Best line, unraised shorthanded pot

[damaniac]

As I've moved to 5/10 and the players have gotten (slightly) more aggressive, I've been toying with various ideas. Here's one.

Say you're in the BB with some crappy hand, 8 [img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img]7 [img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img] say, and villain, who is a bit loose passive preflop, but reasonably aggressive postflop, open limps in MP (say he's like a 35/10/1.4). Folded to me, I check.

Flop is something like T72r. Now normally I just bet out, because I figure I have the best hand and I like to give him a chance to make a mistake (calling in this case getting 3:1 although if I am going to pay off all the way if he improves it probably isn't, but I doubt I am).

However, I was thinking, if this is a reasonably aggressive type like I see quite a bit, he's going to be smart enough to realize that he's HU against the BB who just checked twice, so he'll bet any legit hand and most non-legit ones, either because he thinks they are best or because he has some fold equity.

So is it more profitable to induce a bluff (and check-raise, either getting in two bets with the probable best hand or get a bet/fold out of an opponent who would likely fold) or just up and bet out?

Obviously it depends on just how often this player will bet trash here, so I guess think of an average player, somewhat passive, somewhat loose, but reasonable.

I discussed this with mtdoak and he felt that something like a pair of 7's is just too vulnerable. I see that, but at the same time I don't see many players that I am going to do this against checking after I check twice, so I think the vast majority of the time he bets, his hand is worse than mine, and I rarely will see it checked through.

Does this make sense or is it FPS?

[wackjob]

Don't ever let someone get a free card on you when you likely have the best hand but are also likely facing 2 overs.

[spydog]

Against an aggressive player I will always checkraise this flop. Against a passive player I will always bet this flop.

You checkraise because the aggressive player will make a mistake by betting and another mistake, usually, by calling. Plus, he will be more relcutant to blindly bet any flop HU against you because he will fear a checkraise. Since you will miss the majority of flops you don't mind it if he starts checking behind most of the time because it will give you a free card. Plus, if he starts checking behind then you can autobet more turns because he will now feel you missed your flop checkraise and respect the turn bet, giving you more fold equity than if you never checkraised flops.

Checkraising is a strong tool in negating the aggressiveness of a LAG. Use it.