Hand to Talk About

[Mason Malmuth]

Hi Everyone:

Here's a hand that I played a few nights ago in the $80-$160 game at The Bellagio.

First some background. I had been losing in the game but had just won a big pot from a very loose aggressive player who normally plays in the bigger mixed games. This hand features him again.

The game was six handed. The UTG player folded. I raised with K[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img]T[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img]. The player on my left folded, and the loose aggressive player who was on the button makes it three bets. The blinds fold and I call.

The flop is K[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img]7[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img]2[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img]. I check. My opponent bets. I check raise. And my opponent makes it three bets. I call.

The turn is the 3[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img]. I bet and my opponent calls.

The river is the 8[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img]. I check. My opponent bets. And I call.

All comments are welcome.

Best wishes,
Mason

[bicyclekick]

I like 4 betting the flop better, but your line is a good one too. But I'm not sure about your river play. I like a bet. I think he'll call with worse hands more often than he'll bet them...

Check calling down after the 3 bet is also a viable line. As is check calling the turn and betting the river. There are lots of reasonable ways to play the hand...I just don't get your river check. edit - then again your image is likely much different than mine at the table...and I think a good part of the river is image dependent.

[Michael Emery]

I'm betting the river. Why risk giving him a free showdown with a medium pocket pair type hand? If its missed hearts do you really think he thinks he can buy it given how you've played it thus far, I dont.

Mike Emery

[ggbman]

I like the way you played the hand, although i dont get the river action. Do you think this player would raise the turn with he had KJ, KQ? The river is the most interesting part of the hand just because it doesn't play itself.

You allow him to take a stab with a busted flush draw (QhJh, Ahxh). However, you also might loose value not just betting, because he's not folding any pair. The other key is, given the action, i find it very unlikely that you are getting raised here, and i would want a bet going in as often as possible. The other key factor here Mason is, what is the weakest hand you think he value bets? If he is going to value bet A7 and better against you, i like the river check more.

Gabe

standard.

on the river, he's got you outkicked or he's essentially bluffing. a true lag will bluff here often enough to call i think.

[goofball]

I'm not so we can reasonable include medium pocket pairs in our opponents hand range. It seems to me that most of the time we're either getting raised and having to pay off because he is a LAG, or we're not getting called.

[flawless_victory]

first three streets clearly played well, but i dont know about that river play. who bluffs there? looks like a clear bet to me.

[ggbman]

I rethought this, the river should be a bet IMO. He will just about about always bet a better king if you check it to him, but i don't think he means to raise you given the turn action. However he will not bet other hands that he will call with. Your line is not consistent with a flush draw, and thus i don't think he will try to bluff you very often.

Gabe

[Ulysses]

What do you do if opponent raises the turn?

[bicyclekick]

[ QUOTE ]
first three streets clearly played well, but i dont know about that river play. who bluffs there? looks like a clear bet to me.

[/ QUOTE ]

I agree with the river looking like a value bet. What I want to know is if you're villain are you betting two queens here.