advice for these spots is don't get too caught up, and try to put the SB on a hand. I know passive opponents are hard to read. That's why you should be able to shut it down after the flop and get to showdown. Don't push the turn if you get called. That sounds like bad news.

[razor]

Thanks... this is helpful.

After thinking about this hand some I was thinking that something along the lines of your advice was the way to go, it just seems kinda weak... but given the situation it also seems the best approach, you win the pot if you the other guy missed and don't hurt yourself if he hasn't.

This guy wasn't gonna check-raise me. He also wasn't gonna bet a K if he had a weak kicker. He would've checked the turn and very likely checked the river if I checked behind on the turn. And he would have called any bet if he had any piece of the board.

Of course, since I wanted to avoid making any kind of difficult decisions and not really knowing what the hell I'm doing... I pushed. He called with K7o and crippled me.

So I risked (and lost) most of my stack when 150-200 would have accomplished the same thing.