Betting small pairs for value: when do you slow down?

#1 10-12-2005, 03:32 AM

Do you push your pocket pair in the absence of any shows of strength? Even with calling stations? Should you slow down once there are more overcards than undercards to your PP? Here's a hand that is typical. BB is a calling station, so his calls mean nothing to me.

Party Poker 0.50/1 Hold'em (6 max, 5 handed) FTR converter on zerodivide.cx

Preflop: Hero is SB with 5[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img], 5[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img].
3 folds, Hero raises, BB calls.

Flop: (4 SB) K[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img], T[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img], 4[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img] (2 players)
Hero bets, BB calls.

Pretty much an autobet given my PF raise.

Turn: (3 BB) K[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img] (2 players)
Hero bets, BB calls.

Turn is scary for both of us, and it makes it less likely he called me with a weak K, so I bet again. If the turn had been another overcard to my 5s, I would've probably check-folded, since I only beat 4s and the pot is small. And of course I'm not giving free cards to flush draws here.

River: (5 BB) 6[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img] (2 players)
Hero bets, BB calls.

I feel like the donks like to bet when I check anyway, since they can sense me giving up, so I decide to fire the 3rd barrel to see if he'll fold.

Final Pot: 7 BB

Standard or laggy?

Fantam · #2 10-12-2005, 08:29 AM

I think that your river bet was reasonable. If you considered BB to be a calling station, he may have called you with bottom pair or even A high.

Also if you checked the river, he would probably check behind with a weaker hand. However, if he had a stronger hand than your 55's, he would probably bet and you would still lose a bet when you called, in case your hand was best.

#3 10-12-2005, 08:36 AM

I do the same and hate myself every time. So what did villain have, a scared K? [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

KingOtter · #4 10-12-2005, 08:55 AM

I think I'd rather check/call the river here than bet and have to fold to a raise.

KO

lautzutao · #5 10-12-2005, 10:52 AM

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I think I'd rather check/call the river here than bet and have to fold to a raise.

KO

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Give OP's read, I don't think we have to worry about being raised, unless he hit a FH on the river[img]/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]

I like betting here. Against a true calling station I think we're better here more than ~16% of the time, and we're getting 5:1 on our bet. Like some of the other posters here, Ace high, bottom pair, or even Queen high are not out of the realm of possibility. And he's almost always gonna call, so we really don't need to worry about not collecting our final bet.

And all joking aside I think even a calling station would recognize that his K would be pretty far ahead if he had one and would raise with it on the turn.

So I think a river bet is solid.

imported_The Vibesman · #6 10-12-2005, 09:14 AM

Always hard to say in this situation. I often just check and call on the river, hoping to induce a bluff from a flush draw which would have folded. Often a smaller pair will bet as well.

Guruman · #7 10-12-2005, 09:33 AM

I like betting the river here, mainly because you have such a hard time calling if you check and it gets bet back to you.

If I check here, it has to be as a check/fold.

MATT111 · #8 10-12-2005, 09:39 AM

[ QUOTE ]
I like betting the river here, mainly because you have such a hard time calling if you check and it gets bet back to you.

If I check here, it has to be as a check/fold.

[/ QUOTE ]

No way you check-fold. Check-calling may be better than betting against some villains.
Check-folding the river is horrible.

@bsolute_luck · #9 10-12-2005, 09:42 AM

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
I like betting the river here, mainly because you have such a hard time calling if you check and it gets bet back to you.

If I check here, it has to be as a check/fold.

[/ QUOTE ]

No way you check-fold. Check-calling may be better than betting against some villains.
Check-folding the river is sometimes correct.

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addendum

Guruman · #10 10-12-2005, 10:21 AM

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Check-folding the river is horrible.

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what hands is a calling stations betting here that you beat?