$2/$4 overcards + some draws in smallish pot.

[EGO]

Villian is a loose and aggressive opponent post-flop in early position. The big blind is fairly standard tight, so far, and has been running well.

Villian limps in, and I raise with A[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] J[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img], the big blind and villian call.

The flop comes 6[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img]T[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img]8[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img], with $13(6.5SB) in the pot. It's checked to me, and I bet.

I figure with overcards, a backdoor flush draw, and position that a bet is correct here. If I'm check-raised, I'll call and proceed from there.

The big blind folds, and villian calls. The turn is 6[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img]T[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img]8[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img](K[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img]), with $17(4.25BB) in the pot, giving me a gutshot, overcard to the board, and a flush draw. I figure that if I'm beat here, then I'm likely to get check-raised by my aggressive opponent. Remembering advice from HPFAP to check hands with outs on the turn, I check behind, taking a free card.

The river brings a dud - 6[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img]T[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img]8[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img]K[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img](4[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img]) and the pot is still $17(4.25BB). When I checked behind on the turn, I realized that I might have to call a bluff on the river, considering my opponent. So: Villian bets, Hero calls, getting exactly 5-1 after the rake.

Thoughts?

[sean c]

Ego,

This whole hand is fine IMO. I hate checking the turn and calling a river bet with ace high but here if there is a strong likelyhood you get check/raised then it seems like the way to go even though you are ahead here some. I also hate calling river bets with ace high in small pots but hey if your read tells you here your ahead >20% of the time call.

[HoneyBadger]

I would still bet this turn. check behind thin draws to a LAG like this, but you have a big hand here, any heart, queen, ace of jack might give you the best hand. You have such excellent outs that you don't even care much if you're check-raised. you would've called two cold as well.

[sean c]

Honeybadger,

If you think there is a strong chance your getting check/raised here and you also think you need to get to showdown betting is a little spewy IMO. If it is not very likely i'm getting check/raised and even if i do i don't have to call a river bet UI i like betting here even though you can't fold to a check/raise.

[HoneyBadger]

If it's not likely you are getting check raised betting is a must here. In all common situations, against most typical opponents, this is an easy bet. The only "difficulty" here is that opponent might be a maniac, c/r with air, and donk the river with air when you don't improve.

[45suited]

Hi all, I'm relatively new to limit (made most of my cash / spent my first 2 1/2 years of poker playing SNGs, but have been playing BM limit for 6+ months now).

That said, villain has done absolutely NOTHING in this hand that should deter you from betting here. Limped / called pre-flop, check / called flop, checked turn.

Keep firing away! Even if check raised (unlikely I'm quite sure), you have a ton of outs. The turn is great, not only because it gives you more outs (IF you are behind), but if villain has a piece of the flop or a PP, it is yet another overcard that you are obviously unafraid of.

When I started playing limit, I overthought hands like this and gave my opponents way too much credit. Keep firing away on this board, you have good FE, and your hand can easily stand a CR anyway.

My two cents...

[tewall]

If you've got the HPFAP advice handy, why not post it? It would be interesting to see how well it fits this situation, as well as to see the differences between what it describes and your actual situation.

If I remember right, he talks about not betting the turn when a raise would make you want to vomit. The idea for taking the free card when you have outs is that your hand has increased in value, to where it's not just a nothing hand you have to bluff to get value out of. You don't mind folding a bluff to a c/r, but you can't fold this hand.

However, in this situation your hand not only has outs, it has some value on its own. No one has any strength; you could be ahead. That combined with the fact that you're not very likely to be check-raised (assuming that's true) could easily make betting better than checking.

Anyway it would be interesting to see what sorts of hands HPFAP give as examples for taking the free card. (but that's for a different game also, where Ace high is less likely to be good).

[James.]

bet the turn because he thinks you have AK.