1/2 river spot

[2handed]

I called and won. He was bluffing with AQJ4 no flush draw.
I guess I shouldnt have said in the OP that I checked the river, since I was trying to get feedback on whether to bet/fold or check/call on the river since those seemed like the two most viable lines to me.

[Perestroika]

Betting doesn't seem great unless you have good understanding with the player and good dynamic where he will call you with AA here.

[iggymcfly]

Yeah, I like the way you played this. I was originally going to say bet/fold, but that's when I thought you'd bet the flop. Given that you didn't, it's very unlikely that a decent two pair is out there that can call since nines up would have bet the flop and there aren't a lot of reasonable combinations for a worse tens up.

Also, the fact that your opponents checked the flop and called the turn makes it very likely that they picked up draws. With a "scare card" hitting that's still likely to miss your opponents, I think check/calling is the best you can do.

With that said, I might fold to a bet from the BB since it's tougher to bluff with one unknown caller left to act, but you definitely want to call against the CO who's likely bluffing over 50% of the time.

[2handed]

[ QUOTE ]
Yeah, I like the way you played this. I was originally going to say bet/fold, but that's when I thought you'd bet the flop. Given that you didn't, it's very unlikely that a decent two pair is out there that can call since nines up would have bet the flop and there aren't a lot of reasonable combinations for a worse tens up.

Also, the fact that your opponents checked the flop and called the turn makes it very likely that they picked up draws. With a "scare card" hitting that's still likely to miss your opponents, I think check/calling is the best you can do.

With that said, I might fold to a bet from the BB since it's tougher to bluff with one unknown caller left to act, but you definitely want to call against the CO who's likely bluffing over 50% of the time.

[/ QUOTE ]

This is a good analysis, and shows that check-calling is the best play on the river. It may not leave us with the most comfortable decision, but it is clearly the most profitable way to play the hand.

[Hattifnatt]

I would probably bet/fold river for ~1/2 pot but like the way you played the hand.

[2handed]

[ QUOTE ]
I would probably bet/fold river for ~1/2 pot but like the way you played the hand.

[/ QUOTE ]

This is a very standard play for many of us, myself included, and I am trying to question its perhaps overusage here. It is obvious that he rarely raises a worse hand in the river, so it is a safe fold when he does, but for the same price we get him to put money in with hands that instafold to a bet. As Iggy was saying, its hard for him to have a hand that beats us here and can call, but easy for him to show up with a panoply of missed of draws, so letting him bet that latter group of hands is key. It is spots that have this character that are the perfect places to induce a bluff. It simply takes more discipline than many of our opponents have to just check it down with a missed draw if they still have an avenue to win the hand.

[Hattifnatt]

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I would probably bet/fold river for ~1/2 pot but like the way you played the hand.

[/ QUOTE ]

This is a very standard play for many of us, myself included, and I am trying to question its perhaps overusage here. It is obvious that he rarely raises a worse hand in the river, so it is a safe fold when he does, but for the same price we get him to put money in with hands that instafold to a bet. As Iggy was saying, its hard for him to have a hand that beats us here and can call, but easy for him to show up with a panoply of missed of draws, so letting him bet that latter group of hands is key. It is spots that have this character that are the perfect places to induce a bluff. It simply takes more discipline than many of our opponents have to just check it down with a missed draw if they still have an avenue to win the hand.

[/ QUOTE ]
very true and a thing I have been experiment pretty much with lately, even with the pure nuts (c/r instead of just betting river when its a high chance villian has a missed draw) and definitely something for many players (inc myself) to think more on.

however, in this particular spot with the 3rd player in I prefer the bet/fold to the check even though its kinda close. if it was HU it would still be somewhat close but checking would probably be the better play.

all this is very villian/flow/history-depending though.

[2handed]

"all this is very villian/flow/history-depending though"

absolutely, these are hugely important considerations when deciding between these two plays.

[pete fabrizio]

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Yeah, I like the way you played this. I was originally going to say bet/fold, but that's when I thought you'd bet the flop. Given that you didn't, it's very unlikely that a decent two pair is out there that can call since nines up would have bet the flop and there aren't a lot of reasonable combinations for a worse tens up.

Also, the fact that your opponents checked the flop and called the turn makes it very likely that they picked up draws. With a "scare card" hitting that's still likely to miss your opponents, I think check/calling is the best you can do.

With that said, I might fold to a bet from the BB since it's tougher to bluff with one unknown caller left to act, but you definitely want to call against the CO who's likely bluffing over 50% of the time.

[/ QUOTE ]

This is a good analysis, and shows that check-calling is the best play on the river. It may not leave us with the most comfortable decision, but it is clearly the most profitable way to play the hand.

[/ QUOTE ]

At 1-2 I find that most people (even some of the very good regulars) bluff so little and look you up so much that check-calling is rarely the best play. Also, betting in a spot where an unlikely draw came in can get you a lot of hero-calls b/c they think you're FOS. Not to mention that routinely betting this kind of hand makes you much harder to play on the river overall.