Early in WSOP Event #25 - Best line with a set?
 

Early on I felt I got bet out of a few pots and it looked like I may have been playing passive. The villian in this hand maybe saw a couple of those, but he was late to the table so I'm not sure how many he saw. Villian is a younger guy and an internet player. He seems confident and has been aggressive.

Because of those hands, my stack was down to about 2,800 from the 4K starting stack. Villian has about the same amount. Here's the hand.

Blinds at 25/50 and I make it 150 from middle position with 88. Villian calls in the cut-off and everyone else folds.

Flop is K86 rainbow. 375 in the pot.

I decide to lead out for 200 and villain thinks for a second and calls. I think there is a good chance he has a K (like KQ, KJ), possibly a mid PP or also 97. He could also just be playing position.

Turn is a 2. Pot is 775.

I love checking here against an aggressive player who thinks I was just c-betting, so I check. He bets 625.

Pot is 1400 and I have about 2450 left.

What is my best line moving forward?

Re: Early in WSOP Event #25 - Best line with a set?
 

If the 2 did not put up a double suit then I call. If the 2 matched a suit on board I might push in.
However, I would bet the turn as opposed to check raising.

Re: Early in WSOP Event #25 - Best line with a set?
 

My standard line would have probably been:
bet 350, bet 600-750, shove.

I kinda hate your underbet on the flop. Think about the hands that you believe would call your 200 chip bet (KQ/KJ/97/99-QQ...) they are all calling for 350 too and, if anything, 350 looks slightly weaker than 200.

If you made a potish bet on the flop and then decided to check the turn he would have had to bet 800-1000 (not that I really like your turn check) and you could easily crai with KQ feeling pot committed to call you (assuming he is an internet player who thinks about such things.)

What I would have done (assuming I bet 300 on the flop) is donk out with a weak lead for 600-750 on the turn, hoping that he could catch 2 pair or something to hang himself with or that he feels he is not deep enough to fold his AK. As played through the flop, I would also lead for 600-750 although this would appear to be a bigger bet and would be more likely to induce a fold from KQ and definitely from KJ.

While your turn check induced a bet this time, I know a lot of internet types who advocate checking behind on the turn with AK/KQ (especially KQ) so I am not sure that this is the right play if you respect his game.

As played up through his turn bet, I like a check call and a check on the river. I don't think that KQ is ever calling you if you either crai here or if you call and then open shove the river. I however believe that an internet type is trained to value bet thin and will be betting this river with AK and maybe even KQ...

Maybe I am reading too much into your player description but I am imagining a 2+2 type


(also, you might want to 'notify mod to move this to High Stakes MTT for better discussion)

Re: Early in WSOP Event #25 - Best line with a set?
 

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(also, you might want to 'notify mod to move this to High Stakes MTT for better discussion)

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Yeah, I hadn't posted in a while and forgot the split was made...thanks.

Re: Early in WSOP Event #25 - Best line with a set?
 

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I kinda hate your underbet on the flop. Think about the hands that you believe would call your 200 chip bet (KQ/KJ/97/99-QQ...) they are all calling for 350 too and, if anything, 350 looks slightly weaker than 200.

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On the flop, my thinking was that he would sense my bet as weak and come over the top based on him possibly observing my previous hands. We're too deep for him to shove obviously, but if he raises and I call, he could put me on 99-QQ and try to push me off those hands on the turn.

Also, wouldn't he drop most pairs and weak kings if I bet the turn? My check was designed to make him think he was ahead in the hand.

I like what you are saying about getting more chips in there so I can build the pot and commit him later. If he's calling 200, he'll call more on the flop. But if I keep that strength up on the turn, he might dump a lot of hands that might keep paying me off.