Weekend Hand

[WiredPair]

$2-$5 in Colorado on Friday night. Sit down at a table that seems pretty loose. Lot of money around. Didn't get many hands until I was dealt KK on the button. UTG +1 calls, cutoff calls and I raise. BB comes along, UTG +1 and cutoff call.

Flop comes:
Q 8 2 (rainbow)

Checked around to me and I bet out. BB drops, UTG +1 and Cutoff call.

Turn comes: 8
Q 8 2 [8]

Checked around to me again. I bet. UTG +1 drops and cutoff calls.

River comes: 4
Q 8 2 8 [4]

Cutoff checks to me. I realize I have simply been betting my hand and haven't really stopped to think what he could have been calling with. In addition, I've seen this guy checkraise a few hands. I decide to check behind.

Results later. Any thoughts on the play of the hand? Thanks.

[WiredPair]

Shameless bump. N/M

[Bob T.]

Dont think too hard. Bet the river. An incredible number of worse hands will call at this stage.

I liked the play of the hand until you started thinking.

[WiredPair]

Thanks for the reply, Bob. I think that is a leak I need to plug. I do need to bet the river more.

[WiredPair]

Cutoff turns over 22 for the full house. I think he missed some bets here. I think he should have raised the turn or at the very least bet the river. After he turned over the hand he said, "I thought you had me beat". He must have put my on pocket Q's, but I still would have been more aggressive in his shoes.

As for my play, I think it was ok with the exception of the river. I realize I would have lost at least one more big bet in this particular case, but he was so passive, that he could have had any Q, maybe a 2, etc, so I think a bet was warranted. I'd like to give myself credit for a "good read", but although he had checkraised a few times, I honestly didn't put him on pocket 2's.

I've got to work more on my hand reading skills and then maybe checking the river would have been a good play.

[Ed Miller]

Geez... bet the river, man. What could he be calling with? Let's start with top pair. If he's got you, he's got you. But he's shown no aggression up until now in the hand (and the flat betting structure punishes slowplayers), so there's no reason to think he's doing anything but calling you down with a hand he thinks probably is no good, but just might be good.

If you check behind the river in this situation every time it comes up, you probably won't be able to beat the game.

[Robk]

I think the key point here is... what would your opponent do with top pair on the flop against a preflop raiser? Would he bet into you or check call all the way down? These are important things to know about your opponents, and many play this situation the same every time it comes up. If he would bet into me with a Q on the flop then checking the river is reasonable. If not, then I would bet the river every time.