What do you do here?

[novamob]

$10 NL Single table on PP. 4 Players. $8,000 chips total at the table. UTG and I each have around $1,700 but he's ahead a bit. UTG limps for $200. Button and SB muck. I check BB with Q6s. Flop comes Q [img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img]Q [img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img]5 [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img]
I'm first to act. What is the right move here? Check? Move in? Bet pot? Results later.

[Al_Capone_Junior]

I would check and hope to either get someone to bet, or give them a free card that will give them a second best hand. You're not too vulnerable here really with so few players left. Unless you're already behind, no one can have many outs at all. Try to get some money by trapping here.

al

[tewall]

I agree with Al. You're not afraid of giving away free cards, and it seems fairly likely your opponent may take a shot at the pot if you check. If you bet and your opponent raises, you might not like that so well (depending on the opponent) as he might not be so likely to raise as a bluff, so with your lousy kicker you'd be setting yourself up for a difficult decision. However, if you and check and he bets, it's very likely he'll take a stab at it without having the queen.

An interesting follow-up question is what to do assuming he bets after you check.

[novamob]

He did indeed bet after I checked. The pot had $500 and he bet $450. Now what?

[tewall]

Well I thought about this, and the best thing that came to mind was to call and then check again next round.

You really have to know the player. If he checks behind you, you're probably good, and assuming the turn and river cards have been non-threatening, you make whatever bet you think will be called at the end. However, if he bets again on the turn, you need to know if he's the type of player that will do this without the goods. In my experience, when I've been in the situation where a decent player keeps coming at me with a pair showing and all I have is trips with a bad kicker, I've been in trouble. If he bet the pot on the turn, and he's not a fish, I'd probably fold.

[novamob]

He bet the pot ($450) after I checked the flop. Turn brought 7 [img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img] which i did not feel was a scare card. He bet $500, I raised all-in. He called. I don't remember what the river was, but he turned over 77 for 7's full of Q's.

I feel that the risk of trying to trap here was worth it, as I felt (correctly) that my queen was good and that he was drawing slim. Should I have known to fold after the turn, or did I just take a viscious beat? Be gentle.

[tewall]

You have to know the player. Will he fire two bullets? You've already shown some strength by calling once. So what type of player is he?

If he's not betting as a bluff, you're very likely beaten, so raising doesn't make sense. If you think you're ahead of him, just call. He's not going to call your raise if he's bluffing, and there's nothing to draw at, so you're not afraid of giving away a free card.

[spacemonkey]

I often bet out my trips on the flop. Check-calling the flop and check-raising the turn are the standard play. If you bet the flop, people don't expect you to have the goods as much. Though it depends on position. Note when you've flopped trips with a weak kicker, betting out is also a way of finding out where you're at. check-calling on the flop can end up being expensive.

very unlucky in this hand though.

[tewall]

If you bet, what's your plan? If I'm reading your logic correct, it sounds like your plan is to fold if you're raised, and if called, assume you're ahead and keep betting. Is that right?

[johnd192]

Not to be results oriented but I thought flopped trips should not be slowplayed as a rule.