Value bet the river?

[Nick C]

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This player had been really passive during the game, so when he bet out and then called the flop raise and turn bet, I could only put him on an ace. I figured I was getting called no matter what and there were only three As I could beat (A3, A4, A6). So I thought a check was the right move.

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Based on your read, I agree (well, except for the part about beating A3 and A4).

[Scott_Baio]

seems like checking behind is the correct play. He mostly likely holds an ace or a busted flush draw. His ace is better than yours more than 50% of the time (that he holds an ace) and the only way a busted flush draw is calling this river is if he holds the 3 of diamonds (at 1/2 maybe the queen calls too). Even still, of the hands that call a bet on this river, I'd say more than 50% beat you, so easy check behind.

[Nick C]

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I wasn't really thrilled with being 4 handed and having only a pair of aces with a bad kicker, so I thought it might be better to get it heads up and possibly hit a 7 or a backdoor flush.

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I would like my hand until the passive MP2 player bet the flop, at which point I'd stop liking it so much. Still, on the flop there are four worse aces that you beat, and with some of the really big ones (AK/AQ), MP2 might've raised preflop (or maybe he wouldn't have, since he's passive).

If you knew you were going to go on to make a backdoor nut flush, you'd prefer for the others to stay in, and the same is probably true for improving to aces over sevens. (You would like to drive out a flush draw, it's true, but I doubt that's possible.)

However, I think your hand is too good to fold, there's a good chance the blinds are going to go away anyway, and I think I'd rather not give them a chance to chase a gutshot or two pair/trips at just 6:1, if they happen to have either of those draws, because of the implied odds those hands would have against ours (they could get one big bet out of us, for instance, if they caught and checkraised the turn). I guess one big bet isn't so much, actually. But, in any event, it wouldn't break my heart if someone with those holdings folded, and someone with one of those draws could also have a one-card backdoor diamond draw.

Anyway, the line you took did also get you to showdown more cheaply than you would have if MP2 had bet every street and you had called. (Since he's passive, though, it is possible he would've slowed down at some point -- for instance, he might not have bet the river.)

Overall, I think your play in the hand was fine.

[shant]

I'd like to raise this preflop.

[Quad_Damage]

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Based on your read, I agree (well, except for the part about beating A3 and A4).

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Oops... what the hell was I thinking? So yeah, I only beat 1 ace actually.

[belloc]

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I'd like to raise this preflop.

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[jordanx]

I'd check this through vs. someone who you have no idea what they could hold.

[erc007]

I really don't like the flop raise for two reasons. First, there is NO WAY that a two-diamond flush draw is folding to 2-cold here...in fact, you are actually doing them a favor by raising (pumping their draw and assuring that at least two players are coming with them.) The only thing that you might get to fold here is middle/bottom pair or a backdoor flush or straight draw. The second reason that I don't like the flop raise is it's not going to get you any info against a good player. After the blinds fold, if I had an ace w/a good kicker (T or J) I would smooth-call you here and raise your river bet. With a flush draw I would call and wait for my draw to come in. Either way, you gain no info by raising here. This play only works against the weakest of the weak, and w/out that read it is a big-time losing play IMO.

[HajiShirazu]

Reads help, anyway this guy open limped from mp2, with nothing else this tips my read toward the "bad" scale, so I think this is a marginal bet hoping to get called down by a queen because there are more queens left than aces and a queen is marginally more likely to be played this way (no raise preflop), fold to a checkraise.

[Entity]

1) 1/2 hands go in microlimits.
2) Yes, bet the river.
3) You aren't ever going to fold two diamonds by raising this flop.