NL100 QQ hand

[async]

NL100 .50/1 at Paradise. 9 handed. I have $106.

I get QsQc UTG+1. UTG folds, I raise to $4. CO-1 calls. CO calls.

3 to the flop, $13.50.

Jh 3s 2s

I bet $12.
CO-1 calls.
CO folds.

2 to the turn, $37.50.

Turn: 4d

I bet $28.
CO-1 calls.

$83.50 on the river.

River: 6c.

That seemed fairly innocuous, and I'm thinking I might see AJ/TT/99 if I make a mild bet. So I bet $19.

CO-1 raises to $53.50, pot $123.50.

It's $34.50 to call, so I'm getting nearly 4:1.

My questions:

(1) Should I call here? I've seen enough maniacs bet all in with AK in frustration in this situation, possibly thinking I see the 6 as a scarecard (since 5 makes a straight). After he pushed, I was thinking I was probably beaten, but I thought not necessarily 4/5 times in this game.

(2) How's the betting up until he pushes?

[NYCNative]

You have to call. Villain could have AJ here, and in fact probably does. A small set is possible but is it possible 80% of the time? That' all the beats you, really. Maybe he slow-played a set of Jacks. 55 makes no sense. No, you call.

As for your betting, I might check-call the river after being smooth-called twice in a row without a read. That said, if his river raise put him all-in (i.e. he only had $53 and the pot was over $80 at that point) I might have pushed the river if I was prepared to call a push anyway, and I think i would have been here.

[async]

Thanks. I'm trying to decide if the amounts I put in on the flop and turn were right; I'm not sure I can check/fold the river because I'd expect someone might put me on something like AKs and push with weaker hands. I can check/call, and maybe that's preferable and I get off cheaper than the bet/call because he may not push since the check seems weaker and if he does have a monster, he's out to extract and knows I'm less pot committed. But I feel like I'm struggling with an inflection point over how much I bet and then being unable to fold even when I think I'm beat. I guess I'm wondering if there was a more optimal way to bet pre-river that would have avoided the situation.

BTW, results in white:

<font color="white">I called, and my villain turned over 55 for the rivered straight.</font>

[kongo_totte]

Either check-call or push river. You don't have enough to block so you have to call a push. By betting any amount that does not put him in, he pushes if he beats you (and you have to call) but he'll most likely just call with anything you beat. Make sure you win the same amount when ahead as you lose when behind.