1010 hand

[davidross]

Newbie,

There is no clearcut way to play hands like this and you need to think about how you would play AK or AA on this hand too and be sure you aren't tipping your opponents off as to the difference. Quite often I will check raise the turn here with a big hand, so checking the turn might not induce a bluff. If you have set up opponents like that then checking the turn might save you some money. But if you bet out on the turn with your big hands then bet out here too. If raised, muck it. If not and no T hits on the river I think I check call unless I know he will never bluff.

With that board he is either playing a K or a pair smaller than yours would be my guess. Just make sure you remember him and his style. You will be able to get extra bets out of him calling you to showdown.

Does a player really checks a K on the river here?
Maybe a checkraise is a good alternative?

[Kurn, son of Mogh]

He should be disgusted - with himself. Top pair + A kicker and he doesn't raise??? He was begging you to draw out on him.

[Kurn, son of Mogh]

In a loose game, UTG +3 can be raising preflop on a lot less than AA . If I've got AK after that flop and the raiser leads out, I want him to prove he's got me beat. From the description, it's a loose-passive game. He might chase me off my top pair with a reraise and lead out or check raise on the turn, but I'm not going to put him on AA or 99 without more evidence.

[Casey]

I think you have to bet the flop. Once you get called, I think you have to give him credit for the king or a jt-qj straight draw. No odds in drawing but this doesn't stop many in my regular game. I check the turn and probably fold to a bet. My thinking is that he will bet the king but check any draw.

If him, I would have raised your flop bet. My guess is that you would have folded, if not here then to a bet on the turn. i not sure that you can consider what you did sucking out, since this guy has given you no indication that you are behind. Nice catch and his own damn fault.

[KUBowler99]

I think he's saying find out where you're at early and as cheap as possible. If you're bet into (by the pre-flop raiser) and you hold top pair 2nd kicker & you raise, you'll know where you're at and can make a decision accordingly.

[Clarkmeister]

"I would have checked the turn and folded to a bet"

I suspect you are getting bluffed out of a large number of pots.

i was thinking about it this morning and actually i have to say that i think my opponent played this hand pretty well.

if he'd raised my flop bet i would have either folded right there or checked and folded on the turn.

the way he played would have maximized his win because if the 10 hadn't come on the river, i think i would have checked and called just in case i induced a bluff.

so he would have won 2 more BB's from me by playing how he did if i wasn't so damn lucky [img]/forums/images/icons/smile.gif[/img].

just an idea, what do you guys think?

[Michael Davis]

Your opponent lost this pot because of his own incompetence. He played this hand extremely poorly.

Before the flop, he called with KQo.

On the flop, he just called. He should have raised almost all of the time.

You absolutely must bet again on the turn. He could have a nine, JT, QJ, or some other small pair or combination of complete junk including an ace where you do not want to give him a free card. Failing to bet the turn with only one overcard on the board would be an enormous mistake. In fact, it would be a mistake to stop betting even if an ace falls on the turn; you can fold to a raise and still cannot afford to give a free card.

Again, your opponent only calls on the turn. Because of his passive play, he has absolutely no idea where he is at in the hand. If he doesn't cold call with KQo, he doesn't run into this problem where he fears AA or AK. While he should have raised on the flop, he should again raise the turn and probably fold if reraised.

Even if he knows you have TT, this is still a bad call, because most players will call a raise on the turn with TT, even though it is usually incorrect. Thus, by not raising, he is giving you a "cheaper than it should be" card.

On the river, I would bet unimproved TT. Your opponent has shown no strength and will call with worse hands than a K. He will likely bet a K if checked to him but only call if you bet, and since you have to call his river bet to snap off a possible bluff, you mine as well do the betting. You should also just bet your trip Ts on the end here because it seems likely that your opponent is calling with a junk pair and may continue to call down. I did not expect him to show up with a K, so do not see checkraising as a viable option here.

The only way your opponent even lays claim to playing the hand well is if you are a habitual bluffer who will keep firing at any cost. Even then, he has to raise the turn when an ace doesn't hit. This play would serve much better in a heads up game against an ultra-agressive better than in a full ring game against a player who might not bet TT here.

While your opponent should be angry at the mathematics of his being sucked out, his trauma is self-induced. He is like a smoker suing Philip Morris or Deltha O'Neal making contact with a ref after committing an obvious penalty.

Take care.

Mike