I have had this situation a bizzillion times the last few days

[john kane]

sorry if this is micro stakes stuff.

$3-$6nl 6 max. you are playing a 20/14 game.

Folded round to you in CO. You have 6 [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] 7 [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img]

You are thinking you can steal the blinds so you make it $24.

Big blind, 20/14 as well, calls. His Aggression Factor is 2.1.

Flop comes 4 7 A rainbow ($51)

He checks, you bet $38, he pauses for a short time, and calls.

Turn J ($137)

He checks, you.............

This situation has been happening way too much to me. I feel his hand range is Axs, A10-AQ, 9s-Js.

He puts me on my usual range, Ax, scons, 10Q+, probably mid pairs

If I fire again on turn, I feel he should be thinking 'omg, he fires again, he must have A10+, JJ, AA, 77 and so he folds almost his entire hand range.

Instead when I do fire again, he calls with crap like A9.

But if I check the turn, he then makes some annoying river value bet, which I usually fold and think 'zomg, that looks ultra weak, now he will check-call flop to see my turn action'. But if I call and he flips A9 i think 'zomg, i knew i was beat, wtf did i call, zomg, why didnt he fold the turn'

I am having real problems with general theory play the last few days, I guess there is no correct answer given you probably should vary betting turn:checking turn ratio.

I guess another problem is if that is me, I probably check-call with A9, thinking I'll fold if he 3 barrels.

So maybe I should be 3 barrelling, but when he insta calls with AQ, i just want to shot myself, thinking 'wtf did you get bored and decide to blow a stack on a stupid bluff!?!'

Any thoughts most appreciated, sorry if this is a bad post, but I feel this is highly metagame in the sense it is purely how you are shaping your hand ranges for future play. Part of me wants to 'take my game to the next level' and try these 3 barrels, the other part of me wants to stay at this relatively simply skill level and churn out my win rate, which I feel is decreasingly as the standard overall is generally increasing.

gl all.

[Josh.]

if you think he's bluffing the river, then call it. if you don't then you fold. bet, check back, fold is typically perfectly fine and most people aren't going to float oop enough to have a worse hand. if you think he's capable of doing that, then just call. pretty simple

you can also experiment with checking the flop if you don't think you can get him off 99 and such (which is a big part of his range calling from the sb) without 3 barrels

[donkmagic]

very few people are floating u oop on an ace high board, especially when your line says i have an ace and am playing for pot control.

[mike0292]

yeah this is a very common spot.

i've started to mix it up with double barrels when I have some outs, such as in this case, and raising the river. Even though you aren't representing much with a river raise usually, most don't have the stones to call

[Mench]

this is a super common spot and is very frustrating. this is a part of my game where i probably spew. i understand ur frystration, but as others have said you are not getting floated OOP enough on boards like this so I wouldn't worry.

[DLizzle]

i like to either 3 barrel or check turn here. when i check turn i might call unimproved on the river once in a while, but usually I am looking to improve

[PBJaxx]

[ QUOTE ]
i like to either 3 barrel or check turn here. when i check turn i might call unimproved on the river once in a while, but usually I am looking to improve

[/ QUOTE ]

[aislephive]

He probably has an ace a lot here when he c/c the flop, I guess sometimes a pocket pair > 77. This isn't really a good board to call a river bet unimproved after the turn goes check check, I'd just check the turn and fold to a bet unimproved. You really need a good read that not only is he capable of floating here with air, but that he does it fairly often, in which case I'd be firing the turn a lot. But against most players I wouldn't double barrell on this kind of board.

[wpr101]

I prefer checking behind; sometimes 3 barreling but only against specific players capable of folding.