Stop and go-ed out of the pot?

[ohkanada]

Doing some bonus clearing at the Gaming Club .50-1 NL game. I am multi-tabling and watching the game so really have no read on my opponent in the hand. We both start the hand with 105 or so. He has me slightly covered.

UTG limps. I raise to $5 with AKo in mid-position. Poster folds. All fold to UTG who calls.

Pot has $12. Flop is AJT rainbow. Checked to me and I bet $12 and he calls.

Pot has $36. Turn is K completing the rainbow. Checked to me and I bet $22 with my 2 pair. He calls.

Pot has $80. River is 7. He goes all-in for 60ish. I have about the same left. I fold.

Comments on both the turn and river play please.

Ken

[papawawa]

good fold, you bet strong but he still came over the top on the river. Could be AQ or QJ. I might've checked the turn for a read and possibly a check/raise.

[Garland]

Your hand is hard to play without a read from opponent. The 7 appears to help no one on the river, so it appears villian has a made hand or is totally bluffing. I lean towards a made hand.

With this action and no read, I would be very surprised not to see a hand such as KQ, AQ, QJ or QT if you call. I say good playing on the flop, turn and a very good river fold.

Garland

[ohkanada]

Thanks for the responses.

I am still not sure about the bet on the turn but it appears to be fine.

Ken

[BobboFitos]

[ QUOTE ]
Comments on both the turn and river play please.

Ken

[/ QUOTE ]

CHECK THE TURN

CHECK THE TURN

CHECK THE TURN

Fight the instinct to say "I have top two so I must bet." Look at the flop texture. 4 to a straight, you dont have a straight.

Why did you bet the turn? When you make a bet, it's generally for one of these reasons:
a. To get a better hand to fold (a bluff)
b. To get weaker hands to call (getting value)
c. To protect a better hand which might turn into the worse hand (making a draw pay, which is a value bet, but one that is essential so you dont lay infinite odds)

When you bet the turn, better hands are not folding. (Set would probably call to boat up, but I doubt you made your bet as a bluff)
Weaker hands are PROBABLY all folding. Unless they have specifically AJ or so, and even then they're probably folding. BUt they might call. So if you bet so that this hand calls, and you put them on AJ, and they have AJ, you can read players better then me, and are therefore a bettr player then me. But I dont think this is the case.
Did you bet to protect your hand? I'm not sure what you'd be protecting it from, so this isn't the case, either.

Check behind, keep the pot small, raise his bet if you boat up, (obv) and call a small bet if you dont improve. I might call a big bet if they bluff alot, but keeping the pot smaller makes a bluff easier to call on a scary board such as this.

[BobboFitos]

[ QUOTE ]
Your hand is hard to play without a read from opponent. The 7 appears to help no one on the river, so it appears villian has a made hand or is totally bluffing. I lean towards a made hand.

[/ QUOTE ]

Once the pot has swelled to 80, and Villain bets 60, if Villain would ONLY push with a Q or nothing at all, you only need to catch them bluffing 30% of the time to break even. If you "lean" towards a made hand, suggesting they only have it ~55% of the time, you should call.

Gar, I really respect your play, so I'm wondering:
[ QUOTE ]
I say good playing on the flop, turn and a very good river fold

[/ QUOTE ]

Why was it a good turn bet? Sure, if they C/R the turn you can easily fold, but then you've blown a case of catching a 4 outer to bust them.
I prefer keeping the pot small to call a bet on the river, or make a thin value bet on the river if checked to me, expecting them to pay off with a weaksuited ace or worse 2pair.

Unless an opponent would really overplay a worse 2 pair, I can't see how much value you gain by betting the turn.

[ohkanada]

Thanks for the response.

I bet the turn for value. I felt at the time that he most likely had Ax where x is likely 9 or higher. Certainly a chance he had KQ or AQ or even JJ or TT. The error I made is since I really didn't know the opponent, would he call me on the turn without something that beats my 2 pair. Maybe a worse 2 pair, but unlikely just 1 pair.

I tend to agree now that if I check the turn, then I can call a pot sized bet on the river because after my turn check, his river bet could be a bluff or a worse 2 pair bet.

As far as the river is concerned, since I really had no read on the opponent, I felt I should give him credit for the queen ( since he did call the turn) and go on to the next hand.

Ken