NL10: small stacks, open UTG, miss, bluff two barrels

[finegrinder]

5c/10c full-ring game, $5 max buy-in, fishy table.

Players:

Hero (UTG): $6.50
MP: <$10, has me covered
BTN: <$10, has me covered

Both opponents are not particularly bright.

Pre-flop:

Hero opens UTG to $0.40 with AJo, MP calls, BTN calls, everybody else folds.

Flop:

K 5 K rainbow, pot $1.35

Hero checks, MP min-bets ($0.10), BTN min-raises to $0.20
Hero check-raises to $2
MP calls, BTN folds

Turn:

A rag falls, pot $5.65

Hero shoves ($4.10)


Flop discussion

I think my c/r was ok given the flop action. I went with my read, I was 100% sure they were both weak, these were not the type of players who minbet with the nuts. Probably MP made a "probe bet" with a weak hand and BTN tried a cheap steal. Possibly one mistake could be that I assumed they were observant. They could have already forgotten that I opened UTG.

However, would you consider c-betting right into two playes and if yes, how much? What's your play if you get called/raised, by one player or both?

Turn discussion and beyond

I put MP 80% on a medium pocket pair, also he could have Ax or a hand like QJ etc. hoping to spike. There's a minute possibility that he has poket 55 and he's retardedly sandbagging with the small boat.

Now here's the tough spot: is my turn shove automatic (remember it's about 3/4 pot)? I have some doubts.

Here's another possible line: check/(fold), shove river if checked behind on turn.

This way you can walk away if beat (the downside is that you can be bluffed by a worse hand!). Also you can give yourself a free card, I think my 6 outs are good, I'm pretty certain that if I catch an Ace or Jack MHIG for showdown. The big downside is that you lose bluffing credibility by showing weakness on turn ; villain will be more inclined to call with his weak Kings-up (his most likely hand). If you add all these things together, what line do you think is more +EV?

Edit: also if you check turn and villain bets his weak hand, even a small amount, you'd be forced to fold because you don't have much money behind for a resteal. You can't put the last meaningful bet. That's why I excluded c/r-ing turn as a viable play, and also this is a fact that downgrades my second line and an argument for straight-shoving turn (my actual play).

Last question: <font color="white">MP actually called. Which hand do you think he had (Hint: ZOMGLOL). </font>

[Doug Funnie II]

If you're going to cbet into 2 players, this is the time to do it. .75 sounds rediculously small but I've found that smaller cbets work fine at lower stakes. I really don't like the cr because if you get called it puts you in a bad spot (like you discovered).

I wouldn't bother bluffing if you really think he has a medium PP because they're not usually folding. Your analysis would probably work pretty well at nl50 if you could find opponents that transparent, but at nl10 it just isnt worth it.

[finegrinder]

[ QUOTE ]
If you're going to cbet into 2 players, this is the time to do it. .75 sounds rediculously small but I've found that smaller cbets work fine at lower stakes. I really don't like the cr because if you get called it puts you in a bad spot (like you discovered).

I wouldn't bother bluffing if you really think he has a medium PP because they're not usually folding. Your analysis would probably work pretty well at nl50 if you could find opponents that transparent, but at nl10 it just isnt worth it.

[/ QUOTE ]

Thanks for your input.

I check-raised almost instantly because I was certain they were both weak. And yes, the caller put me in a tough spot. The pot/stack ratio on the turn puts you in a position where no matter what you do you can't extract value. I did it because honestly I didn't know what else to do (after I checked). I don't like to call and try to steal on the next street because these moves don't work at this level. And I was seeing the turn with two people, certainly. Stacks too short and odds too long for drawing. Fold for $0.20? You have to estimate the percentage where the check-raise actually works.

Edit: the odds are actually not that bad. I'm beginning to like calling more (however I have to take into account that I need to beat two players). I think I should start calling more in general, I'm currently a kinda pump-it-or-dump-it type of player.

What about the turn play, which is a different problem? Looking for the play that wins you the most (or costs you the least).