can anyone stop me c-betting here?

[aplunk]

early in crypto $33 618 runners $50k added

starting stax are 2500, i've gone down to 2000 after bluffing a few away early on - this is my first hand at a new table - villain has about 2500

blinds 10/20 - 10 handed
i'm in co and open raise to 60
button folds
sb folds
bb calls

flop Q [img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img]8 [img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img]3 [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img]

bb checks
hero?

the theory is that whatever i was prepared to raise with i should be prepared to c-bet. i'm raising pf because i've got an above average hand, not just to steal the tiny blinds

the question i'm asking is can anyone come up with a hand and a scenario that makes checking worth considering?

[lsaw2]

22?

[FortunaMaximus]

Relatively safe flop to check-behind sets too. Although given your loose image, you should be inclined to c-bet, not being given credit for a hand.

[registrar]

New table.

Why not build the pot with a set?

[aplunk]

surely i should be c-betting 22?

any card on the turn (except another 2) is a scare card

we might be ahead now, so i don't wanna give a free card

if he's trapping and re-raises it's an easy decision to fold

not sure tho - can u explain yr thinking behind checking 22?

[aplunk]

yeah - i'm at a new table, but it's possible villain might know/think/believe i'm loose

i liked your thinking, i had 88, and i thought it wud be a safe flop to check behind too.

we're 95%+ sure he's not got QQ
his draws are
99,1010 and maybe a v tight JJ (drawing to overset)- 2 outs
910,J10,J9 (drawing to gut-shot) - 4 outs
Q8 and maybe a very loose Q3 (another Q for fh) - 2 outs

that all sounds quite safe

turn 10 [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img]

villain bets 40 into 140 pot
i raise to 240
villain re-raises to 800

i think 1010 and J9 are a big part of his range now, but that didn't stop me pushing - anyone proposing a different option here?

[FortunaMaximus]

So are KJhh and QT though along with AQ, KQ, and he could be jamming/3-betting turn on a monster draw too, and from what I've read of registar's comments about Crypto sites, I don't think Villains would be inclined to reraise that range PF as a general rule.

Well, with top set, it's probably permissible to check-behind flop. With middle and low set, you should be building the pot, especially early in a MTT when your opportunities to stack Villains are much larger.

[aplunk]

the more i think about this the more my brain is getting in a muddle

are we saying that the only hand that's good for checking is top set? maybe that's close to the truth but then i'm thinking that the check looks so obviously like a monster that perhaps i'm better off checking flops and betting on the turn than c-betting if i'm trying to represent strength. But then it stops working - arrrrgh - help me shaniac

so i think i'm just gonna c-bet in this spot

the other thing that is making my brain curdle is the size of my pre-flop raise. I like having a constant size at each blind level, but is 3x too small early on? A lot of players may call with any 2 in the bb for only 40 chips, so i learn nothing about his hand. i've recently decreased the size of my raises in the later stages of a tournament, perhaps i should look to increase them in the early stages.

so i say to myself that to avoid this happenning again (he had J [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img]9 [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] - i didn't fill up) i should increase my pre-flop raises and always c-bet 'safe-looking' flops. That sounds scary - i'm gonna practically be pot-committed every time i play a hand, mind you - my opponenets are gonna be scared too.....

[registrar]

I don't think there's any good hand for checking at these blinds against these opponents. We're not protecting our hand - we're building a pot. What hand can villain have that will 'catch up' that isn't calling a standard flop c-bet?

[0evg0]

I can't think of a single hand I would check behind with here.

Chance the 3[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] to 3[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img] and it's a different story though.