Checking a straight

[betgo]

Live $20 rebuy, past rebuy period, blinds 200/400/50. UTG with approximately T10K raises to 1000. I call in BB with about T7K and AJo.

Flop comes 235 with a 2-flush, check, check. Turn is a 4 for a board of 2345, check, check. River is a 2 for 22345. I check.

How do you think I played this?

[wiggs73]

if there was no 3-flush on the board, i probably would have bet the river. there is some possibility that the raiser has an over-pair and will pay you off. out of curiosity, were you going for check-raises on 4th or 5th street?

[locutus2002]

If you had a read on villain it would be helpful.

If villain is weak tight, as his post flop play suggests, then I would play your hand differently.

Because he opened UTG, I doubt that villain has a 2,3,4,5, or 6 in his hand. If villain had a pair, it would be an overpair after the flop and he would have bet it. I think you're most likely up against two big cards AK, AQ, AJ, and KQs with 4 of them being two spades (assume suit with 2 on flop). If I was confident in my read, I would PUSH the turn. I think there's a good chance that he will lay down all the aces without a flush draw.

[schwza]

this is an interesting hand. what are you hoping he'll bluff with on the end? he most likely has an ace or a pair. if he has a pair, he'll take his free showdown. if he has an ace, he'll call your bet or you'll call his.

if he had a pocket pair, he's probably betting the flop, unless maybe he has QQ+ to avoid giving free cards.

if you want him to bluff, it'll have to be with a hand like KQ, which isn't generally raising utg. i'd say the odds are better that he has misplayed a medium pocket pair and will pay off a small bet compared to the possibility that he will bet a worse hand. i'd bet the river.

oh, and i would've folded pre-flop.

[betgo]

More information. The villain pushed on the river. I called. What do you think the villain had?

[bestcellar]

with that info, I think the villain has 66.

[locutus2002]

Without being too critical here, I think the important thing is that you don't have any idea what villain has.
I think its fine too say I don't have any idea what you have, "nice bet", and fold. But to call all your chips when there was only ~T2,500 in the pot after the turn is a mistake, especially when you are only likely to split the pot under the best circumstances.

I still think you have to bet the turn. The reason I like the push is that I am likely ahead, and cannot improve. Whereas there are many hands that villain can improve with, and he is getting that chance for free.

[Scooterdoo]

[ QUOTE ]
More information. The villain pushed on the river. I called. What do you think the villain had?

[/ QUOTE ]

Hard to say based on the way he played it. I can't think of any hand he has that he would raise preflop and check the flop and turn after your check -- either he has an overpair or straight and wants to make you pay to see a card or he wants to get some value out of his big hand. I guess he can be trying to induce a bluff with his flop and turn check, but if he has the goods why push on the river when he should value bet. The push on the river seems to indicate that he completely missed with a hand like KQ or he could have a weak medium pair like 77 or 88, but if he had one of these hands with that board and your checking the river why not value bet here too since he must figure you for nothing. I guess he could have AK or AQ and is thinking you for an A so he's hoping to take the full pot -- he can't feel that you have the 6 based on how you played your hand. Yes, AK or AQ are most likely.

[betgo]

I called. I think villain is supposed to show first by current rules, but he didn't so I did, and he mucked.

I figure he must have had a suited connector queen high or lower. Presumably, he would have bet a pocket pair on the flop. The suited connector would explain the small preflop bet. He must have thought he was probably behind to bluff the river.

Obviously he was pretty sure I didn't have the straight. In fact, he was asking me why I didn't bet the turn. It's possible I should have, but the way I played it worked out well in this case.

I like my check on the river, since villain could possibly have a better straight or a boat and the check might induce a bluff. I thought correctly that villain probably didn't have much and wouldn't call much of a bet.

Probably either player could have taken the pot with a decent flop bet. However, I didn't know if I was ahead and didn't want to lead into the raiser. Villain probably figured I had an ace or a pocket pair and would call or checkraise.

[locutus2002]

I'm glad it worked out for you. I still like betting the turn. Make him show first next time.