River Play (live 5-5 NL)

[The Ocho]

Foxwoods 5-5 nl. The game is a very good (read: loose) must-move. I usually play the smaller NL game and beat it soundly so tonight I'm rolling the dice and taking a shot at the bigger game. I'm kinda intimidated by the stakes so I buy in for only $500, which is a little bit below average for the table.

This hand is early in the session (only about 7-8 hands in)

44 on the button (still have about $500), 3 limpers to me, I toss in an abe lincoln and the blinds check. We take the flop 6-handed.

Flop (pot $30) : Q 4 3 rainbow (Shweeeeeeeeet)
BB leads for 20, folded around to me. I make it 60, SB passes and BB calls pretty quickly. He has me covered and seems to be an average player (no really reliable read because only a couple hands into session)

Turn (pot $150) : 9 (rainbow now complete, double shweeeet)
BB checks. I bet $75 and BB calls again, fairly quickly.

River (pot $300) : Deuce (hmmmmm...)
BB thinks for a couple seconds, fingers his chips, then checks. I...

What do you folks think should I do on the river here? Also, any thoughts on all other streets appreciated. I'll post my thoughts, what I did, and the results later.

[LA_Price]

bet half to the full pot. Whatever you think he'll call. The fact that he fingered his chips means he doesn't really wan't you to bet but he may still payoff a bet. bet the pot on every street so bet less on the flop and more on the turn.

[The Ocho]

FWIW, the chip-fingering thing at the end was not the standard lame posturing that many mediocre players do so that I wouldn't bet. It just felt different, in the category with the unconscious impulse to look at one's chips after nailing a huge flop. I actually believed he wanted to bet here, but checked instead. Thusly, I felt like a check-raise was a distinct possibility. The duece was certainly a card that could have helped him given the play of the hand.

As to my flop bet, I made it 60 to go in a pot of 50, which is barely more than the pot. Just fine imo. Plus a raise of 30 more after a bet of 20 is dangerously close to a min-raise, a play I hate to make under most circumstances.

Turn bet: I tried to price it so that he wouldn't quite be getting odds to call for a straight draw, but not so much that he'd fold that draw (if he has one) or a queen. I want more of his money in the pot here.

I'll describe my river play later after more responses
thanks for the words

[Ulysses]

FYI, a pot-raise on the flop is a raise to 90.

[The Ocho]

wait, are you saying 20+20+50 is NOT equal to 70?!?!?!

Denominator... carry the 6... cube it... take the second derivative...

Ah dammit... I'm a moron. Thanks for pointing that out.

[NLfool]

if he puts 60 on the flop he'll give you more than 75 on the turn. You need to bet 100+ on the turn he'll call it to

[Ulysses]

[ QUOTE ]
wait, are you saying 20+20+50 is NOT equal to 70?!?!?!

[/ QUOTE ]

Heh, indeed. I was actually responding more to the initial responder who said you should bet less ("closer to pot") on the flop.

As you pointed out, if you raise any less on the flop, you'd be approaching min-raise territory.

[Ulysses]

I think your about half-pot raise on the flop is fine. But I'd probably bet a little more on the turn. Maybe $100. I don't think there's anything too wrong w/ half-pot on that board, though.

On the river, he either had 56 or he didn't. With about $350 left, if you bet say $150 on the river and he pushes, I think you're committed. Unless I had a fantastic read that he had 56 (or A5, I guess), I'd bet $200 on the river, planning to call an all-in.

[theBruiser500]

I'd bet whatever I thought he'd call. He might have a straight, but might not. Probably not... too often I psych myself out in situations like this, I'd bet and if he raised, call (you'd be pretty pot comitted).

[TomCollins]

You can always overbet the pot and push all in as well, sometimes players sense this as a weak move trying to steal the pot, and will call with a lot worse than if you make a pot sized bet. It might be worth a try.