Is this a bad river bet? i was perplexed.

[Tyler Durden]

I'm in the BB with A [img]/forums/images/icons/diamond.gif[/img] A [img]/forums/images/icons/spade.gif[/img].

It's a 5-10 game.


UTG limps, EP raises, MP 3-bets, SB caps it. Wow, I've got rockets and it's capped before it gets to me! Capped 5 ways to the flop:

5 [img]/forums/images/icons/spade.gif[/img] 6 [img]/forums/images/icons/club.gif[/img] 7 [img]/forums/images/icons/club.gif[/img].

SB bets out, I raise and they all call. 30 small bets in the pot.

Turn is 7 [img]/forums/images/icons/spade.gif[/img].

SB bets out again, I raise again and everyone calls.
25 big bets in the pot.

River is 9 [img]/forums/images/icons/diamond.gif[/img].
SB checks, I bet, UTG raises, folded back to me and I call.


I'd appreciate comments on all streets, particularly the river. I really need help on this hand, did I play it badly?

Results to follow.

thanks.

[MichaelD]

Tyler,

At the 5-10 level, suffice it to say, I am confident that there is a very real possibilty that someone has a hand here that beats yours.

I would not have bet the river here and then called when raised. If, because of the size of the pot, you want to make sure your hand is shown down, I would check, and then call if someone bets. At this limit (many other limits as well), betting into a field of this size with a board this coordinated, and then calling when raised, is very dangerous to one's chip count.

Just some thoughts...

Michael D.

[spiral]

Good comments. I think that maybe this hand was played online, based on some of Tyler's other posts, which tends to play more like a higher limit in real life.

[astroglide]

you will get called by way worse hands all the time. i think the bet is good.

[Tyler Durden]

Right, I could see the words on 2+2 "bet the river. worse hands will call." that's why i did it. but i'm not sure it was the correct play.

[astroglide]

what is the signifigance of the r8 thing?

[Tyler Durden]

There is no real significance...I just stole that from Sesame Street b/c that's how every episode ends. I chose 8 b/c it's my lucky number and I chose R at random.

[cepstrum]

astro -

i don't think there's a value bet on the river here. it's a big parlay that you both have the best hand and you will get called by at least one lesser hand. utg's play, even before the river, smells strongly of a medium pocket pair, and all such pairs have your aces smoked.

unless your opponents are all total looney-tunes - again, a big parlay - you have at best a bluff catcher on the end. actually, if they are all looney-tunes, aren't you better off checking and hoping a hand like jj, qq, or kk bets?

good luck

cepstrum

[astroglide]

you think somebody's going to put him on an 8? everybody should know he doesn't have one when he bets, so they'll call with just about any pair on a board like this (or even bluff raise).

i suspect jj/qq/kk would often chicken out if checked to, just like you're advocating they should.

[cepstrum]

astro -

i obviously don't think that everyone is going to put our hero on an 8 when he bets and fold their big pair without paying us off. what i think is that our hero is beaten by utg, and that utg's hand is 77, 88, 99, or maybe 66.

in any case, utg is the only player we have to worry about, and given that he acts right after us and before 2 potential customers that we know we have beat, he is problematic.

consider:
if we bet into utg and he raises, that's it - whether he's bluffing or not, we aren't getting any more money out of anyone else.

if we bet into utg and he folds, we are going to get some customers.

if we do not bet and utg bets, we are going to get some customers, and we can call.

if we do not bet and utg does not bet, someone else will and we can call and win the pot.

so not betting in this particular spot yields a better risk/reward ratio than betting, imo.

good luck

the club