Same game, later on AK in the CO

[BigBaitsim (milo)]

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Playing in a bar room game, 10-handed. The players are loose and not too aggressive. Usually 6-8 see an unraised pot and 4-6 call a raise. Buy-in is $100, with blinds of $1/2. Preflop raises happen about 1/2 the time, with the typical raise of $5 or $10. Although this is my first cash NL game, these guys have played NL tourneys with me, and they know me as a tight player, and a consistent winner at the tourneys. Only two of them could fold AJo to a pre-flop raise, and they think me way too tight.


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Tight image solidified by folding for the past 15 hands or so (it helped that I was getting crap-crap-offsuit). Dealt AKo in the CO. 4 call, I raise $10 and three call. =

Flop is rag-rag-rag-rainbow. It's checked around to me, and I quickly bet out $25. while EP is thinking, MP is counting out five $5 chips. MP has been on a rush and is feeling fat and happy with a mound of chips, but also plays any two cards, more so now than ever. EP mucks, MP calls, LP folds.

Turn is another rag. No flush draw and no obvious straight draw. Checked to me, and I bet another $25. MP hesitates for under a second before calling.

The river is yet another rag, with no pairs, straights or flushes. MP checks, I check through and ask him to show me a pair. He says he can't, I say "I've got the nut nothing," and flash my AK. He mucks.

Can I bet this river? Other comments?

[Zag]

Preflop: Bet a little more, or just limp. AK wants to be heads up. If you don't think you can do it, just limp and take a look at the flop.

Flop: $25 at a $40 pot is good. A little more would be OK, too. The important thing is that you are making the same bet that you would make with QQ-AA, which is what you are trying to represent.

Turn: $25 sounds like too little for a $90 pot. Never bet less than a third of the pot, and hardly ever less than a half. The only exception is if his only possible draw is a gutshot, and he would call this amount with such a draw. Then you would have him making a mistake to call, which is what you are always looking for. With 4 rags out there, though, I can't believe that there isn't at least the possibility of an open-ended straight draw.

River: Sure, check behind. Unless you think that he would fold a small/medium pair to a bet, and it doesn't sound like he would. But just remember that you are making this bet as a bluff -- I can't see anyone with a worse hand calling you. In general, you want to save your bluffs for hands that have no hope of winning on their own. Since you beat almost all of the hands that would have folded, you might as well just take the showdown.

[schwza]

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Can I bet this river? Other comments?

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if you mean "can i bet this river and hope to make money by getting called by a worse hand?" then the answer is no.

if you mean "should i bet this one more time in the hope of folding out a small pair?" then the answer is still no, given your description of this guy as a calling station.

check behind and hope.