AK -- should I start doing this more often?

[private joker]

20/40 at the HG. (Sorry for the third hand post tonight; this is the last one).

I open in EP with AKo. Folded to the BB, who is unknown but hasn't put a lot of chips into a lot of pots in the brief time we've been playing. He calls.

Flop comes J63r. BB bets, I raise, he calls.

My standard line HU like this is to take a free card and if I don't improve on the river, either call or fold depending on reads (will he bet A-high or worse, etc.).

If it's checked to me, I've been betting the flop and turn and checking the river behind (UI). But when it's donked to me, the free card play works fairly often -- but when I miss my 6 outs A-high hasn't been winning a ton of showdowns. But also I've moved up from donktastic 6/12 and 9/18 games into the yellow chip games, where people know folding is an option. So I'm working on this, and so...

...in this hand I decided to try betting the turn and checking behind on the river if I miss. I bet the [brick -- I think it was a 7 or 8] turn and he thought for a bit, then shuffle-shuffle-scowl-mucked.

I think he probably folded bottom pair, but who knows. Point is, does this line show more profit than the free card play? Have I been f*cking this up for a year? (Against some really passive players, I've even been just peeling the flop and folding the turn).

yes, bet it more often.... much more profitable.... don't bet every time, but a lot

[Evan]

I think this line sucks on a J63 flop. It doesn't seem like you had any reason to believe he was going to fold a hand that he'd gaybet the flop with. He can't have a draw unless it's 54. I think if he's gayetting he's got something and most people don't fond something, especially if it's something worthy of taking away your initiative on the flop.

I think I'd rather call the flop because I would call the flop with all my really good hands (top pair+). If he bets the turn again I'm gone. I think he'll check the turn often enough with this line when you want him to considering it costs half as much.

[brandon]

I just moved up to live 20/40. The game reminded me of the 3/6 party tables of 2004.

In those HU situations I prefer to bet the turn, fold to a raise, and check the river unimproved.

Many passive players call down with the lower broadway pairs against aggro preflop raisers. A call on the turn means a check call on the river.

If its a draw heavy board and the river is a blank, I like betting against a solid aggro player who hasnt made a move for the pot(I dont consider leading the flop a move for the pot).

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I think I'd rather call the flop because I would call the flop with all my really good hands (top pair+). If he bets the turn again I'm gone. I think he'll check the turn often enough with this line when you want him to considering it costs half as much.

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if he called he would have shown a large amount of weakness and most likely would have faced a bet on the turn from his opponent, even if he had bottom pair. A-K doesn't look too good now does it?