400NL: AK line under-construction
 

For the past two orbits villian has bet $12 UTG only to have it raised by me in UTG+1 to $40 each time. The first time it folded around to me, Second time a guy behind me rebumped me $146 ontop (all-in) and I folded, so villian may suspect these raises are fishy even though they are not - KK, QQ (fold). Villian seems solid 23/12/1.76 over 445 hands. So lets see what happens on the 3rd time...


Absolute Poker
No Limit Holdem Ring game
Blinds: $2/$4
6 players
Converter

Stack sizes:
UTG: $812
HERO: $380.40
CO: $223.80
Button: $1280.80
SB: $620.70
BB: $820.10

Pre-flop: (6 players) HERO is UTG+1 with K[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img] A[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img]
<font color="#cc0000">UTG raises to $12</font>, <font color="#cc0000">HERO raises to $40</font>, 4 folds, UTG calls.

Flop: 8[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img] T[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] 4[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] ($86, 2 players)
UTG checks, <font color="#cc0000">HERO bets $75</font>, UTG calls.

Turn: A[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img] ($236, 2 players)
UTG checks, HERO checks.
<font color="blue">(I checked the turn because 1. I did'nt want weaker hands to fold and 2. maybe he would bluff the river)</font>

River: 9[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img] ($236, 2 players)
UTG checks, <font color="#cc0000">HERO is all-in $265.4</font>, <font color="blue"> (UTG thinks for a long time and finally checks, so I decide to turn my hand into a bluff and push),</font>UTG ???

Results:
Final pot: $236

Please give me thoughts/advice on all streets. I am mostly a 100 &amp; 200NL player but this 400NL table was so soft that I could'nt pass it up.

Re: 400NL: AK line under-construction
 

You played it fine but you are way off on the river bet, that is such a VB(and a good one, you probably wont get called alot, but you are ahead here almost always so it doesnt hurt to try). I can only complain on you betsizing on the flop, try a little smaller next time.

Re: 400NL: AK line under-construction
 

If he's a thinker I bet the turn, if he's not, I think I like a 1/2 pot river bet.

Re: 400NL: AK line under-construction
 

I'm curious why you folded QQ to an all-in for less than half a buyin, getting 244:146.

About the hand in question: why not check flop behind and try to catch an A or K? Since your image is crappy, you're not representing much on the flop. I think a big part of is range are midpairs, since he'll probably be 4-betting better hands and folding worse ones. On this flop and with your image, I don't know why he would give up that easily.

As played, I probably bet turn and hope he thinks your firing a 2nd barrel.

I like the river shove here.

Re: 400NL: AK line under-construction
 

Erm, you haven't turned your hand into a bluff with a river shove wtf. He never folds a better hand and he doesn't have one atall often anyway. You won't even fold a split here. Anyway, 3/5 pot is a much better value bet against mid-big pocket pairs.

I check the flop here a lot.

Re: 400NL: AK line under-construction
 

Dont fold your QQ to a 140$ push!

About the hand, pf and flop are ok. Check on turn is ok; you indeed don't want worse hands to fold. Bet this street like 50% of the time. River is not a bluff: Villain could be suspicious and call with JJ-KK or an Ahxh hand. I would probably make 140, I think he would call a little higher % of the time.

Re: 400NL: AK line under-construction
 

He folds a better hand 0% of the time, give or take, and the same hand (if he turns up with that somehow) virtually never. So as a bluff it doesn't work. As a value bet it looks good in the situation you describe, though you could argue a 60% pot bet gets looked up a lot more as you are really asking for a hero call. You could argue against the later point though.

Re: 400NL: AK line under-construction
 

Thx guys, the river was my mistake in this hand. I was about to bet around $140. Then I had a donkey thought of, if I bet that he will think I have an A so if I push it will look like a bluff. Stupid I know. Next time I bet 2/3rds and move on to the next hand. [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]