To bet or not to bet the river?

[cmwck]

UTG+1 and SB are new, unknown players.
MP2 and MP3 are both loose-passive, playing very passively on the flop


PokerStars 0.02/0.04 Hold'em (9 handed)

Preflop: Hero is BB with Q[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img], J[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img].
UTG folds, UTG+1 calls, MP1 folds, MP2 calls, MP3 calls, CO folds, Button folds, SB completes, Hero checks.

Flop: (5 SB) 3[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img], 8[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img], A[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img] <font color="blue">(5 players)</font>
SB checks, Hero checks, UTG+1 checks, MP2 checks, MP3 checks.

Turn: (2.50 BB) Q[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img] <font color="blue">(5 players)</font>
SB checks, <font color="CC3333">Hero bets</font>, UTG+1 calls, MP2 folds, MP3 folds, SB folds.

River: (4.50 BB) 4[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img] <font color="blue">(2 players)</font>
<font color="CC3333">Hero bets</font>, <font color="CC3333">UTG+1 raises</font>, Hero calls.

Final Pot: 8.50 BB


On the turn, I figure someone would have bet with an ace, and i might even be able to knock the MP's off an ace-rag.

The river looks like a blank, but I'm allways nervous about throwing bets out on the river with less than top pair. I almost checked at first, thinking maybe UTG+1 was calling down with a weak ace, then thought he could also be calling down with a queen, so I bet.

Of course, his raise at the end made me wish I had checked instead.

-C.

[cold_cash]

Betting is okay, but it's okay because you fold if you're raised.

Worse hands will call, surely; it's unlikely a worse one would raise however, unless UTG+1 just went off his meds.

His raise means at least an Ace. (I'm going to guess he made a flush on the turn.)

I think you played this one fine until you paid off the river raise.

[Shillx]

Why did you call the river raise? Either check/call the river or bet/fold IMO. Since the pot is on the small side, I like the bet/fold line best.

Brad