my new bad habit: getting passive in position

[Wynton]

I don't know if this is terrible or not. Recently I've been turning Mr. Passive in position when HU, planning to raise on later streets, but only to see draws develop. Increasingly, I wonder whether I should be raising the flop. Most of the time when I just call the flop, I'm correct that villain will bet the turn again, but seems like I've been getting in trouble with the free cards.

This hand may not be the best example, because I ended up with top pair and a draw on a turn (which means that I think a raise on the turn was probably mandatory). In fact, I think that perhaps I should have raised the river, with plans to fold to a 3-bet.

Tell me how badly I screwed up this hand, and what you think of just calling the flop when in position and hu, in hands kind of like this.

Compliments of PokerGeek
Absolute Limit Hold'em Ring - $5/$10 Stakes (4 handed)

Starting Stacks
Seat 1: Small blind ($83)
Seat 2: Big blind (Hero) ($273)
Seat 5: CO ($1305)
Seat 7: Button ($501)

Preflop: Hero is Big blind with K[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img], 6[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img].
CO calls, <font color="#666666">1 fold</font>, Small blind calls, Hero checks

Flop: (3.00 SB) K[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img], 9[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img], 7[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img] <font color="#0000FF">(3 players)</font>
Small blind bets, Hero calls, CO folds

Turn: (2.50 BB) 8[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img] <font color="#0000FF">(2 players)</font>
Small blind bets, Hero calls

River: (4.50 BB) 6[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] <font color="#0000FF">(2 players)</font>
Small blind bets, Hero calls

Final Pot: $63

Results not shown

[damaniac]

This isn't terrible. Only 1 overcard can beat you so it's kinda WA/WB, although the other cards are kind of drawy, not terribly so. The pot is small though so if he wants to keep betting a draw into your top pair awesome. The only issue is a read on the aggressiveness of the bettor. If he's pretty passive I'd think about folding somewhere since the pot is so small. Otherwise I'd keep donking along.

[ArturiusX]

I just raise the flop, anymore aggression I call down.

[27offsooot]

I would r/f the river. The rest is fine. It's a small pot.

[Spicymoose]

Wow, I guess I am disagreeing with everyone who has responded so far, so that makes me a bit worried about this. I think this is an easy turn raise. A flop raise wouldn't be bad, but I think a turn raise is more profitble. We are easily ahead here, and SB could have so many different hands. If one of his hands is a decent drawing hand, you definetly want to make him pay for it. The other times he will be calling when his hand is crushed. Sometimes he will just fold, but he probably wouldn't of bet the river enough anyways. Given that you did neither, I think a river raise is mandatory. I don't think i can fold to a reraise without a solid read though.

[SparkyDog]

Spicymoose,

I'm not sure I agree that a turn raise is more profitable. When CO open limps, that flop will sorta kinda hit a lot of his small/mid connector hands. It isn't inconceivable for CO to have a gutshot, OESD, or a hand like a pair and backdoor outs. But because this pot is so small a flop raise will make calling with any of those hands a mistake (3:1 pot odds). Furthermore, a lot of cards can come to give CO a robust pair + draw or two pair type hand on the turn, so I think I prefer to just raise the flop.

However, I will agree that one street or the other needs to be raised here.

[Kumubou]

A read would be a huge help here.

If he's aggro, it isn't terrible. You probably should find a raise somewhere... but I'm not quite sure where.

Against a more passive opponent again you should raise somewhere (probably the flop), and I think you can safely raise the river -- odds are he had some kind of pair, and you either just sucked out or you were ahead the whole time. He'll pay off regardless. Folding to a three-bet is probably right if he's passive and predictable, but actually doing that is hard.

-K

[SparkyDog]

[ QUOTE ]
A read would be a huge help here.

If he's aggro, it isn't terrible. You probably should find a raise somewhere... but I'm not quite sure where.

Against a more passive opponent again you should raise somewhere (probably the flop)...

-K

[/ QUOTE ]

What's your logic behind this post?

[Kumubou]

[ QUOTE ]
What's your logic behind this post?

[/ QUOTE ]
Well, for a more aggro opponent, they could be betting a lot there. Any pair, a draw, monsters, Uno cards, who knows. Maybe some of that they would checkraise with, but who would they be checkraising? So why would you want to give him the chance to get off the hook with a worse hand, while 3-betting you with hands that beat you?

Passive opponents are... well... passive. They typically do not bet, so it is some kind of odd event when they do. From my experience, this usually means some kind of solid pair (usually top pair) or better.

I guess my point here is that there are a lot of lines one could take here, but a lot of them are read-dependent.

-K

[MrWookie47]

If we're convinced he has top pair or better, why are we raising?