16: Ax four handed.

[loxxii]

PokerStars Tournament, Big Blind is t200 with t25 antes (4 handed) Converter on pregopoker.com

Hero (t3125)
Button (t3267)
SB (t3161)
BB (t3947)

Preflop: Hero is in CO with 8[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] A[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img]
<font color="red">Hero raises to t600</font>, <font color="gray">Button folds</font>, SB calls t500, <font color="gray">BB folds</font>

Flop: (t1500) K[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img] T[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img] 6[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img] (2 players)
SB checks, Hero ?

Raise preflop? If so, c-bet and go broke if called or raised?

Please answer for vs both a loose and a tight villian

[MikeMcQ1]

t500 preflop, then you can more comfortably c-bet, which I would do in that spot. Here I'd probably check vs a lag, c-bet vs tag.

[Mike MacIntosh]

Raising A8o from the CO is read dependent. I would raise it t500, and c-bet against any sensible opponent.

[loxxii]

i just realized you two are not the same person

slow

[drw0]

I probably would c-bet a tight player, since that may fold a better ace or a pair 99-. A tight player might even fold JJ/QQ/AT.

We are very unlikely to be ahead of a tight player unless you mean a tight player who really loves to defend his blinds, but then is tight outside of that. Therefore, if he calls or raises, I think that we should try to check it down/fold. You could try another bluff on a later street, but I doubt that he would be able to call the first two and get away from the 3rd. If he is tight, he has to be ahead and getting juicy odds.

Loose players might be more difficult. Now there is actually a possibility that we are ahead, but even a loose player will be ahead of us fairly often here. Obviously, if we are ahead, checking behind gives him an opportunity to catch-up and an opportunity to bluff, which is unpleasant. The bad news is that if we are behind, betting will not push him off his hand and may induce a bluff that would be very hard to call.

Mike McQ gives advice about a lag or a tag, but the only evidence we have is that he is a passive player. Obviously, 1/2 a hand is not much evidence, but that is all we have and he may be someone who calls too much. One fear about c-betting is that it becomes increasingly awkward with another flat call.

Even against a loose player, I would not go broke after a c-bet. It will be hard to bluff a loose player on a later street and if we don’t improve, even a loose player will usually be beating us. Check behind and hope you are ahead.

If he checkraises you on the flop or calls and leads turn, I think that you have to let it go, even against a loose player. Obviously, there is some chance that he is bluffing and there is a chance that he is semi-bluffing with precisely QJ or Q9. Otherwise, you would be drawing very thin against even the loosest player’s idea of a hand worth pushing all of his chips into the center.

Sorry for the verbose response. Cliff notes: I c-bet followed by check/fold against a tight player. C-bet/check behind may depend upon the type of loose player, but if I did decide to c-bet, I would check/fold afterwards unless he was a maniacal bluffer.