Controlling Pot Size?

[CobraGoat]

COuld someone link me to a relevant thread on this subject or quickly explain the importance of it?

I think from the name alone i generally understand what is meant. but i dont totally get when you would say check behind on the turn in order to control pot size when you have some semblance of a hand. isnt it a mistake to do this if you opp. is on a draw. any help would be appreciated.

[rikz]

As a general strategy, your objective post-flop with a one pair hand should be to win a small-to-medium-sized pot, and avoid losing your whole stack to a set, or 2-pair, or straight, or flush, etc...

So, one tactic for implementing that strategy is a turn check. In many cases, especially with a dry flop like J72r, if your continuation bet with an over-pair or top-pair-top-kicker or top-pair-good-kicker gets cold called, you may want to check the turn so you have a smaller pot on the river when you have to make a decision as to whether to bet, call, fold, or check behind.

Now, if you suspect a draw when villain cold calls your continuation bet on the flop, then you can bet half the pot to give a draw poor odds to chase, but you may still prefer to give a free card to avoid getting pot committed since you may already be behind. What you don't want to do is assume that villain is on an unlikely draw, bet another pot-sized bet on the turn, get yourself check-raised, and end up calling for your stack against a set or 2-pair. "Reads" on your opponent and the context of the flop will need to indicate whether its best to bet or check, but your strategy should still be to hang on to your stack while winning a small-to-medium pot.

On the river, a blocking bet out of position is then good because a lower pair (or lower kicker) that checked the turn might call, but a set or 2-pair might raise or push - letting you fold out. In position, you can call, value bet, or check, but pushing or raising is generally bad since the only hand that calls is probably one that beats you.

Finally, keep an eye out for the rare bird that pushes with missed draws. If you have a good read on a guy that he is doing this, then by all means call. Just be really sure about your read if you do it.

FWIW, implementing this strategy successfully is really, really hard. Just two days ago, I let myself get stacked while holding QQ where I just KNEW villain was semi-bluffing on the flop and I called an all-in vs his set's 4-bet on the flop (I bet, he min-raised, I re-raised, he pushed and I called his "obvious" draw semi-bluff). In hindsight, I failed to correctly find a tactic in that hand to implement this strategy. After the fact, I was pretty mad at myself because if was a pretty bad, rookie mistake.

Does this help?

[Bukem_]

One example.

Full ring, solid player limps, you raise pot with AK. HE calls, HU.

Flop AJ7. He checks, you bet, he calls.

He checks turn, now you check with intention of betting if checked to on river, or calling most bets.