[tvent37]

What do you plan on doing if someone raises your blocker especially if the 2nd person just smooth calls? I think checking here is by far the best option ESPECIALLY because he bets so often when checked to. The reason is because I would checkraise if it went check check bet because any decent player would toss A3 especially with no back up if they had to call twice the pot. This is assuming they had A3 and didnt just get a counterfeited A2. Also A4 is going to have a hell of a time calling. Check raising basically scares out any naked A3-A4 hand unless possibly they have a weaker flush to go with it, your only worried about the K.

Checking also allows you to control the pot. This is one of those cases where being 1st to act is a good thing. If your in position you dont know if you are being checked to because you bet and they want a check raise or because they are scared. They HAVE TO speak up if they have some kind of hand. You check and if it checks down EASY value bet on a non pair river, I would put out a blocker at the end instead of a value bet if it paired.

Finally when you check what is likely to be the best hand I dont see why its bad that a player who would bet 90% of his hands in that spot would bet. Think about what 90% entails. You are ahead so much for AT LEAST half and dominating both ways a good deal of the time. I also like the check because to me it looks like a missed attempt at a naked A [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] bluff where you were hoping for a high turn card, some kind of A2JJ hand that wants a free card, or an A2 + small flush combo. I think it disguises your hand well.