Mirage 20-40: What Do You Make of This Card Checking Tell?

[Dynasty]

This was a weekend 20-40 game at the Mirage. The key player in question seemed to be an observant player who didn't get out of line. I've been at the table for about an hour and a half and have put on my typical exhibition of folding.

The hand:

An MP joins the game and posts. UTG folds. I'm UTG+1, pick up A[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img]K[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img], and raise. The next player folds. The new MP poster calls. Another MP calls.

The observant player is in the cutoff and cold-calls the raise. Everybody else folded to the Big Blind who called. Five players saw the flop with 10 small bets in the pot.

The flop is: A[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img]8[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img]5[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img]

The Big Blind checked and I bet my top pair/top kicker. The two MPs folded to the Cutoff. He called without giving any sign of strength or weakness. The Big Blind also called. Three players saw the turn with 6.5 big bets in the pot.

The turn is: A[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img]8[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img]5[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img]6[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img]

The Big Blind checked. I bet. The Cutoff called. The Big Blind folded. The river was seen heads-up with 8.5 big bets in the pot.

After the turn action was complete, the Cutoff rechecked his hole cards. It really caught my eye. It seemed to me he was double-checking for something specific. I do not believe the Cutoff noticed me picking up on this. He seemed genuinely interested in his own cards.

What do you make of a hole card recheck in this spot?

The river is: A[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img]8[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img]5[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img]6[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img]2[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img]

What's your play if you think AK is good? If you think it's not good?

[daryn]

he was probably just making sure he did in fact pick up that straight draw

i like check calling the river here to induce a bluff from a hand that missed

[stigmata]

Villian was desribed as an "observant player who didn't get out of line", -- I figure this means he is tightish. Therefore, I am findind it difficult to find a hand that would cold-call preflop and then improve on the turn.

Surely 77 would fold the flop? Would he cold-call 78s or A7s from an EP raiser?

It's difficult to know, but if he did improve on the turn his most likely hands are now either a busted straight draw or perhaps a two-pair with Ax. This would suggest a check-call.

On the other hand, if a read confuses me, and I don't know what to make of it, I prefer to just ignore it and play the hand straight-foward.

[nummerfire]

He called with Axs and is suddenly not sure of his kicker.

I would check call the river. He will most often bet his ace and you save a bet if he has two pair.

[arod15]

If he hit a straight. And i check call...

checkraise if he'll bet his ace when checked to. maybe you'll collect a bluff this way also. fold to a 3-bet.

[Smoothcall]

Well usually a recheck like that is to make sure he has those 2 clubs like he thought and not one spade instead. But these possible tells are not worth reading into in limit holdem as it might mean nothing. Some people do that on a regular basis out of habit. He could be doing that for your benefit to confuse you. Bottom line is its not reliable enough a tell to not play the hand the way its supposed to be played. Which is value bet the river! If he had you before most likely would have heard from him before. His hand might be the A2 of clubs but agian it could be anything really. All you know for sure is you have Ak and have not got raised yet so the 2 shouldn't scare you from betting. And the idea of checking hoping he will bluff will not work nearly enough. Most people know(especially observant ones) not to bluff when a solid player bets all the way then checks river. The solid player woulda bet again if he was bluffing(he's usually not gonna just give up after going that far on a busted hand). If he's checking its usually because he has something and will probably payoff. I'm gonna take a gamble here and say his hand was KQ clubs. Because A2 clubs less likely to call preflop. KQs is a possible holdling that a somewhat solid player might make there.

[Smoothcall]

Oh i forgot to say also possible Aq that were black but not suited. But i like the Kq clubs better.

Did he start counting on his fingers as well?

[slavic]

I would say he probably forgot his kicker on his Ax's but I'm still a little miffed why he would wait until after the betting.