$80-$160 Hand

[Jim Brier]

I would like to know what you guys think about the way I played this $80-$160 hand at the Bellagio.

I am in the big blind withe 9s-8s. Two early players and two middle players limp. The button raises. The small blind calls. I call as well as the other players. There is $1120 in the pot and seven players. The flop is: 7s-6s-6d, giving me an open-end straight-flush draw. The small blind checks. I bet. It is folded to the button who just calls. The small blind calls. There is $1280 in the pot and two players. The turn is the 7h, putting two pair on the table. I bet. The button calls. There is $1600 in the pot. The river is the Jc. I bet. The button calls. The button wins a $1920 pot having the Ah-Kh.

Did I play this right or wrong?

[Dynasty]

I suppose you could check and fold on the river once he calls the turn bet with a 7,7,6,6 board. It's obvious he's willing to call a single bet hoping his Ace/overpair or whatever will take the pot.

You should definately bet, reraise, and cap the flop. Your turn bet is a good semi-bluff but when the button won't go away, it's time to consider giving up if you don't improve.

[Clarkmeister]

I think that by betting into several limpers in front of a preflop raiser, you more or less scream "Draw!" to the field, especially with this board texture. This becomes problematic against a reasonable hand reader who then has an easy play once the limpers all fold.

[M.B.E.]

There is an advantage to checkraising the flop instead of betting out -- it is more consistent with your having a 6. That makes your turn bet more powerful as a semibluff.

On the river I agree with bluffing even though the button might well call (as he did) with ace-high. He could have a bigger flush draw than you such as Ks-Qs, which he would fold.

When you bet fourth street and he is still in for a call. I figure the pot is too big for him to fold, crazy as it my sound. Maybe he is using flawed logic here. I don't know what type of player he is and I'm not sure how he views you at the table. If he doesn't go away on your Fourth street bet, he probabally has an over pair or on the draw himself. But since you were betting the whole way maybe he thought you were on a draw/steal, but he never re-poped you on the flop or Turn. So maybe he is just ridding you with a made hand already and waiting to pop you on the river. Only thing I can figure is that maybe you would slow down and check the turn or river so he can then bet and would represent an over pair or the made hand and therefore pick up the pot in his mind. Only strength he shows is pre-flop. Unless he was trying to get in a showdown with you and try to look like he will call and show down with any hand in a big pot for some future set up. I am not certain what his motive was. Im finding it hard for him to justify a call on the river since you have been betting into him from the flop on.

This is a tough one. I would have to say you played fine but I say slow it down and check the river since he called you on fourth street.

But as with what happen and he called you the whole way with just A-K I don't know how he can expect to win the pot since you cold called his raise. I would have to say he wanted to see a show down and pay for it to see what hands you would bet all the way with. I guess he felt he had money to waste because I don't see how he could think that his A-K suited could hold up with a board like 7-6-6 7-J.

This is a hard read for me because I don't know what his tendicies are nor what he thought of you at the time.

I think you played the hand fine. I might of played the same way. But I might of slowed down by the turn. The turn was still a good bet. He just called. So checking and folding the river is what I woulda done. I woulda put him of min. of AK and more likely the made hand or an overpair. Just that the end result had to blow your mind. Its really hard to put a definite fix on things here.


But depending on the game it might of been correct to make it 3-bets pre-flop. Most likely you would of had everyone call and even maybe have Button cap it. He would of have to give you some credit for the re-raise on the BB. By doing that and you follow the same play you did there is no way he can call you all the way to the river for a show down unless he is trying to find out the expensive way by giving out information of his play and finding out what others would take to the river.


Tough read here. I would like to know what you thought of the guy and what did he think of you at the time. Did he have prior knowledge of your play or was he just some tourist that felt like calling anything to the river.


I'll stop my rambling now.
Maybe its late I dont know but I gave it my best shot.

Tbolt76

Hi Jim,

I feel that everything up to the river is 100% correct.
However, I don't agree with the river bet. In my opinion, your preflop raising opponent had a decision to make on the turn - fold or call two additional bets to see if ace high or an overpair is good.

Your heads up turn bet still makes sense though, because it wasn't until you actually made the bet that you should come to discover that your bluff isn't going to work. In addition to the bluff's value you also have 21 outs. You might not know at the time that you have the 6 additional pair outs, but it is more likely that the preflop raisor has AK/AQ/whatever versus an overpair.

So up to the river I think everything was fine, but the river bet seems highly suspect.

Sam

[HDPM]

I'm surprised the hand was that passive in that game. Different from the ones I saw you and 3-Bet in last April. (Tho I didn't see all that many hands) Or at least that hand was passive. I agree w/ MBE above. A flop checkraise has to slow down the AK. If not, the hand is simpler to play and you can save a bet on the river. I think being in the BB allows you to scare the AK at some point in the hand. A check-call on the flop and a check-raise on the turn would also work, but I think the AK would check behind on the turn there wouldn't he?

[skp]

I think you played it perfectly.

While checkraising the flop might have been the better play after the fact from a results point of view i.e. because of what happened, betting out is probably the better play in most instances i.e. where you go on to hit, different cards come out that still allow you to bluff etc.

I would expect the button to call your river bet the vast majority of the time but you have to bet to give him a chance to err.

Someone pointed out that you have 21 outs on the turn against AK. Slight nit: In fact, you have 21 outs to win and an additional 4 outs to tie.

[Rick Nebiolo]

Jim,

It sounds like the 80/160 games can get quite good.

Leading on the flop is a good play because with this flop you are unlikely to face a “narrow the field” raise from an early player. You want to build a big pot and with the pre flop raiser in back you have a chance.

With the field narrowed down to two opponents on the turn and the top card pairs, you must bet. They can’t discount the fact that you may be already filled up, and if you are raised or checkraised you can count the pot and proceed accordingly with your two outer.

On the river, the pot now has 11 big bets and you can’t win in a showdown. Your opponent could easily be in there with big suited overcards without the ace or even the king. Your bet will win in this spot far more often then one time in 12. Well-played IMO.

Regards,

Rick

[Rick Nebiolo]

Dynasty,

With trips in the blind I might checkraise but I'd ofen bet. So I don't see how Jim's play "scream's "Draw". If fact, my guess is that Jim would often bet trips or top pair in the blind.

Regards,

Rick