Raising with pairs on the board

[RustedCorpse]

OK I'm at the dog track last night 2-4
Half these people at the table are learning to play poker for the first time. The guy who I end up heads up with think he's sh*t hot. Real aggressive commenting about how someone played a hand wrong etc..

anyway I have AQs in middle position I raise.
8 people see the flop:

9h Qd 9s

It's checked around the table, I check mr. pro in last postion bets folds to me, I know it's low limit and I shouldn't be tricky, but I really don't a) like this guy b) He's been almost too aggresive. So considering that I raise. Everyone else folds he just calls.
Now I figure the way this guy has been playing there is no way he has the nine, he would raise me to hell and back.

Turn was a 6d

I bet
he calls

River 2s
I bet
He calls

I take it over his pocket 4's


couple questions:

Is the raise a good idea when the board pairs but the flop helps you as a "probe" almost? I'm pretty sure I wouldn't have done it if it was someone else or in early position.

2nd:Should I have checked the river? I didn't know if this was one of those situation where Lee Jones describes as "Bettting when the only caller will beat you"

Thanks for the advice in advance

[MCS]

I would have played it exactly the same way. There's no reason to think he has you beat. As you mention, if he did have the 9, he should have raised at some point, so when he doesn't, keep the pressure on. If you get 3-bet, maybe you slow down a little. But since he just kept calling, you might (correctly) surmise that he doesn't have the 9.

I think the river bet is good. You'll get called by worse hands, as you saw. For example, Qx, where x is not an ace (or queen), and pocket pairs (other than 6's and 2's).

[crockpot]

though your hand is not especially vulnerable, you can still be picked off by a king or a straight draw. and the pot is huge, so you want to make it incorrect for these hands to call. so narrowing the field is certainly a good reason for raising. but another good reason is that if you have shown strength and get raised by a typical player, you can be almost certain you are beaten. thus raising the flop should help you gain information later in the hand.

i don't think this is a situation where you'll only get called if you're beaten. you just said the guy couldn't have a nine (and i agree, because few players will wait until the river to raise with it). so what will he have that beats you, pocket twos?

[scotnt73]

you played it just right.

[Ed Miller]

Should I have checked the river? I didn't know if this was one of those situation where Lee Jones describes as "Bettting when the only caller will beat you"

You bet. He called. You won. I don't think it was one of those situations. [img]/images/graemlins/tongue.gif[/img]

Besides, that line of thought does not apply when you are first to act... only when you are last to act. If you do not understand why, reread the chapter "Heads-Up on the River" in Theory of Poker.

[Mike Gallo]

You played it well, however leave your emotions as the door.

Don't let your personal prejudices determine how you play a hand.

[CarlNiclas]

My thoughts exactly. In that situation you will be called over and over again by Qx. Hand domination is not something most players think about, which is also why you over and over again will see people limping UTG with Ax and the like.

[bernie]

you played it fine.

these types of players will usually wait for the turn to raise if they had trips or a FH. they like to show off that move even though it tends to kill their action. makes them feel superior to pull a move for a moves sake. even at the cost of a couple bets. dorks. at most he has a Q and you outkick him.

his turn call makes the river bet very easy. no way im checking this through.

i, along with many, many on this forum long ago, dispelled jones' advice that only better hands will call. dynasty and clark really had some good stuff on this for a run of a couple months. pounding it. people will call with all kinds of crap. although, i still like jones book in general as a beginning primer.

b