4ball pre. As played turn is much closer to a fold than it is a shove.

I don't read the flop check as either being weakness / or being strength.

I do think it could be strong. But it could also certainly be weak.

I don't actually read the flop check as anything - as far as I'm concerned, he's probably checking the flop with 100% of any likely pre-flop range.

I'm happy to see this check down to the river, and if it does, I might put out a small sucker bet (like 1/3 - 1/2 PSB) to see if I can get a loose call.

Given the action as played, I think we have taken a line that narrows villain's range substantially to a much denser group of hands that crush us.

One of the most powerful and actionable strategies in poker is deciding what hands you most want to play against and then taking actions that make it so...

Elaborate please, does not compute?

Sickwin,

If you have KK, you want to raise so that your opponents calling range is strong, and also that you limit the bottom of their range. Then when they flop a strong hand, it will normally still be beat by KK and yet they're more willing to continue and put $$$ in the pot.

On the other hand, if you have A4s, normally you don't raise since you want everyone to be in the pot with all their QXs and 93s, so that when you all get a FD, they'll keep drawing and you'll eventually be able to make a big pot and overflush them.

If you have KK and allow it to limp around, by the time you get to building a big pot, chances are that your opponent has outflopped or caught up on a later street, now that he suddenly likes his crappy hand enough to start putting $$$ in the pot, because he has you beat.

So, you can control or at least affect your opponent's range by betting (or not).