To pot or not to pot (size of bet question)

[XxPenguinxX]

Two hands where I feel I may not have maximised my profits from a good situation (though I won't tell you why yet!) - what would you have done?

<font color="red">Hand 1 </font>
Seat #3 is the button
Seat 1: Karsa ($12.90 in chips)
Seat 2: ecallaw11 ($10 in chips)
Seat 3: kcchia80 ($31.10 in chips)
Seat 4: KID VEGAS 29 ($21.60 in chips)
Seat 5: rayken ($11.30 in chips)
Seat 6: funkyc ($11.50 in chips)
Seat 7: sloper ($22.90 in chips)
Seat 8: CardRichlieu ($9.65 in chips)
Seat 9: Hero ($19.20 in chips)
KID VEGAS 29: posts small blind $0.10
rayken: posts big blind $0.25
ecallaw11: posts big blind $0.25
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to Hero [6s 3s Ah As]
3 folds
Hero: raises $0.85 to $1.10
Karsa: folds
ecallaw11: calls $0.85
kcchia80: folds
KID VEGAS 29: raises $0.85 to $1.95
rayken: calls $1.70
Hero: calls $0.85
ecallaw11: calls $0.85
*** FLOP *** [5s 9s 2s]
KID VEGAS 29: checks
rayken: checks
Hero: bets ?????????????

<font color="red">Hand 2 </font>
Table 'Scheila' Seat #9 is the button
Seat 1: SeizureChips ($8.40 in chips)
Seat 2: sabrecat ($9.30 in chips)
Seat 3: Karsa ($6.90 in chips)
Seat 4: sloper ($24.35 in chips)
Seat 5: yelac ($13.90 in chips)
Seat 6: paigow1965 ($8.95 in chips)
Seat 7: CardRichlieu ($9.50 in chips)
Seat 8: Hero($25.60 in chips)
Seat 9: kcchia80 ($56.25 in chips)
SeizureChips: posts small blind $0.10
sabrecat: posts big blind $0.25
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to Hero [9h 3c 9d 2c]
4 folds
CardRichlieu: calls $0.25
relksy: calls $0.25
kcchia80: folds
SeizureChips: calls $0.15
sabrecat: checks
*** FLOP *** [6d 7c Ac]
SeizureChips: checks
sabrecat: bets $0.25
CardRichlieu: calls $0.25
Hero: ???

[jthegreat]

Hand 1 - Bet half the pot and hope you get action

Hand 2 - Call and hope you don't get quartered

On Hand #1 - Re-pot it pre-flop, you've got a premium hand and already got action, it seems to me you could get your stack in against two opponents while you hold a large edge in EV.

On Hand #2 - Call and see what the turn brings, you don't have the flush draw and no backup in case your low gets countered.

[Ironman]

Hand 1. I also like the idea of re potting it pre flop.

Hand 2. He actually does have the club flush draw, so I wouldn't mind a pot bet here. Might make the guy with A 2 fold his pair of aces.

Dave

[XxPenguinxX]

Hand 1 - what about the actual situation on the flop? Do you pot it, and hope someone comes along for the ride with a bare low / boat draw? Bet helf-pot as suggested above? Lower bet to build the pot? Check hoping for a C/R chance or someone to catch something half-decent on the turn?

Hand 2 - with (unprotected) nut low and baby flush draw, how much action do you want?

[Ironman]

Hand 1. Ok, I'm going to suggest something with a bit of risk here. But only because hands like this are so few and far between and when you do get them, you want to figure out how to double your stack.

And...I think the only way you are going to get any action here, is to check the flop.

I know, I know...there is a risk of having the board pair and a risk of having two perfect cards come on the turn and river that counterfit your low and ruin your high, but that is very very unlikely.

Check the flop.

Call the steal attempt. If both players bet/call the turn, then raise the turn getting in your whole stack as soon as possible.

Dave

[jthegreat]

In hand 1, the only hand you'll get any action from is another A3, or a donk playing 99. In the first case, you're going to 3/4 him, so you need to build the pot. In the second case, you don't want to give a free card. I think the best play is to make a bet that's big enough to look like a steal, but one that's small enough that another A3 will call.

[XxPenguinxX]

I like the thinking with the check - I suppose my "never slowplay in O8" record was stuck in my head.

If anyone wants closure, I potted it both times and both times it was folded round.

[ QUOTE ]
If anyone wants closure, I potted it both times and both times it was folded round.

[/ QUOTE ]
This isn't that bad of a result. Especially with the 23 draw, you're a sitting duck if you get counterfeited, and the equity you do have against weak made highs is getting the money in with 2 cards to come that might fill your flush.

On the nut flush one, you probably want to think about how much you're willing to risk on a dry-ace bluff in the same spot, and bet something similar to that (I typically go for a little reverse spread, betting max on the bluff and ~less on the made hand, b/c I've found a 3/4 bet will cause 2nd nut flush to get brave on occasion).

[Wolffink]

1) Bet small on the flop. Checking isn't bad but a bet here would be normal even if you didn't have anything. If everyone folds, I don't think checking would have gained you much anyway.

2) I can see making a case for either 1) Raise and see what happens B) Call and see what card comes on the turn. Everything else being equal I'd call.