Turned Set on Drawy board

[deadtime]

How do you play these situations? I C-bet 90% heads up but decided against here and got myslef into a tricky spot...

Full Tilt No-Limit Hold'em, $0.25 BB (5 handed) Full Tilt Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com (Format: 2+2 Forums)

UTG ($29.25)
MP ($24.65)
Hero ($24.35)
SB ($34.25)
BB ($24.65)

Preflop: Hero is Button with 7[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img], 7[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img]. UTG posts a blind of $0.25.
<font color="#666666">1 fold</font>, <font color="#CC3333">Hero raises to $0.85</font>, <font color="#666666">1 fold</font>, UTG (poster) calls $0.60.

Flop: ($1.80) Q[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img], 9[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img], J[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img] <font color="#0000FF">(3 players)</font>
UTG checks, Hero checks.

Turn: ($1.80) 7[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img] <font color="#0000FF">(3 players)</font>
UTG checks, <font color="#CC3333">Hero bets $1.8</font>, <font color="#CC3333">UTG raises to $3.6</font>, Hero calls $1.80.

River: ($9) 4[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img] <font color="#0000FF">(3 players)</font>
<font color="#CC3333">UTG bets $8.5</font>, Hero calls $8.50.

Final Pot: $26

[infinity235]

Cbet this please. Full pot. If I was OOP I would check/fold.

Reraise the turn. The board is so drawy, but you're still ahead of villain's ranges. Only T8 got there, but there are now 2 flush draws possible.

[Joliq]

Raise PF is good, obviously

I don't get the lack of cbet on the flop. What was your rationale in deciding not to cbet? You led pf, you're in position, it's HU, you can charge him for a draw if he has one and make him make a mistake. So I'd Cbet, probably quite big, around 3/4 pot?

The 7 is obviously a good thing. You're ahead of a huge part of his range here, there's pretty much only the higher set that he realistically has that has you beat (the straight would require him to be calling your pf raise OOP with some very marginal hands, and in the absence of you telling us he's retarded I'm not going to make assumptions). Ran this through PS with a few different ranges - looks like you're ahead vs the majority of his range. So I like the turn bet..not sure how much I like flat calling the raise, you could re-raise, and again give him a chance to hang himself on a draw, and build up a bigger pot with the set when you're ahead. I'm not too good at judging how much to reraise on the turn, I guess make it enough so that if he flat calls trying to make his draw he's making a mistake. I could do with some help in coming up with a rule of thumb/quick and dirty formula for the size of a reraise in this situation if anyone feels like helping? But I do think a reraise of enough to cut off the draw is the right play, and it's getting your money in when you're ahead.

His river bet is a bit puzzling. Obviously it's questionable if he'd still make it/still be in the hand/someone would be all in if you'd cbet the flop and reraised the turn..you might not have to make this decision. The 4 is essentially a blank and if he was on a draw he's missed. So he either has a good hand, but only QQ, JJ have you beat (all his possible straights seem pretty unlikely - see the turn section), and is betting big to try and get his money in, since you've been calling away, or he's missed and is betting big to try and get a fold. It's hard to tell between the two w/o more information on him/you/your image/what you've seen from him. The call doesn't seem terrible, but I'd probably feel more comfortable raising in that there's little of his range that actually has us beat, or if you're sure he'd only make this line with QQ/JJ folding.

So - pf raise good, cbet flop big, reraise turn, raise or fold river depending on what you know about him, but only QQ, JJ has you beat, so I'm leaning raise (maybe AI?)

Incidentally there's a couple of possible interpretations of this line (call, check to c/r with monster, c/r monster, vb river....call with ok hand, check missed flop, turn gives FD, raises, try to steal with big bet on the river...+ more) I had trouble picking which - anyone got a link to a good post for this?? It would help if you told us how he's been playing his draws, and his monsters etc.

Sorry for length, I just like to work through it all.

[Gesangsverein]

If this is an opponent you know to be a good -if not very good player- , this hand gets close to a fold on the river.
If you think you are facing a somehow reasonalbe but not good player you played it fine.
If you think you play a doney your play was mediocore.


Let`s analyse the board and action of you opponent:

I)He only called preflop =&gt;
(1)he is unlikely to have a made hand

II)He checked the flop on a very drawy board beein OOP =&gt;
(1)he either hits and wants to go for a checkraise OR
(2)he didn`t hit and is gonna fold his hand OR
(3)he is on a draw (straight or ten or maybe both) OR
(4)he has hit the fold hard enough to slowplay (this means be very hard on such a dangerous folp!)

III)He checkraises you on the turn =&gt;
(1) you can now discount options II(1) because a good player would lead here with a pair of jacks or a pair queens unless it`s combined with a draw in which case he is more likely to call rather than checkraise
(2)discount option II(2) - this board simly suxx for bluffing, villain must be very bad to buff here with a minraise!
(3)option II(3)still possible - bad players like to minraise draws =&gt; calling is the worst thing you can do here if you think villain plays badly!
(4) option II(4) becomes more likely now: if he has T8 or KT - maybe even cc - his play fit perfectly- and remembere a minraise on the turn very often represents strength!

IV) He makes a pot sized bet on the river (no draw has hit!!!)
(1)II(3) my be the case here, but I made the experience that players who where on a draw and plan to bluff the river are likely to bet less than the pot =&gt; you should call for value here
(2) his pot bet combined with the past action means strength! =&gt; you should at least THINK about folding here, if you are facing a very reasonalbe AND good player.

[deadtime]

two great, well thought out replies. Thanks.

I should've C-bet. My rational went something like "he's a tricky player, I fear a check raise, I will evaluate on the turn". My read of his trickiness also widens his range.

I often use the read "min raise = strength" and that would go some way to explaining the way i played this hand. I also see that this is a terrible board to bluff at, for that reason I had enough respect for my opponent to be concerned about his holding after the river bet.