I'm sure you guys seen how many players would check it down with others at the table especially if they are friends. But we always see players who do keep it friendly and check it down. However, there's some players who do this that i really dislike and want your opinion on this.


This was a hand that was played that i wasn't involved in.


Villain 1 is in his late 20s. He plays pretty tight and straightforward. He has never went out of line. And when he bets it, he always has it. His stack was around $280 or so.


Villain 2 is in his early 20s most likely. He has a huge chipstack. He had at least $950 to start the hand. He is definitely an online player as i heard him use online terms and even mentioned an internet poker site at the table.



The action went something like this as I don't recall it fully.


Villain 1 raises to $15. Villain 2 reraises to $45. Villain 1 always takes time before making a decision and then flat calls for $30 more. Pot is around $90.


Flop comes like

9 7 5 rainbow

Villain 1 Checks.
Villain 2 Bets $70.


Villain 1 takes a while and then says I call. I thought Villain 1 was very strong here and thought it was a good chance he flopped a set... most likely 99.


Now here's what I didn't like and got me upset. After Villain 1 called... the big stack then goes and ask if villain 1 wants to check it down. Villain 1 seemed confused and he clearly was confused as to why villain 2 wants to check it all the way to the river.


The turn comes something like a low card... pretty sure it was like 4.


Villain 1 then takes a bit but he leads out like $60 only into the $230 pot. Villain 2 takes a long time and obviously didn't like the bet. He kept stressing over and over and then ask the guy lets just check the river as he wants to keep it friendly. He said that after villain 1 called him on the flop.


What then happened was villain 1 actually said yes I think because when the river came... it was Jack i recalled... it went check check.


I was surprised that Villain 1 had 1010 when he showed. Villain 2 had AA and won the pot. Villain 1 then said he was just confused why you wanted to check it down as he said he thought villain 2 had AK and thats why he called the flop.


Then Villain 2 said something like i just wanted to keep it friendly. Does anyone here hate these type of players as anyone who knows whats going on knows he's full of it? Obviously when i saw he got called on the flop, he probably hated it as the other guy was playing pretty tight and didn't want to get the pot huge with just Aces. I mean... even i thought that guy had a set of 9s as I would think he fold 1010 even on a low board.


I obviously didn't say anything but I wanted to call this guy out on it and say the only reason you wanted to keep it friendly was because you afriad he had a set when you wanted to keep pot small with Aces. I mean, it clearly shows it when the guy donked 60 on the turn and he looks so miserable calling the 60. And whats worst about this guy is his constant bs. He kept talking about how he been getting bad beat left and right... yet he had like a $1200 stack. I mean, sure you could have reloaded a few times but please its obvious you are just Bsing as he was a decent player. He's the type that plays laggy and smart but once he gets aggression played back at him, he plays like a wuss like this with Aces.


I also wanted to say but I wouldn't because it would be bad table etiquette would you have kept it friendly if you flopped an ace? I know most poker players lie but seriously... why do so many lie about stuff that is just horrible. The sad part about this was villain 1 actually still thinks villain 2 was keeping it friendly with the aces. He said at the end thank goodness you didn't bet the river on me. I was thinking no duh he wasn't going to bet.


I thought it be funny if i was villain 1. Because if i was and then it was the exact situation, i would have bet the turn good size and then fire the river all in as he woulda probably folded his AA. To be honest, i really wanted that guy to fire all in on the river because i wanted the other villain to lose because of his antics. Is that bad of me or is it fine? I really dislike players like this at the table especially since he wanted to keep it friendly as he called it when it was to make things good for him.

I only read up until the result of the hand, and this is what I can tell you:

V2 wanted to chop because he's a results oriented fish and perceived this flop to be draw heavy and was basically too scared to value bet. He's the kind of guy thats wants to "see what happens on the turn" letting all the draws have a free card so he can comfortably fold because "the flush was coming". V1 knows he has a vulnerable overpair and basically neither one of these guys want to stack off, so they agree to check it down. I'm surprised V2 had AA and would probably put him on a hand like TT.

But it sounds like youre just mad that they do this or something. I mean it doesnt really matter nor involve you so who cares? If they want to show each other their cards and play passively thats fine with me. It's not like they're pulling money off the table by scaring a fish or something.

You didn't read the whole thing. He bet the flop pretty hard. But once he got called... that was when he got worried. There was no flush draw on the board... it was rainbow.

V1 contemplating calling the flop because he thought there was a chance villain 2 was bluffing with AK or AQ. V1 was scared of overpair... v2 was scared of set so you had this part wrong.

I think he donked the turn for so little because he didn't want to call a huge bet by v2. And v2 called the small turn bet because the pot was big enough.

Why would you think v2 had 1010? He 3bet v1 who plays very tight. He isn't doing this ever with 1010. It was obvious he had a premium hand.

Villain 1 was a good guy at the table even though he was very tight. I didn't like Villain 2. He basically was that guy who always wanted the best of everything such as if he flopped a monster he wanted the other guys stack... but when he's in a situation when he has an overpair and worried the other guy might have a set... he resorts to asking the guy to check down to be friendly. That is what i didn't like because had there been an ace on the flop... you think he be friendly and check the turn if the other guy asks? Obviously not.

Their specific cards and flop vs straight are irrelevant. The explanation I gave is what you just described, they were both scared of their own hands and didnt want to put any more money in the pot. Obviously if he had a set of AA he's not going to "be nice", but thats poker. You try to save as much money when you're behind and get as much when you're ahead. There's nothing wrong with only doing people favors when it benefits you. I know a player who always tries to make deals like running it twice or whatever when he's behind, but he never accepts a deal when he's ahead.

OP I dont understand why this bothers you. Just let it be. Makes no difference. Its a good advantage for you to gain insight into their play. I love it if people ask me to check it down. Then you know you can triple barrel and take the pot. Take the info and spare yourself over thinking this and being frustrated.

I didn't read all of it and I'm sorry if you have already answered this question but who was running the game e.g. at a casino or home game.
If in a casino this shouldn't happen but it does and it's up to the dealer and floor staff to make every effort that this doesn't happen.
A great way to get you point across with these types of plays is to call a raise pre-flop and then on the flop ask your apponent if they would like to check it down, if anyone says anything especially the dealer then you give it to them and make sure the floor manager is aware. Don't mention the players that were involved previously.

This was at a casino.

Running it twice has nothing to do with this. That just decreases variance and isn't the same example.

This bothered me because Villain 2 was taking advantage of Villain 1 and Villain 1 didn't even know it.

Imagine you had a set against a guy and the big stack who you are sure has AA or KK tells you how about we check the turn and river and be friendly? I really don't like these type of antics from players.

The only time someone is nice and say lets check it through is if there is like $20 in the pot and the shortstack has like $30 behind and the guy with aces says i'll check all the way. That would be being extremely nice. This guy was not nice at all. He was angling hoping they check it through because he didn't want to put any more money with his Aces.

Yes, players heads-up will often try to get inside each others' heads, and will say or propose all kinds of things. No, they're not doing favors for each other. They're trying to win.

That's poker.

This is a cash game. It doesn't matter at all. You should be happy that these people are playing scared money and don't know how to play a big stack. This is good for you. Take advantage of it.

This is no more an angle shot than him potting the flop to scare out any further betting. It's like when someone complains because you lied and said you didnt have a set, but the next hand you lie with your bet by cbetting air. Talking is part of live poker. If you feel poker should be played in total silence where only someone's action speaks, then go grind online and turn the chat screen off.

This reminds me of that famous HSP hand when Farha had AA and Jamie Gold had KK, and Jamie pestered Sammy so much about checking it down that Sammie let jamie off the hook for about $190k on the river.

I thought this OP was going to be about 2 friends soft playing each other, which happens all the time. But instead, it's about a guy trying to get to showdown cheaply, even though it turned out he had the best hand.

IMO, if he can achieve that objective with table talk, more power to him. A common version of this is when a guy says "it's just the two of us?...I check" implying he is going to check it down. But I always translate that phrase to mean "I missed the flop...can we please check?" Often the person who says this will actually bet the turn or river if they hit their card, leaving the other player pissed off.

Part of the game of poker is manipulating the other player to do what you want. If you can get him to check by talking, great. If the other guy falls for it, that's his inexperience coming into play. But again, in your example, neither side wanted to risk a bunch of chips on their hand, so it worked out.

This is all pretty standard.. At the poker table, everyone is (or should be) trying to take advantage of everyone else. Asking to check it down, whatever your reasons, isn't unusual. Sounds to me like you just didn't like this guy and so it was easy for you to find fault with anything he did.

OP,

They were in their rights to offer and accept so don't get mad. If anything you should use it to your advantage.

When I'm in a pot vs scared money that wants to check it down because they don't want to lose their profits I LOVE IT. Once they ask me I always say, "sorry, I can't check this hand" and then I 100% bet pot all the way to the river and shove river with ATC and I have yet to lose.

So rejoice, this is a HUGE edge. I mean, why should you ever be mad when a villain tells you EXACTLY how to beat them?

The reason why i didn't like this was because this guy was clearly taking advantage of the other guy. I mean...he had the nerve to say bs like he gotten bad beats all day yet hes the one with like a 1200 stack. What i found funny was when he said that... someone else said well that didnt look like it when he saw his stack.

I WISHED i was the other guy. I would have done exactly that and said something like... you scared with your pair of aces huh?

You are way too emotional about this and taking it the wrong way.

Its not your job to be the table captain.

Just observe and use it to your advantage.

Don't be jealous of someone else's action.

Poker is a game of math and psychology. Of course he was trying to take advantage of him. That's the whole point. He wasn't cheating or angling or obfuscating action... he was scared of aces and wanted a small pot. Why does this bother you? That's poker. That's how it works.