Taking stabs at pots from the BB

[Mog]

This is a situation where reads are very useful. If you're up against a calling station, then they're probably not going to fold no matter what, so there's no sense in betting.

Against average opponents, I would take a stab at this sometimes but not always. If you get raised or check-raised, you can safely fold.

In this situation if I got two callers, I'd probably check the turn assuming no ace came (I'd guess one of them had a T in that case). If SB called and CO folded, I would bet the turn if checked into and fold if SB bet. If CO called and SB folded, I'd bet the turn again.

[kerowo]

This isn't a bad board to take a shot at from the blinds but if you are called and don't improve you are screwed because you can't put any more money into this pot without good reads on your opponents. And if you check the turn after leading the flop someone is going to bet unless the table is super duper passive.

[Aaron W.]

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im wondering if it would be +EV to take routine stabs at flops like this with an A high when no one seems to be interested. any thoughts?

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If you never bet at this pot, I think you would be giving up a little bit of money. Even though we may not like to admit it, bluffing is a part of the game and it's profitable. You can win without bluffing. But you will not win the most possible if you never bluff. (And yes, I know that you're not techinically bluffing at these pots because you sometimes have the best hand -- but it behaves like a bluff because your hand is so weak.)

I'm not sure what you mean by "routine stabs." How often you bet at them depends greatly on the players involved in the pot (their playing tendencies and the number of them you're facing). It also depends on the frequency which you stab at the pot. If you stabbed at every pot out of the BB in a limped 3-handed pot, I suspect you're betting too often. Just as if you never stabbed at the pot with a weak hand, you would be betting too rarely.

But worry first about playing your legitimate hands correctly. This is how you'll make most of your money. The bluffs and semibluffs that you'll find as you get better are like a Christmas bonus.