Button opens, SB calls. Button and SB are both 20/40 players waiting for their game to start. I've noticed that the button in particular seems to be playing very loosely and aggressively and I feel that he may be somewhat contemptuous of playing at this lower limit. Or perhaps he has accurately assessed that he has tons of fold equity running people over.

I call with A4 out of BB

Flop is 972r, 1 diamond. SB & and I check, button bets. SB folds, I ?

I feel that my best two options are to semibluff raise with the intention of betting the turn if I'm not 3b (as long as the turn isn't a non-diamond 5, 6, 8, T, J), or to call with the intention of calling down as long as the runout isn't a catastrophe.

The benefits of the semibluff raise are that it would force the villain to fold a lot of the random no pair hands (my perceived image should be tight and passive, so I don't think villain would 3b any of these hands as a bluff) that I feel are a big part of his range. Calling down, on the other hand, costs less and may be more valuable b/c of continued aggression it may induce.

I'm sure the best way to analyze this would be to assign a range to the villain and then estimate how he would respond with parts of his range to my actions, but I'm not really sure of either - I just have the somewhat vague read of "boy this guy seems to be opening a lot and firing"

Your thread title is contradictory. Your hand can't be worth either a semibluff or a calldown. You should be using hands that won't win at showdown often enough to semibluff. Also, bluffs actually need to fold out better to be effective.

In this instance, your A4s stands to be the best hand enough to justify a call. Moreover, you really aren't folding out better from BTN. So I'm not sure why you'd choose to bluff this hand.

My standard is to call flop here. If you check raise and he folds he has some super duper air hand that you missed catching bluffs on.

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I'd check call the flop. My flop check raise bluffing range in this spot looks kinda like this:

any straight draw + overcard 100%

any open ended straight draw 100%

dumb end gutshot with backdoor flushdraw somewhat often

dumb end gutshot no backdoor flushdraw less often

43s with a backdoor flushdraw even less often

53s with a backdoor flushdraw even less often

54s with a backdoor flushdraw even less often

^^ 4hi and 5hi should be easy folds.

Poker is a 3 street game. You don't have to commit to showdown on the flop. Call and reevaluate.

3b PF is also worth considering if you think SB is severely decapitated and BTN is too loose.

Raising seems correct here. I mean if the hand were reversed and the OP was the villain and the hero is the 20/40 guy and he post the hand as, playing at 4/8 table and this hand comes up, raising button with AK blinds call, (villian is a 4/8 guy tight and passive)
Flop comes 972r checks to me and I bet and BB check raises. Whats ur advice? And if say 2 pairs on turn and BB fires again, you suggest calling down? So I think you can get many better hands to fold here. Also, you said the guy was trying to run over table, sends him a msg that he can't run over you. Might keep him from makin a move on you in future. Will also get you extra money on future pots.

I want him to try to make moves in the future.

LOL, well I'm sure you do, but I think your avg 4/8 -8/16 player would rather play someone who's play is more straight forward....including me lol.

If by straight forward you mean good poker? Then no, I want them to spew.

Ace-high is the wrong hand to bluff with. Just don't. You want to bluff with the very bottom of your range.

You should be seriously considering calling down here. A factor that weighs into the decision to call down: How likely is the villain to c-bet the turn or barrel the river with air?

It's good to think about how we are doing against the villain's range. Also, flop texture (this one is moderately dry except for diamond draws and hands like T8).

Calling down may be right here. Raising certainly is not.

Actually we'd prefer bluff check raising the top of our folding range here. 54s w/ BDFD would be a decent candidate, as it can turn lots of equity but really can't justify a peel here.

For semi-bluffs, we have obvious candidates in our open-enders. It's obviously going to have far more equity than A4s when we get continued action, so it won't have to work as often.

One thing for certain is that this is a terrible hand to bluff x/r the flop with. We really can't expect better to fold (except maybe like A6 that doesn't pick up a straight draw on the turn), and we fold out worse, so it's a disaster play in that regard.

I know a lot of bad reg type players who will check raise hands like this constantly because "I have ace against button open, I deserve to win this pot". Sure it denies equity, so you get to win more often. The other things that happen are that you get yourself bluffed off the winner sometimes, or putting in a whole lot more money than by just clicking call twice and making a decision on the river.

sb cold calling in the sb means you should rack up and head to the 20/40, yes?

I think this is only true on the river when nobody has yet bet, or when the board interacts with the ranges such that the action allows you to bet 100%.

Suggested reading to understand why:

http://forumserver.twoplustwo.com/15...46/?highlight=

good poker is being exploitable?

So you should NEVER? bluff with an Ace? No one is taking into account the other factors in the hand...villian usually plays higher and is trying to run over table, our image is a tight passive 4/8 player. Dry flop heads up. We have ton of fold equity, and even if the guy actually has a hand this time, the raise still has value on later hands. I'd prefer to take the lead in the hand as opposed to just sitting back and calling down and letting guy make a pair.

I'm not sure what you meant by "straight forward."

"One thing for certain is that this is a terrible hand to bluff x/r the flop with. We really can't expect better to fold (except maybe like A6 that doesn't pick up a straight draw on the turn), and we fold out worse, so it's a disaster play in that regard. "

Ahh yes trapped in a vacum! You can't expect better to fold against you in your 20/40 game but does that apply to hero in this situaiton? I think not. Check raise in this spot is correct, but once again IMHO.

We very likely have the best hand, why would you try to maximize fold equity?

Very lil semi bluffing if any. If they bet they have top pair or better. If they raise they have AK, AQ, maybe AJ, and 99's or better. with some big suited broadways thrown in.

Not maximizing fold equity, fold equity is what it is and we have a ton. Furthermore, if we think we have best hand shouldn't we be check raising anyway?

You're wrong. If you're check raising with the best hand it's for value not fold equity.

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Are you taking account how villain plays ?

Wether you bet or he bets what the difference ?
If he bets with a weaker hand his still losing and paying to draw ...

Worst thing you can do is to bluff with a hand you shouldn't bluff with and get 3bet bluff and force to fold ....
That what people trying to run the table do .

Doubt the guy is gonna raise a tight and passive 4/8 player who just checked raised him. and why are we automatically folding to a three bet from this guy? If he three bets call and evaluate after turn. And you're assuming he has a draw worth continuing with if he even has that.

Never said I was check raising for fold equity. I said we had a ton of fold equity. And not sure our hand is best, yet, the raise works either way.

Against this player (a player that we know is playing below his level and so is reasonably likely playing looser/more aggressive because it's small chip stuff), I'm check-calling each street and showing down ace high. He'll turn over his K-high that paired up on the river, and we'll all have a good laugh.