$50 rate my float

[bozzer]

hot or not?

Party Poker - No Limit Hold'em Cash Game - $0.25/$0.50 Blinds - 5 Players - (LegoPoker HH Converter)

SB: $32.10
BB: $51.75
<font color="black">UTG: $47.40</font>
CO: $48.00
<font color="black">Hero (BTN): $50.95</font>

<font color="black">Reads: </font><font color="blue">25/10 no previous history. no positional awareness.</font>

<font color="black">Preflop:</font> Hero is dealt 4[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img] 5[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img] (5 Players)
<font color="red">UTG raises to $2.00</font>, CO folds, Hero calls $2.00, 2 folds

<font color="black">Flop:</font> ($4.75) 8[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img] 7[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img] 2[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img] (2 Players)
<font color="red">UTG bets $3.50</font>, Hero calls $3.50

<font color="black">Turn:</font> ($11.75) 4[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] (2 Players)
UTG checks, <font color="red">Hero bets $9.00</font>


quite often I just raise these sorts of flops in position, which I've found works really well. I decided to float this one because I don't float that much.

- bet sizing ok or can i economise?

- What do you reckon about floating vs raising in general? floating seems to be slightly more expensive, but allows you to assess his strength more before acting. any other pros/cons?

- raise or float here? you can say fold too if you want..

- What flops are more suitable for floating vs raising? (i have some ideas but we'll see what you say)

[maccamack]

IMO floating is a people/read based play. It can be very expensive against the wrong opponent. It is also a play you really only want to make when you are Heads up.

Technically - your float here looks good. If he folded you had the best hand with your pair of fours anyway. I don't think you should be betting much less than that - because you want as much fold equity as possible IMO.

My only problem with it, is that you didn't know the opponent well enough to establish how tricky he was. Having said that given the draws out there, his flop bet looked a little small, and if he had a hand he is definitely betting the turn.

Personally, I have a lot of notes on players on their betting habits. There are people who I continually float - guys not capable of a second barrel, guys who vary their bet sizes based on how much they like the flop - these are the people I float/raise with air - any flop will do. I will raise on flush and straight draw flops if their bet doesn't look up to it. I will float
just about anything else.

I don't like doing either of these things with opponents I don't know well enough to establish whether they are tricky or a calling station.





I

[ShipitFMA]

I think this looks good, looks like he has AK i think. even if he calls with a hand we're behind, we still got outs and position. I check behind on ANY river though

[TheRenaissance]

I like the call on this flop, because there is like a bajillion draws you can rep.
When I float a flop like this, I often just say to myself: you have a str8fd (both ends too!), and you are going to play it like a donk (ie passively til I 'hit').

This is not a good idea vs observant opponents/regs with a lot of history though, as they would know I'd raise any draw/set/two pair on the flop.

Sometimes you will end up repping your opponents hand, but that will happen so rarely I wouldnt worry too much about it. FWIW I think raising flop is good too, but what I decide to do depends on recent history, image, opponent, etc.

[Fiksdal]

[ QUOTE ]
check behind on ANY river

[/ QUOTE ]

clearly we should value bet if checked to on a 4[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img] river

[ama0330]

Your hand looks like you are bluffing a missed FD. This would be a lot better with a high card on the board. It is difficult to put you on a good made hand when the board looks like this, thus your likelihood of success is lower.

[C4LL4W4Y]

I don't hate it, though I'd like it more if this were the 4d.

[mrw8419]

I like raising the flop more, how often are you cold calling flop bets then betting the turn with made hands. I find raising the flop with air gives me more action on my made hands also.

Honestly if he folds here its because you probably have the best hand. The most you are going to fold out that is ahead of you is 66 or some random 7. I would also make sure you don't use this line too often against villains who like to stack a donk.

[matrix]

meh this is not floating.

Your turn bet is for value/protection (from the kinds of donks that call here with AK)

Floating is when you bluff a scare card on the turn after it's checked to you - that 4 is not a scare card it's not like villain is folding 55+ here very often imo.

It's not bad - tho if he folds you have the best hand.

[bozzer]

thanks for the comments. a few thoughts i had:

I think this float was ok. I think the the 4 is somewhat of a scarecard. obviously i do pair up but that's not really the point. i'm not betting for value (i am not ahead of a calling range), or for protection (my hand doesn't have enough s/d equity to be worth protecting IMO).

In general think it's better to raise these kinds of flops and float on drier boards with high cards, since that's what we'd do with our made hands.

also floating and representing a draw that hit requires more work for you opponent to do before he'll put you on a hand.

floating is expensive - i invested $3.5 + $9 = $12.5 into this hand, so it needs to work &gt;50% of the time to be profitable.