Bluffing against a tiny flop bet

[Colonel Kataffy]

I haven't been at the table a full orbit yet. What do you think of this bluff? How do you generally interpret these undersize flop bets people are throwing out?

Party Poker
No Limit Holdem Ring game
Blinds: $0.10/$0.25
5 players
Converter

Pre-flop: (5 players) Hero is CO with Q[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] J[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img]
UTG calls $0.25, <font color="#cc3333">Hero raises to $1</font>, 2 folds, BB calls $0.75, <font color="#cc3333">UTG raises to $1.75</font>, Hero calls $0.75, BB calls $0.75.

Flop: 7[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img] 4[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img] K[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img] ($5.35, 3 players)
BB checks, <font color="#cc3333">UTG bets $1</font>, <font color="#cc3333">Hero raises to $4</font>, 2 folds.
Uncalled bets: $3 returned to Hero.

Results:
Final pot: $7.35

[Grunch]

On a general note, I always wait at least 2 full orbits before I start making aggressive, low-equity moves like raising what I think is a weak bet.

In this particular hand, that bet doesn't look weak to me at all. It looks to me like it's trying to get action. It was predicated by an UTG LRR. (A limp min-re-raise, no less) Sure, the LRR could mean 7[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img]6[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img] or similar, but usually it means AA/KK/AK.

Here I fold.

By the way, the raise wasn't really enough. That doesn't mean you should raise. I'm just saying...

[FishSticks]

At low stakes, I find that when someone leads out a tiny flop bet into me, they very rarely have a monster and very often will fold to a solid raise. When someone leads a minbet into me and I have position, I almost always raise it regardless of my holding, and rarely find resistance.

Edit: I missed the preflop limp-reraise at first glance and read it as a limp/call, which does change things somewhat. I still don't mind the play, as those bets at these stakes tend to be what they seem to be - weakness. If he comes over the top this is an easy fold.

[cbloom]

What Grunch said.

Don't start bluffing until you've got a read. Some people donk bet with air, some people do it with the nuts. Find out which he is first.

[Grunch]

This is not a minbet, and it was predicated by a very strong preflop move by the villan.

[FishSticks]

Okay, it is not betting the absolute minimum, but it is betting less than 1/5th the pot. A preflop limp reraise is a strong move, but I don't know if I necessarily agree that a preflop limp min-reraise screams monster as much as it screams donkey. The main point I was making is that I find that coming over the top of tiny flop bets takes the pot down the vast majority of the time, and the rare case when you are up against a monster you find out right away.

[Colonel Kataffy]

[ QUOTE ]
This is not a minbet, and it was predicated by a very strong preflop move by the villan.

[/ QUOTE ]

Is this how you generally interpret the preflop check then undersize reraise? I've only been playing NL for three days but i've already seen this a few times and am kind of wierded out by it.

[Grunch]

[ QUOTE ]
coming over the top of tiny flop bets takes the pot down the vast majority of the time,

[/ QUOTE ]

I agree with you in a general sense. In this case I think Hero's in serious trouble, but we can agree to disagree.

[FishSticks]

I don't necessarily disagree with you in the context of this specific hand, either. Part of his original question was what folks generally make of those undersized flop bets, which was more what I was trying to get at. I can't really make the argument that making moves with air on a preflop reraised pot with no reads is +EV ;-)

[Isura]

Raise to $7. You'll know what's going on if he calls.