merits and faults of the blocking bet

[mikech]

i've been thinking about the blocking bet lately, wondering if it's actually useful at all. i don't like it and i'm having trouble thinking of scenarios where it'd really be called for, maybe some of you can come up with a few. the problem i have with it is that it usually folds a worse hand and doesn't give your opponent a chance to bluff, and then on the occasions he doesn't fold but comes over the top you're put to a tough decision. here are a couple hand examples:


hand 1, live 5-5: after two limpers i raise red AK to 40 from the sb, both call. flop A[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img]K[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img] and a blank, i bet 125, one caller. turn is a low [img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img], i bet 225, he calls. river is a red blank, i check, he moves in for 800, i call and win. later i learned he had Q[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img]Jx, so he flopped a gutshot and turned the nfd. if i had bet the river he obviously folds, why not give him the chance to bluff? being results-oriented aside, does anyone think a river-bet is better there?


hand 2, party1k: i'm the second limper with K[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img]T[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img], bb raises to 50, i call. flop A[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img]8[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img]2[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img], he bets 75 i call. turn J[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img], he bets 200, i call. river 9[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img], he bets 400, i push for 1200 total, he calls and loses with a set of aces. if you're bb, why bet that river? pot was 650-ish, if he checks i might try to buy it without the flush and he gets a near-pot bet from me; if i do have the flush he probably gets to showdown for a near-pot bet instead of for 1200. but by betting, i fold with a worse hand, and if i move in on him, he's made the pot so big now, getting 1500:800, that he almost has to call. or fold top set for that price and feel sick about it.


anyway, those are just two recent hands where a blocking bet could've been used but where i thought a check would be better. note that i'm thinking of blocking bets as different from value bets; with value bets you think you'll get called by a worse hand. although in reality many blocking bets may have a dual role as value bets in the hero's mind.

i also wanted to bring up something diablo mentioned awhile ago, that observant opponents will sense weakness in blocking bets and routinely push over the top. that's gonna make life miserable for you unless you're also leading the river for half-to-2/3rd-pot bets with the nuts, but generally we like to bomb it with the nuts, no? anyhow, i'm beginning to believe that, when you're oop with a strong holding but the action during the hand and texture of the board give you pause, it's ok to go ahead and check the river. comments?