A9, twice

[rory]

Live 50-100 game. Both of these hands are SB vs BB situations, I am the SB.

A little background on the player and the situation. The player in the BB is a good player, a little spazzy sometimes preflop and a little weak I think postflop. He is an excellent hand reader and we have as lot of thinking what I'm thinking he's thinking that other guy is thinking sort of stuff going on. I don't know how many levels it goes. We both know each other's play very well, though I think I confuse him sometimes being ultra-aggressive.

I have stolen his blind the past 4 or 5 orbits, all with legitimate hands but he thinks I am trying to steal his blind with crap because he has put a couple moves on me postflop with garbage and got caught.

Anyway, the first A9o hand:

I open raise in the SB with A9o, he cold calls in the BB. The flop is AJT, rainbow, I bet and he calls. The turn is a 9 and I check-raise him and he calls. The river another T and I check-call. The thing is, I know with about 90% certainty that he will not value bet a hand I tie or beat in this situation on the river (this is the weak part of his weakness, really, really bad value betting). When he bets he is either completely bluffing or has me beat. Do I call here, given my read?

Second A9o hand. Same guy, same SB vs. BB situation. I raise, he cold calls. The flop is KT9, two spades. I bet and he calls. He has been giving up on the flop a lot. The turn is a 4 of spades, I have no spade. I check, he bets and I fold. When he flat called the flop I felt a turn raise coming, but I didn't know what it meant. Do you guys know what I mean? Like he might have been planning to raise me with nothing because he was frustrated or raising to trap me, I don't know which. So I checked and folded. What do you do in that situation, usually? Pretend I was 100% certain that a turn raise was coming but I didn't know what it meant.

These hands are pretty boring now that I look at it, but they both have been bothering me.

[gaming_mouse]

[ QUOTE ]

I open raise in the SB with A9o, he cold calls in the BB. The flop is AJT, rainbow, I bet and he calls. The turn is a 9 and I check-raise him and he calls. The river another T and I check-call. The thing is, I know with about 90% certainty that he will not value bet a hand I tie or beat in this situation on the river (this is the weak part of his weakness, really, really bad value betting). When he bets he is either completely bluffing or has me beat. Do I call here, given my read?

[/ QUOTE ]

I think you have to call here, as he could too easily be bluffing with a missed straight draw. The real question is would he have called a value bet by you? I was sort of surprised that you check/called the river. Does he bluff raise here just enough that you would have had to call, but usually been paying off a better hand when you did?

[ QUOTE ]
Second A9o hand. Same guy, same SB vs. BB situation. I raise, he cold calls. The flop is KT9, two spades. I bet and he calls. He has been giving up on the flop a lot. The turn is a 4 of spades, I have no spade. I check, he bets and I fold. When he flat called the flop I felt a turn raise coming, but I didn't know what it meant. Do you guys know what I mean? Like he might have been planning to raise me with nothing because he was frustrated or raising to trap me, I don't know which. So I checked and folded. What do you do in that situation, usually? Pretend I was 100% certain that a turn raise was coming but I didn't know what it meant.

[/ QUOTE ]

I don't think you can fold JUST because you felt a turn raise coming, if you didn't know what it meant. The question is, What is the chance the raise is legit, and what is the chance it's a bluff? How about calling down?

[Nate tha' Great]

Rory,

I think the river is a straightforward call in Hand 1 if you think he's capable of a complete bluff as he could have a Q here somewhat easily.

I also don't like the check-fold in hand 2, as it sounds like he'll give you enough free flips with hands like J9 that you should call for improvement plus free showdown equity.

[rory]

Thanks Nate, you figured out why it was bothering me before I did.

Both plays together don't make sense-- questioning check-calling on hand #1 because I know he won't value bet and not calling the turn on hand #2 are not integrated into a cohesive strategy on how to play this opponent. I might be able to get a free showdown on hand #2 because he is so bad at value betting, which was the reason why I was thinking about folding in hand #1 and is the reason why I should call the turn in hand #2.

Great, Nate, thanks.

[Alobar]

yeah, I like what nate said.

I wanna know how you are psychic enough to know a raise is coming, but not psychic enough to know his 2 cards!! You need to refine that talent man!! [img]/images/graemlins/wink.gif[/img]