Go for the bonus?

[L_Dude]

Playing 1/2 on Crypto. 7 players. Fairly tight table.

CO is poster and new to table.
Button is 45/21
SB is 16/2
BB is 7/0
all over about 25 hands

Hero UTG K [img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img] Q [img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img]

Preflop: Hero Calls, 2 folds, CO checks, Button Calls, SB completes, BB checks

Flop (5 SB) : J [img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img] J [img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img] T [img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img]

Hero Bets, all fold.

Clearly I've got the cards to make a bet here, and from what I know about the table all folding is not a huge surprise.

The question is that at this limit there is a $125 Royal Flush bonus, and I have a 1 out draw twice to hit it (4.17%). If I just check through the river and no one else bets, I'm due to make ~5.20 from the bonus. And if anyone else bets, I don't care, my 15+ outs leave me very comfortable.

Anyway, I autobet so quickly on that flop that I didn't even stop to consider the bonus until everyone folded. Anyone check here to increase chances at the bonus?

[rusellmj]

Raise PF? Does the RF have to be shown down, or once the A falls you're good?

[Greg J]

First of all, as the other poster mentioned, I don't limp preflop. Raise.

This would change the flop dynamic. Usually this calls for a bet, but in this special circumstance a check/call line is more in order IMO. I am open to counterargument on this though.

[pryor15]

even w/o the bonus, the royal flush is worth the extra bet you may lose. honestly, at the end of the day are you gonna care more about winning 1 extra BB or that you got a royal? if you can't have a little fun why bother?

[Grease]

[censored] the bonus.

Play good poker.

Raise PF.

[Grease]

[ QUOTE ]
even w/o the bonus, the royal flush is worth the extra bet you may lose. honestly, at the end of the day are you gonna care more about winning 1 extra BB or that you got a royal? if you can't have a little fun why bother?

[/ QUOTE ]
Because I have fun spending other people's money more than getting 5 online things in a special pattern that someone said was the best pattern ever.

[Webster]

Go for the bonus! It's $125 and +EV. At least it was for me when I won mine. [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

[pryor15]

[ QUOTE ]

[ QUOTE ]
even w/o the bonus, the royal flush is worth the extra bet you may lose. honestly, at the end of the day are you gonna care more about winning 1 extra BB or that you got a royal? if you can't have a little fun why bother?

[/ QUOTE ]
Because I have fun spending other people's money more than getting 5 online things in a special pattern that someone said was the best pattern ever.

[/ QUOTE ]

whatever dude, lighten up. find some joy in your work sometimes. wasn't it sklansky who said you could open-fold a royal every time and it wouldn't matter? sheesh

[jively]

I had a similar hand yesterday. 1 out to royal, on a party-skin. I bet the flop and all folded. As soon as everyone folded, I figured I should check and go for the royal; never had one before. [img]/images/graemlins/laugh.gif[/img]

[Aaron W.]

[ QUOTE ]
Playing 1/2 on Crypto. 7 players. Fairly tight table.

CO is poster and new to table.
Button is 45/21
SB is 16/2
BB is 7/0
all over about 25 hands

Hero UTG K [img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img] Q [img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img]

Preflop: Hero Calls, 2 folds, CO checks, Button Calls, SB completes, BB checks

Flop (5 SB) : J [img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img] J [img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img] T [img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img]

Hero Bets, all fold.

Clearly I've got the cards to make a bet here, and from what I know about the table all folding is not a huge surprise.

The question is that at this limit there is a $125 Royal Flush bonus, and I have a 1 out draw twice to hit it (4.17%). If I just check through the river and no one else bets, I'm due to make ~5.20 from the bonus. And if anyone else bets, I don't care, my 15+ outs leave me very comfortable.

Anyway, I autobet so quickly on that flop that I didn't even stop to consider the bonus until everyone folded. Anyone check here to increase chances at the bonus?

[/ QUOTE ]

First, raise preflop.

Second, I actually would play for the bonus here. The pot is small (5 SB) and the bonus is huge relative to the pot size (125 SB). As you said, a 1-outer has something like a 4% chance of coming in. A check loses the pot only about half the time because you have many many outs, so you're risking about 2.5 SB to win about 5. I think it looks +EV to check it. Besides, you've got an aggressive button who will probably bet this flop with nothing -- based on his preflop aggression -- and you don't mind him pumping this one for you (since his bet is probably more likely to get called than yours).

To the poster who said "play good poker", playing to maximize EV is good poker. An extra 2.5 SB on average for checking is a rarity and a pretty good play. Chasing it as a runner-runner draw is not so good.