Slowing down on the river

smizmiatch · #1 02-25-2005, 01:55 PM

I bet out the flop and turn on the chance I had the best hand, and was prepared to let it go on the river. Villain is LAG.
Who plays this differently?

Party Poker 2/4 Hold'em (10 handed) converter

Preflop: Hero is MP3 with Q[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img], Q[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img]. CO posts a blind of $2.
UTG calls, UTG+1 calls, 1 fold, MP1 calls, 1 fold, Hero raises, CO (poster) calls, 3 folds, UTG calls, UTG+1 calls, MP1 calls.

Flop: (11.50 SB) 2[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img], 3[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img], A[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img] (5 players)
UTG checks, UTG+1 checks, MP1 checks, Hero bets, CO folds, UTG folds, UTG+1 calls, MP1 folds.

Turn: (6.75 BB) 5[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img] (2 players)
UTG+1 checks, Hero bets, UTG+1 calls.

River: (8.75 BB) K[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] (2 players)
UTG+1 checks, Hero checks.

Final Pot: 8.75 BB

buffett · #2 02-25-2005, 02:21 PM

Wrong forum. Try Small Stakes.

doubledouble · #3 02-25-2005, 02:37 PM

You played the river correctly. A better hand than yours is not going to fold against your bet on the river. Therefore, a bet by you would have had negative EV.

A very common mistake I see in Party 15-30 on the river is a player betting ace high or a small pair heads up. In that particular game, almost nobody would muck a better hand than the hand being bet.

Mike Haven · #4 02-25-2005, 02:50 PM

i don't understand that

if he bets the QQ it's for value, not to make a better hand fold

he would want a call from a worse hand

UMCorona · #5 02-25-2005, 06:15 PM

[ QUOTE ]
i don't understand that

if he bets the QQ it's for value, not to make a better hand fold

he would want a call from a worse hand

[/ QUOTE ]

But what worse hand calls a river bet here? The reason why checking behind here is usually the correct play is because virtually nobody with a worse hand than yours is going to call here.

Your pre-flop raise was called, an ace came on the flop, you led out on the flop and turn and were called each time. The only hands you beat here are smaller PP that didn't hit their set or someone who missed their draw, neither of whom will call a river bet.

If you bet and the opponent folds you win the same size pot as if you had checked, while betting out on the river in this situation will almost always get you called by the ace or check-raised by the guy who hit his straight/flush/set, in which case you end up not only losing the pot, but losing an extra bet or two.

Unless you read the other guy as a super-passive calling station who's going to call down on that board with anything, then checking here will more than likely save you some bets.