Need Help: Betting Big Hands
 

This situation came up last night, and I would like advice for how to treat it in the future.

I am in the BB with AA, one limper, small blind completes, and I raise.

Flop comes A99, check, I bet, both fold.

I bet probably 95% of the time when I raise preflop, and 99% of the time when I flop big. Checking seems to be such a weak play, it sets off alarm bells in my head at least.

Is there anyway I can get by checking this flop and then the turn to hope to pick off one bet.

I raise in the SB with a ton of hands with only one limper, KQ+, 88+, etc, and would bet every flop with that range. Betting seems to not reveal anything about my hand, but checking does.....

Please enlighten me if I can ever check when my opponents are very likely to miss the whole thing.

Re: Need Help: Betting Big Hands
 

The texture of the board and the size of the pot should be the determining factors in how you play it. With the action pre-flop and this flop what are they going to call you with? Not very much and so what if you bet 95% of the time on the flop after you raised? Give your opponents a chance to make a mistake in this spot.

Re: Need Help: Betting Big Hands
 

I'm checking this a lot. If someone has a 9, you'll get action anyway. Your hand is virtually indestructible, so give them a couple free cards to catch something and maybe they'll take a stab at the pot.

Re: Need Help: Betting Big Hands
 

Id bet the flop. mostly because I'd raise pf here with a ton of crap hands and auto bet the flop regardless of what came down.

that said... you have AA, flop is A99. there are only 4 As and 4 9s in the deck for a total of 8. and you've already seen 5 of them. there are only 3 playable cards left in the deck... what are you expecting? that one of your TWO opponents is gonna turn up with something to call you down here every time? plz...

I'd just bet the flop and hope for someone to be slowplaying a 9 (and hoping they'll raise it) or calling down with an A. checking here is so suspiscious and kinda transparent... even to players at this level

just bet it and pray someone caught a piece

Re: Need Help: Betting Big Hands
 

[ QUOTE ]
This situation came up last night, and I would like advice for how to treat it in the future.

I am in the BB with AA, one limper, small blind completes, and I raise.

Flop comes A99, check, I bet, both fold.

I bet probably 95% of the time when I raise preflop, and 99% of the time when I flop big. Checking seems to be such a weak play, it sets off alarm bells in my head at least.

Is there anyway I can get by checking this flop and then the turn to hope to pick off one bet.

I raise in the SB with a ton of hands with only one limper, KQ+, 88+, etc, and would bet every flop with that range. Betting seems to not reveal anything about my hand, but checking does.....

Please enlighten me if I can ever check when my opponents are very likely to miss the whole thing.

[/ QUOTE ]

In this situation if you bet or don't bet it hardly matters because this situation hardly ever comes up. Bet and hope that somebody has a nine. Don't bet and hope that somebody takes a swing at the pot. So what, either way? You're talking about a bet you're trying to gain once in a blue moon.

What bothers me more is that 95% and 99%. I suppose that you suppose that that means they can't be sure what you have because you do the same thing everytime no matter what you have but, come on. You've got all the cards in this hand, almost certainly. Anyway, I don't like doing the same thing the same way every time but maybe that's just me.

Let's change the situation to 7 limpers which is more interesting. I think the 'nastiest' thing to do in that case is just bet. Not always, but usually. A few of them are going to call most times and, at these limits, against these players, they won't give you credit for the hand you've got.

Re: Need Help: Betting Big Hands
 

To clarify, the 95% of the time means when checked to me, cause if I'm in position with AQ and the flop comes 567, and everyone checks, I am still betting, because more times than not I get a free look at the river with that one small bet, and could still have the best hand.

The 99% means that I am so past my slowplaying days. I have learned that slowplaying in limit is only worthwhile once an opponent takes the initiative away from you by raising sometime after the flop, and you can gain an extra bet by raising their next bet.

How many times have I seen someone check after 3 betting preflop on a K77 flop, and on the river, when they get called, I call out "pocket kings".

It is so obvious to me, but I am being a little too generous in thinking all my opponents see a check on an A99 board 3-bet preflop as either AA or a really overplayed 99. A lot of opponents may give me KK or QQ in that spot...but still couldn't call a bet without an A or a 9.

I just know I would follow through on that bet with TT and KQ as well, so why change it up...but my opponents aren't seeing all my hands either...

I have just been going back and forth on it, and as you said, either way, its not a huge issue.

Figuring out how to properly play AJ UTG is more important than how to play flopping basically the immortal.