9 max 20 game

I raise AJ in EP and button and blinds call

Flop: 7910

Checks to the Button who bets, SB fold, BB calls, and I C/R all call

Turn: 7

I bet, Button raises, BB folds and I call

River: J

I check, Button bets, Me?

Thoughts on all streets appreciated....

Preflop: fine
Flop: I bet because it is a very good flop for you

As played,
Turn : call
River : check-call

Button cold-called preflop, correct? Why are you donk-checking this flop?

Yeh he called it cold and I C/r the flop to trap money from the blinds and free card card the turn.

If your preflop opening range is TT+, ATs+, AJo+, would you donk-check JJ, QQ, KK, or AA?

By checking, do you give away your hand as unimproved overs or a set of tens? What range of hands do you bet and what range of hands do you check when you are the preflop raiser and only the button and blinds call?

Also you didn't follow through on your turn free card play if you bet the turn.

More importantly, pretty hard to buy a free card when your not last to act ?

Any reason you assumed button was betting? I like it if you had a betting tell or something, if he is the guys who bets when last to act 99% of the time; otherwise I prefer to bet yourself.

This is exactly right and didn't put it in words well enough or at all for that matter. I have a lengthy history with the button and was pretty darn sure he would bet his position in a spot like this. I wanted him to bet for me and trap blind money in my pot doing so. The BB is very predictable and I wasn't concerned with at all. So really the hand was between the button and I.

I check raised for two reasons:

1) I wanted a free card (slightly risky OOP I know) but my hand is also very valuable and its not to uncommon to make this move OOP. Much more frequent in lower limits but prevalent all the same in 20

2) Thinking he was only betting his position which is pretty standard and based on his range I figured I was either way ahead or in slight favor territory.

I felt some weakness (tell) when he called my C/R so when the 7 fell on the turn I just fired on auto while (seeing the BB already mucking his hand) was also a good reason to fire.

When the Button raised and the BB folded my obvious thought was his hand was a combo of 67o, 78o, 57s possibly and maybe 79s. What else could he raise with? So my thoughts were I was in 5 to 1 territory (20%) and with and with the pot laying me 16:1 I had to call.

a non heart spikes the river I check and he bets knowing I like the C/r my draws.

Definitely should have specified that I was letting the Button bet for me. Changes the whole dynamic of the hand.

Not entirely true and this is a profitable play drawing to the nuts and second nut gutshot. Buying a free card OOP when you have a uber tight image is the only way to do it. Maybe I'm crazy?

Then why didn't you give him a chance to give you the free card? The turn was not bingo for you. Isn't the point of setting up a free card play (even if it works OOP as you say it will) meant to try for the free card when you miss the turn?

Because I could see weakness when he called my C/r and BB was already putting his cards in the muck at first sight of the turn. The board pairing and given the info I had only improved my hand and made for a good bluff at that point.

Why give a free card when he could pair and I felt my A high was good?

It was a switch hit decision I know but I felt it was necessary and the winning play. Went from free card to bluffing my way to the winner if that makes any sense.

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He has a lot of hands that had you beat. By the fact that he called your EP open on the button, he does not look like the caliber of player that is making a play on you on the turn with a hand less than a trip so I think a fold is ok. You are not going to be right 100% of the times with folding but no poker decision ever is. You are going to be right folding a lot more often than calling.

Plenty of people have given you their thoughts. If you played this hand this way because of some special reads or tells (way overrated imo) then fine. But without that knowledge we're not going to know that.

You definitely took a nonstandard line starting with the flop play and onwards. So be it.

Pretty easy river call.

Weird flop line.

You think check raising an aggressive button and trapping in blind money is a strange line with a gut shot and nut flush draw???

You would have just bet out? Would if you are raised?? Then you just call down for the rest of the hand and miss then fold on the river and fold?

What kind of hands are you bluffing with? Semi-bluffing with?

You would have played the hand:
b/c flop
c/c turn
c/c river

vs a more aggressive line of

C/r-because you have a good hand

B/c-you still have a good hand and A high just improved because bottom pair just hit the turn

B/c- Because you hit a or C/c an A-J or A high is still good

Definitely calling the river here and I like your line but I'm also usually berated for playing fancy or to aggressive.

That being said I'm just now jumping into 20-40 and have 136+ hours (small size I know) been cleaning up pretty well and was very successful playing aggressive at 8-16 also. Either way I like your line and I think playing lines the way OP did allows him/her to make moves and win pots more than the average player.

IE... having a player call you down with A high when you have a pair means you are dong it right.

having opponent's call your 3 bet with less than 2 pair means your doing it right

Yes there are some swings and the chart fluctuates up and down sharper than most but its still plus +ev (at least for me). Some say that a line like yours means you like to "gamble" and that you are a loosing player because they don't like your line need to realize one thing... poker is gambling and limit poker is about winning bets and pots not just bets. rant over

When you flop a huge draw as the preflop aggressor, it is usually better and safer to start betting yourself. This is to ensure money starts going in on the flop when you have an equity edge multiway. If your plan is to check raise, there is always the risk of the flop getting check through which is not what you want. Anyway since you are dead sure button will bet (can we always be sure?) I can understand your flop line, it is just non-standard and thus others are calling it strange.

OP, imo the main reason your line is not standard is how will you balance it ?
What other hands would you check with and call the flop , not c/r with it.
Would you ever c/r for value as well ?

OP, imo the main reason your line is not standard is how will you balance it ?
The term "Balance" is a heavily abused term. IMO most players use the term balance to justify raising hands like 67s UTG and make other losing plays. But in this instance I balance my play with other PP's and suited Ax.

What other hands would you check with and call the flop , not c/r with it?
I'm in the EP so my range is top 10% with some added "balance" already specified like other PP's and suited Ax's. So with this exact hand in this position I'm checking and calling with this flop texture in the listed hand all flush draws, pair with top kicker like A7s, A9s, A10s and str8 draws to include gutters with backdoor draws.

Would you ever c/r for value as well?
There are a few reasons to C/r for value with hands in this spot and one would be to slow down the action IE C/r and aggressive late position player and try and get free card. C/r any hand that has 12+ outs like the AJs in the specified hand. C/r sets etc..

free carding out of position in a multiway pot with a monster draw. if you never do that again it probably won't be a mistake.

yeh you are right I should have bet out.

The problem with the "free carding" logic isn't the checkraise. If you're confident button is betting almost all of his range the checkraise is fine. But if his flop betting range is weak, it's a huge mistake not to follow through with a bet on the turn.