[ajmargarine]

The first opportunity to steal was checkraising the flop. It represents a strong hand and villian is hardpressed to call a nice sized checkraise if he has just 2 non spade overs. I like the checkraise instead of leading out if you are intent on making a move, as it represents a set to most players. It's also cheapest if villian doesn't go away.

The lead on the flop is goofy. How does that six help you again? Your bet tells villian it helped you somehow, or that you are making some kind of sophisticated play on him. Taking that $18 and checkraising him on the flop would have had much more success, IMO. He discounts your possible 5-8 and 8-10, and carries on, calling a bet size that he may have chosen himself to make against you, so no sweat off his back. And it was that bet that doomed your river bet. Check/call the turn is probably better, and then you have the perfect river card to make a play with, if you are willing to go that far with it.

He has to be concerned with you pairing your ace, or making your flush. If he has TT-KK, hard for him to call a nice sized bet with only one pair....I mean, in his mind, you were calling along with something right, flush draw or A9.

I would have to vote you are spewing chips the way you made this play. Of course, I may have tried the same thing. [img]/images/graemlins/crazy.gif[/img]