Bottom two against a tough player

[Rococo]

2-5 NLH 5 handed.

This is a relatively common situation, but tricky nonetheless.

Villain has approximately $630. I have him covered. Villain is an occasional poster on this site, and a consistent winner. He is a little on the tight side, but uses position very effectively. I have a lot of respect for his play. He probably views me as aggressive but not crazy.

Preflop

Folded to Villain, who limps on the button. I check in the BB with 3 [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] 7 [img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img]

Flop

J[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] 3[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img] 7[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img]. Villain bets $15. I call. My guess is that Villain bets this flop every time that he gets a piece, and about half the time that he misses.

Turn

Q [img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img] I bet the pot.

Does anyone prefer a check-raise on the flop? Does anyone go for a check-raise on the turn? Would your answers differ if the flop wasn't rainbow?

[beta1607]

With a hand like bottom two pair in an unraised pot, I perfer to check raise the flop.

While you probably do have the best hand on the flop there are many cards that can come on the turn which would kill your hand. Additionally, if the the villan reraises you, it is a pretty easy lay down but if you wait till the turn to check raise the pot will be much larger and more difficult to play a mediore holding.

[Estydogg]

I have to agree. I like the check raise on the flop and end it there! You figure your the best now any card that falls could hurt you. Take your $27 pot and be more than happy, your in the bb and got lucky.

[rwanger]

If the player on the button is a good player as you described, is it possible he is limping in with some monster hand here? Have you seen him open limp on the button a bunch? If you can reliably put him on a big overpair because of the suspicious limp, I'd play it really aggressively, knowing that he'll come back at you with his big pair. Of course, by the turn you'd have to worry about JJ and QQ.

If he always raises his good hands, then you are definately ahead since he limped in, and need to, a)either give him a chance to bluff, though that doesn't seem so likely, or b) start getting the money in.

[Rococo]

The Button definitely is a good player. I would say that he was capable of limping (or raising) with a strong hand on the Button, but he also is capable of limping a marginal hand because he has confidence in his ability to make good reads on the flop and turn. I really didn't have a strong read based on his preflop limp, if that is the question.

Here is the problem. The Button wasn't the type to piss his pants just because I check-raised him on the flop. If I check-raise to $45 on the flop, he may put me on a steal and call with any J. Then I have a hell of a difficult hand to play because I am doing exactly what I didn't want to do -- building a big pot OOP with a marginal hand against a very strong opponent. I guess in that case that I follow through and lead the turn, but I don't feel good about it. This was the type of guy that would bet into me if I checked the turn to him.

[rwanger]

If you check raise on the flop and he calls with any J, and then would bet if checked to on the turn...check raise him again! There's no reason to think two pair is not in the lead is there?