Bad 4th street check?

Maybe this was partially motivated by the fact that I was playing scared after numerous beats playing short-handed limit holdem, but is this an acceptable check after making a pair of kings from the bring-in in a multiway pot? I figured I was probably at best only a small favorite and didn't want to get committed with 4 players drawing against me.

7 Card Stud High ($5/$10), Ante $0.50, Bring-In $2 (converter)

3rd Street - (0.70 SB)

Seat 1: xx xx K[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img]___folds
Seat 2: xx xx 4[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img]___calls
Seat 3: xx xx J[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img]___calls
Seat 4: xx xx A[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img]___calls
Seat 5: xx xx 8[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img]___folds
Seat 7: xx xx T[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img]___calls
Hero: K[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img] 2[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] 3[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img]___brings-in

4th Street - (2.70 SB)

Seat 2: xx xx 4[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img] 6[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img]___checks
Seat 3: xx xx J[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img] 4[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img]___checks
Seat 4: xx xx A[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img] 9[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img]___checks
Seat 7: xx xx T[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img] 7[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img]___checks
Hero: K[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img] 2[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] 3[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img] K[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img]___checks

[BTirish]

Well, what draws do you think you're up against here? If one of the guys with 2 clubs has a 4-flush, he's not drawing super-strong. No one has represented any strength here.

At first I thought you were going for a CR, but after reading your explanation, you might have been trying to check-call. I would go for a CR if I thought it would work--but the hands behind me don't look threatening enough to expect a bet. I'd go ahead and bet out--you are most likely ahead and a bet could narrow the field.

[benwood]

Yea, like BTirish said, you're way ahead. No reason to not bet. The clubs are dead & no on else has caught a matching card.

[Andy B]

You simply have to bet here. It is very likely that you have the best hand. You would like to thin the field as much as possible. While you may not get many folders now, you do set yourself up to maybe buy the pot on fifth street. Betting fourth shouldn't "commit" you to the hand. If things turn ugly on fifth, you can get away from this easy enough. Sounds like you're playing scared, and that's a recipe for disaster.

Clubs are dead, you have to bet here. It's unlikely someone is going to bet into you for the checkraise, and check-calling here is very bad. Bet here since it's cheap to get information on fourth street, and re-evaluate on fifth.

Bet. Raise if someone bets before you. On 4th, play this the same as you would play if you were dealt the pair of kings instead of picking it up on 4th.

I think my main concern was how insanely loose this game was. I didn't think betting would eliminate many or any of the players currently involved. Is this reason enough not to bet, since my kings would not be very strong in a multiway pot?

[frappeboy]

The time to check hands like this on 4th street is to go for a check raise. Also, this is much more important in raised pots than in non-raised pots, the purpose of the check raise is to prevent people from getting the right odds to call on 4th. Since the pot has not been raised, the weak hands probably dont have the odds to call a single bet anyways, which means check raising isn't really necessary here.

[lstream]

[ QUOTE ]
I think my main concern was how insanely loose this game was.

[/ QUOTE ]
I don't think I have ever seen a 5/10 table loose enough to not make this bet. I am not even sure if this is a reason not to make it in the first place. In my experience, every time I make a bet like this, I get enough folders to make it worthwhile.

[Andy B]

Kings are just fine in a multi-way pot. You'd prefer it to be shorthanded, but life's like that sometimes. You're still getting more than your share. Let's say that you're about 30% to win the hand if everyone stays in until the end. You have 30% equity and you're putting in 20% of the money. That's a large overlay, even though you expect to lose most of the time. Get your money in there.