lay this down on the river

[El Tigre]

do you lay this down on the river or make the call?

PokerStars 2/4 Hold'em (8 handed) http://216.119.70.224/converter/hhconverter.pl

Preflop: Hero is SB with T[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img], 9[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img].
UTG calls, <font color="#666666">2 folds</font>, MP2 calls, CO :#A500AF(Villain)/ calls, <font color="#666666">1 fold</font>, Hero completes, BB checks.

Flop: (5 SB) 5[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img], T[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img], 9[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] <font color="#0000FF">(5 players)</font>
<font color="#CC3333">Hero bets</font>, BB folds, UTG folds, MP2 folds, Villain calls.

Turn: (3.50 BB) 7[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] <font color="#0000FF">(2 players)</font>
<font color="#CC3333">Hero bets</font>, Villain calls.

River: (5.50 BB) 8[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img] <font color="#0000FF">(2 players)</font>
Villain Bets
Final Pot: 5.50 BB

[shant]

I assume you checked the river? I think you should've bet, and folded to a raise.

[A_C_Slater]

I think check calling is better for two reasons. One, you get to see his hand, and two if he has nothing he's going to fold to your river bet anyway and you'll lose a bet that you could have made on a bluff induce.

Almost every donk that is somewhat aggressive will bluff this board on the river after a check.

True, a bet could get a call from top pair where a check might have given him a freeshowdown, but there are two good scenarios for checking and only one for betting.


EDIT: another reason for checking is that a tricky opponent may bluff raise this river with a worse hand and you'll end up folding.

[shant]

A read on the opponent would help, but I think it's more likely he has a pair than that he was calling with a J or 6. However, against an aggressive opponent I agree that check-calling is much better to avoid being bluff-raised and possibly getting the opponent to bluff.