cbet the flop, trouble on the turn

[omgwtfnoway]

Seat 1: Hero (1,500)
Seat 2: Villain (1,500)
Hero is SB with [Ah 5c]
Hero raises to 120
Villain calls 80
*** FLOP *** [6s Jh 9d]
Villain checks
Hero bets 120
Villain calls 120
*** TURN *** [6s Jh 9d] [As]
Villain bets 200

villain is generally passive but doesn't like to let me check a hand down. typically he makes obvious looking value bets when he wants action (1/3 to 1/2 the pot). i don't always cbet this flop, i had been folding a lot of hands (bad run of cards) and wanted to keep my image a little loose. i make a very vulnerable hand on the turn, what's my play?

[jay_shark]

I think there is a decent chance he has a hand like a-7 a-8 but may also have a hand like a-2 , a-3 . If he plays abc poker then he is value betting the turn .

Is he the type of player who never re-raises btf ? I've played against many players who smooth call with any ace so you could be trailing to a wide range of ace hands .

[roommate]

He OBV has you smoked...

He probably has 78T in the pocket for the straight... you just have a weak ace. Easy fold.

If you don't trust my read... push and see him instacall

~Rob

[MEJG2]

You raise preflop A5, cbet into a missed flop, and get scared when your top pr hits playing HU?

What $ level are you playing? How often has he called your cbet? If you were raising a lot, I would call your cbet and then bet the "A" on the turn as that is a good scare card for a lot of hands you could be playing here. I wouldn't like playing it OOP, but he may well be doing so here.

As played… If you’re going to raise A5, and then cbet it… I think you have to call at a minimum, if not raise him here. Depending on the player, if I think he has the ability to bet the A as a scare card, I raise here trying to freeze him from putting in a big bet on the river.

[jay_shark]

Yes but you have to look at the sequence of his betting . Check-call,then leading out on the turn is consistent with a player having ace -medium kicker who isn't sure if his hand is the best .

There are too many unknowns but its my belief that he is either value betting his ace , or is bluffing .

[MEJG2]

I also think it is consistent with a weak pocket pair, a J , a 9 or a 6 in his hand. If he is weak, you might be able to call, then check check. but it sounds like he won't check down a hand.

For me, it would be important to see if he check, called a lot of flop bets previously. Yes I think he would play a med A this way, but a lot of other hands too.

[Nichomacheo]

[ QUOTE ]
Yes but you have to look at the sequence of his betting . Check-call,then leading out on the turn is consistent with a player having ace -medium kicker who isn't sure if his hand is the best.

[/ QUOTE ]

You guys dont paint stories very well.

You raise preflop and he calls. What does this tell you he has? Nothing, since we only know he is passive. This is a monotone flop. There are some OESD's out there 78, 8T, TQ, which he could reasonable have.

Lets figure this out though. Passive player calls you on the flop. Why does he call you? Either he has a big hand, a weak hand, or a drawing hand.

Big hands are those two pair and set hands. If he has this, he could definitely call on the flop. Then an ace hits. If he has two pair or a set, do you fire here? Maybe, if he's very smart and tricky, but passive players arent usually that. You're ahead here.

Other option is that he has a weak hand or a draw. You're ahead of these and need to make him pay to see the river. I stick in a healthy raise here, maybe to 600, and call an all in.

If he got weird and has a hand like A8, then I go broke. He played it strangely, and it worked, but in the long run, vs most opponents, this wont be a profitable way to play.

[jay_shark]

This is why there is less traffic in the heads up forum .

Hands like this are way too situational for any of us to give an accurate response .

How do you define passive preflop ? Your definition may be different than all of us . We don't really know what his calls/raise or betting sequences really mean because we simply don't have enough information .

How tight of a raiser are you ?

how tight of a caller is he ?

These are the unknowns that we face when we play heads up .

All we can do in this forum is guide people to make their own correct decisions . It is too situational to give "one" right answer .

[MEJG2]

I never told stories like Dad.... lol

I am with Nico on his read. And I like the HU forum as there is more to discuss in my mind...

The situation part is an easy thing to solve… We just need to take the time to explain what the different situations are that we think are important for this hand and what line we would take with each one.


i.e. If the guy has been doing x – I would

and if he had been calling with z – I would

If this was the first hand I would…

[dboy23]

Yes HU hands are harder to discuss without the additional info. Not impossible though.