Rare semibluff c/r

Rico Suave · #1 10-21-2005, 01:19 PM

5/10 online. My oppoenent has taggy stats....seems reasonable, good so far, although perhaps a smidge tight postflop, but nothing gross. I don't recall any previous HU battles between us.

Folded to me in the sb and I open with A [img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img]8 [img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img], BB flat calls.

Flop 5 [img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img]6 [img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img]9 [img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img]
I bet, BB raises, I call

Turn:J [img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img]
I check, BB bets, I raise???

When I get a fold in this spot, I feel like a genius, when I get 3-bet, I feel like I am spewing bunches into a small pot.

I think the diamond cuts both ways, in that I am more likely to get a fold from a smallish pair with no diamond, but I am also likely to get a call from any hand with a diamond---so does this make it a 3-bet play?

Does anyone like just donking the turn? Certainly less likely to get a fold, but potentially less expensive.

--Rico

Harv72b · #2 10-21-2005, 02:55 PM

Even if you get called, you have ~15 outs (9 diamonds, 3 non-diamond sevens, and discounting your A/8 outs heavily). This means that you have to call the 3-bet when it comes. And, in a blind battle situation, I think the only hand you're folding is a total bluff by BB or maybe an underpair/no diamond.

That, plus the fact that a free card is unlikely to hurt you, makes this a check/call IMO. If I'd raised from EP or MP, I'd be more apt to try this (I think your folding equity increases in that scenario).

BigEndian · #3 10-21-2005, 03:15 PM

I sometimes do one and sometimes do the other and sometimes check/call. If there's solid evidence that one is better than another, I'd like to hear it as well.

- Jim

W. Deranged · #4 10-21-2005, 03:35 PM

I think my major consideration here is that you are very unlikely to fold a pair heads-up in a blind battle here, and hence this is not a great spot to check-raise. Much of the time that you get a fold, you are folding an inferior hand anyway (a worse A, some gutshot + overcard thing, etc...).

Checking and calling here is probably best unless you have a very specific reason to think either: a) villain will fold a pair; b) you are ahead.