Trying new things -- betting into a 4 flush w/ fold if raised strategy

[lil feller]

It will also happen vs. a few world-class players who have a good enough read on Hero to realize that they picked up 9 bluff outs on the turn. I'm not saying that this is the case in this hand, Mizzles never had an opportunity to show the real strength of his hand, but in similiar circumstances an expert would make this play against the right kind of player.

lf

[lil feller]

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Think of it this way. If you bet and fold to a raise, you invest a bet and dont showdown, rarley getting called by worse hands. If you check call, you get to showdown a reasonable hand, induce a bluff, and get a free showdown. How is it even close?

[/ QUOTE ]

Exactly. Making this play with nothing, or medium nothing is solid. You probably aren't getting called by a worse hand here, and no better hand will fold. Hero really has 2 viable options:

1. C/c and hope his hand is good and he picks off a bluff. You might miss value when a inferior hand, that would have called (not many), checks behind. But thats better then getting raised off the best hand.

2. Check hoping that the villian will bet a small-medium spade and then c/r to get him to throw it away. Not very many players will fold something like the 6 [img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img] to a single bet, but a TAG player will bet it when checked to and might fold it when c/r.

Risking the pot by betting/folding top set is not the way to go. Try this when you get to the river on a board like this with AK [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] or something like that.

lf

[Brainwalter]

You guys are underestimating how often the villain will call with worse hands. Maybe I missed the part where he said villain was tight or good, or even decent, but if I didn't, hero will get plenty of calls from one- and two-pair hands, against the average Party 15-30er.

It might not be enough to make this a bet, but I would definitely not say hero is rarely getting calls from a worse hand, by any means.

[BeerGolfPoker]

I think check-calling here is best if the opponent is unknown.

It is certainly true that many worse hands will call your river bet. However, I don't think this fact outweighs the advantages of checking.

1) It eliminates the possibility that you are blown off the best hand, either by KJ, JJ,or a hand that completely wiffed. Though the times that this occurs are rare, when it does it costs you the whole pot.

2) You would be surprised how often your opponent will check behind with a low spade that would have called your river bet. This saves you a bet.

3) Your opponent may bet a much worse hand in desperation that he would've folded had you led into him, in line with the common "he checked to me, therefore I will bet" mentality. He could have been calling you on the flop/turn with pure junk (though only likely if the player is quite bad), an A-high holding, or a small pair, and checking to him on the river will occasionally garner you a bet when he bluffs.