How can I stop these uncomfortable river situations...

[AZK]

5/10. I am an active raiser, less so when I only have 100xBB. Villain knows this, he knows I auto-bet about 100% of the time when I raise and it's called in 3 spots or less. He raises draws, calls me down with any piece of any board or pp because he rarely gives me credit for a hand since I auto-bet flops. If he doesn't have a hand, he drops if I fire on the turn, but I rarely fire on the turn again if I don't hit (which is a large part of the time), I know I need to improve my shania in this area, as in fire more when I still miss to get him to laydown.

Anyway, on to the hand....I raise UTG to 50 with QQ (standard), like I said, the last 3 hand I think I've raised. Villain calls on button, BB calls.

Flop K [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] 7 [img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img] 2 [img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img]

I lead for pot ($165), button calls.

Turn J [img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img]

I check/call 200

River 6 [img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img]

I check/call his all in ($670)

I feel like bruiser used to put himself in these situations, or I remembered reading a few of his posts, where he had to make difficult river calls becaue of things he did/did not do on previous streets. How can I remedy this? If I don't think he has me beat then do I just need to check-raise all in on turn?

[RoundersRocks!]

If you feel you have the best hand, there isn't much of a problem with how you played it.
If you don't like river situations, you can always buy in a little short, it's not the perfect fix, but it works.
You could consider check or check-raising the flop or waiting till the turn to fire. If you wait till later in the hand, you'd be attempting to keep the pot small in an unsure hand. It really comes down to your read on this player, which sounds pretty thought out. Do you think he would call you down for all your chips with less than top pair most of the time or not?

[Dr. StrangeloveX]

You can't get rid of them completely, but you'll have less of them if you are relentlessly value betting your marginal hands and bluffing. I don't really feel much pressure when I'm doing that, because if I'm raised it's usually an easy fold. Other people experience the pressure, have to make the hard decisions, and generally end up playing a reactive, easily readable game.

[Marnixvdb]

You could check a hand like this on the flop. It'll keep the pot small, give your opponent a chance to bluff a worse hand, while at the same it looks suspicious if he does have a hand.

As it is on the turn and the river: there is no clear indication that you are winning or that you are beat (unless you have never seen him bet worse hands like this). From your description I'd be tempted to call him, even though I really hate that he fires again after your turncall.

You say you missed an opportunity to fire again to make him lay down. I don't think he is laying down a hand that beats yours, ever. Therefore your play should be directed at tempting him to pur more in the pot with a worse hand, while keeping the pot small (or giving you a good moment to fold) when he has a better hand. A more passive line can do this wonderfully, as his actions in a smaller pot are easier to read than in a pot like you described.

hope you won it but i doubt it,

Marnix

[rwperu34]

With the way you had been raising (three hands in a row), and against an opponent that knows your game, there is nothing wrong with check/foding at any point during this hand, especially the flop.

If I were going to be involved on the turn, I would fire again. Sure, there is little chance he'll fold a better hand than yours, but getting him to fold worse hands than yours has its merits. First, it reduces the risk that he will catch some kind of funky two pair on you. It also reduces the amount of times he will bluff and make you fold, and that will be a decent amount of time. It also makes him pay to see a showdown with those 2nd pair type of hands. And if you are ahead there is no guarantee that he will bet, but if he IS ahead, you can be sure he will bet. If you bet and he raises the turn, you are most likely behind and can fold with a clear conscious. He can't bluff too much on the turn if you bet, especially since you don't fire without a hand too often.

[RollaJ]

[ QUOTE ]
If he doesn't have a hand, he drops if I fire on the turn

[/ QUOTE ]

Sounds like you should have been the one betting the turn. He'd give up the smaller hands and call you with any reasonable "K" hand.
As it played out, you showed that you were probably afraid of the King, now the question is: Is he value betting, or taking advantage of your implied fear?"
As you said.... tough spot to be in

[okayplayer]

With guys who like to call my flop bets often after I raise PF, I like to c/r the turn.

[BluffTHIS!]

[ QUOTE ]
but I rarely fire on the turn again if I don't hit (which is a large part of the time)

[/ QUOTE ]

If you are known to never fire that second barrel without something, you are giving players with position on you a green light to call behind with as little as a gutshot, overcards or a small pocket pair as well as any draw, because they believe themselves correctly to have so much steal equity since you will a majority of the time go limp on the turn. You need to counter by firing that second barrel with little or nothing *occasionally* and also *occasionally* checkraise the turn with a made hand, even perhaps when only holding middle pair. C&R make the point in PL&NLP that you need to "brush off those sand fleas".

[9cao]

I think if that style works best for you (auto-continuation bet) then you are going to always have these situations. But instead of firing more when you miss on the turn couldn't you just throw in the occassional check-raise on the flop?

Your line looks pretty good given what you said about raising the last 3 hands, otherwise I would say fold the turn. I also would have considered leading the river for 200ish, but would make me pretty sick to fold for 470 more into 1100+ pot.

[durrrr]

don't do anything 100% of the time... especially not continuation betting. If you have AK 4 way w/ a T98 flop i hope you chk/fold. Anyway I think this is a perfect flop to check and see where you are at not many hands catch up to you, and you save yourself a lot of money in the long run when some1 bets and some1 else calls (should be an easy fold then). As you played it you are in a really tough river spot- what do you think he just calls the flop with that you beat? If your a constant continuation bettor he'd be right to raise this flop w/ a flush draw- On the turn i think he has at least a 7, probably a king or a set (i smell KJ). Rough spot hope it workd out.

-Durrrr