Weird QK hand...

[ggbman]

I open UTG+1 9 handed and get cold called by a pretty bad villian. I can't specifically say why he's bad, he just doesn't play that well overall Anyway he cold calls, the blinds fold. Flop is K53 with two spades. I bet and he calls. The turn is an offsuit ace and i check, he checks behind. River is the 7h, I bet and he raises. Pay off here? And would everyone else bet this river or maybe try to induce a bluff instead?

[Paluka]

I would have bet the turn, so I'm rarely in this spot on the river so my intuition isn't kicking in. It feels like a fold.

[ggbman]

I think the turn situation is interesting. That card generally sucks given the way the hand has gone so far, i think he has hands like AJ, A-T etc... a ton here. The other thing i like about check is he might fire to move me off QQ/JJ type hands with this board, but he will give up with all medium pairs. Why do you like a turn bet, and what is your line if raised?

[Robb]

The turn is the focal point in the hand (like it often is) and where you need some detailed info on the opponent. Absent that, going with "opponent is pretty bad" ... I would either 1. bet/fold turn (if opponent bluffs you with a spade draw or 88 - good for them - look them up next time) or 2. check/call turn, lead bet/fold river. With option 2, you often confuse them enough to not raise an ace but call a weak king.

This is assuming by "pretty bad" you don't mean incredibly straight forward. If opponent is incredibly straight forward then check fold the turn.

As played, opponent checked behind on the turn so I would have checked again (and called)on the river expecting opponent to bet 90% of the time he/she has a weaker king as well as opponent bluffing a small %. Given that you bet the river, I would call the river raise and expect to show a small profit.

[kurosh]

I like the turn check. I don't think you get paid off by many weaker hands and could get raised off the best hand. There isn't much he'll call you down with after the ace and king are on board.

I would have checked the river. Most of the hands he is calling with, he will bet, but he will not call with a lot of hands he will bet with. You might even have value in a river check-raise if he is bad.

[ggbman]

Kurosh, i think a river value check-raise is a bad idea, and i don't think it's consistent with the other points you were making, most of which i agree with.

[Paluka]

I bet the turn because there is a flush draw, and if he has an ace and raises me I only lose 1 bet, where if I check and call twice I lose 2.

[Chris Daddy Cool]

gabe,

if i had checked the turn i would have checked the river. as is, i'd probably fold.

[geormiet]

Gabe,

I play it the same, and because your play is somewhat transparent, I would call the river raise.

I justify it this way: You could either spend 2 bbs by betting the turn and check-calling/bet-folding the river, or you could spend 2 bbs by checking the turn and bet calling the river.

[ggbman]

Wait you want to bet/fold the turn?