B&M 2 5 NL Please comment on my river play -- good or bad???

GTA Poker · May 18,2006, 04:28 PM

7 handed.

A player with a fairly wide range of raising hands raises UTG to $20, I have black aces. I decide to conceal the strength of my hand and smooth call. I'm going to get away from this hand with heavy action on a scary board. The small blind, horrid player, comes along. 3 handed to a K74 flop suited in spades -- brilliant.

UTG bets $20 into a $70 pot, I know the SB has $70 or $80 left and that I'm not moving off this hand, aces with the nut flush draw. I know SB calls with a king, so I make it $80 and SB folds. UTG calls fairly fast. I put him on AK or KQ. Turn appears to be a blank, making the board K748 with 3 spades. Now, I'm slightly afraid that he's slowplaying a flush or a set, but I'm almost convinced he has KQ with the Q spades. Pot roughly $230, I bet $130 and have $200 behind. He thinks for 2-3 minutes and then calls -- ok he does not have a made hand and he muttered that he still has outs. KQ, he has to have KQ with Qspades.

River offsuit Q for K748Q...um eeeeek! He thinks a minute then checks. I'm hoping if he has KQ I can represent the flush and win given that I'm holding the nut ace -- I bet $209 all in into a $490 pot and he folds. He had QT with the Q spades -- drawing completely dead on the turn.

Should I have checked the river?? The pot was big so I wanted to try and get him off the hand if he had KQ, but I think he would have called in that spot, so now I'm thinking back and think a check may have been best.

g2 · May 18,2006, 04:36 PM

The same exact scenario has stacked me on numerous occasions. Bite the bullet... check on the river.

/g2

SirWatts · May 18,2006, 05:11 PM

You should usually check this turn against a decent player. ie one that does not have QTo with the Qs is in his range and will call. Basically by betting the turn you fold out most of the hands you'd like to keep around and get CR all-in by the ones that beat you and have to hope to suckout. Then you induce a bluff onthe river/value bet when checked to and win more when ahead and save a lot when behind. Against a call station betting the turn is good though and then check behind unimproved on the end.

meltedmark · May 18,2006, 10:09 PM

sorry i have little B&M experience, but do you think it was a check raise situation?
if he is wanting you to raise, and you did, then I guess you were right. What about the "set" that whole time?
Reading these posts confirms that I'm not ready for Prime Time.
Besides not having the bankroll, I would be to quick to toss the Ace's on a strength raise.
smooth call's, very sneaky
but not for me....

GTA Poker · May 18,2006, 10:36 PM

The point of my bet on the river was to push out a small flush or a set given that I had the nut card in my hand and that this would have been a tough call for me in this situation if the roles were reversed and I had either of those hands. Having said that, if I had either of those hands and decided to be in there until the river I likely would have moved at the pot on the flop or the turn, but you neverknow how someone new to you plays. If I somehow end up at the river in that situation with top 2 pair (or even set or non-nut flush) then I think I have a tough decision for $200, so I thought I was maximizing my chance of raking in a large pot. However, looking back at the type of player this turned out to be, I was just likely maximizing my chance of losing more money as he may have easily called will any of those hands.

GTA Poker · May 19,2006, 12:29 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by meltedmark

sorry i have little B&M experience, but do you think it was a check raise situation?
if he is wanting you to raise, and you did, then I guess you were right. What about the "set" that whole time?
Reading these posts confirms that I'm not ready for Prime Time.
Besides not having the bankroll, I would be to quick to toss the Ace's on a strength raise.
smooth call's, very sneaky
but not for me....

I'm not sure about the whole gist of your post. As for the smooth call, the table was short (7handed) and I was looking to win a large pot. The 2 players directly on my left very much respected my play, so I though a smooth call would be enough to get them out. That just left the blinds, the SB being horrid and the BB being a good and tight player who would likely fold without a PP or other premium hand.

My feelings on NL cash games are that winning at NL is about deception and winning a few large pots over the night, whereas my limit game is about winning some large pots and picking up a number of small ones when able, generally showing down the best hand. This pot happened to be about both of these factors.

I was never raised in the hand, I was bet into weakly, the typical weak lead of someone trying to peel to a draw cheaply or someone with an average hand that wants a a cheap showdown. This is a common play in alot of players.

Meistro · May 23,2006, 03:36 PM

I would never do anything but reraise preflop.

GTA Poker · May 23,2006, 06:16 PM

ridiculous reply, but thanks

KRNL · May 23,2006, 08:03 PM

Quote:

The point of my bet on the river was to push out a small flush or a set

I don't think it's happening. Neither of those hands seem too likely here, of course, but I don't think you get the player to fold even a set with that bet. I do, however, think you can get a fold often enough from KxQs in this situation to make it worthwhile.

And, for what it's worth, I like that you're willing to smooth call with aces against weak opponents. From my experience, varying your play is an essential skill in NL cash games.