Set on river...

[MrMxyztplk]

[ QUOTE ]
interesting... but if i bet the turn and he calls, the pot is big on the river and i pretty much am done w/the hand if he bets, whereas if i check for pot controll i can call a modest bet on river to keep him honest 'n try to see what he's limping/callign etc with.. btw, #/#/# ... is that vp$/pfr/? ... sry im new lol

[/ QUOTE ]

If you check the turn, you're in a really tough spot, especially given all the cards that can land on the river that just put you more in the dark.

If you bet and he calls, then yes, you're often done with the hand. But AT LEAST YOU KONW FOR CERTAIN THAT YOU'RE DONE WITH IT.

Now it's true that you have to put in money to find out that you're bad. That's the down side. But it's not that much of a sound side.

First off, he might still be calling with one of the paired hands that you beat. If that's the case, the river will almost certainly go check check because very few people get tricky when they could already be ahead. So when you're good, you usually stay good. If he bets, you can comfortably fold konwing you were likely correct in your assumptions. And that's why I bet the turn. It's to put HIM in the tough spot where he's not sure that his pair of 5s is good.

Next, your bet folds out many overcard hands that would get a free card.

Now take the reverse look and think about it. You check. You now have no idea what's going through your opponent's head. What's his bluffing frequency? How do I know when to call the river? And how much do I call? That's really the key thing. If you know nothing about him, how do you know what bet size means what? There are just too many unknowns and you usually end up making a mistake, whether it be calling when you shouldn't or folding when you shouldn't.