Hi - I just joined this forum so thanks for the help and please be patient with me if this is in the wrong spot or asked in the wrong way

This question is applicable to live poker only.

If a player raises before the dealer has put out the cards is it always a sign of strength?

Example:

Me: AK

preflop raise 5xbb and get one caller out of position.

flop
3, 6s, 10s
villain:check
me: bet 7.5xbb
villain: call

Turn
4s
villain:check
me:check

-----
before dealer flips over the turn my drunk and reckless opponent throws out 32xbb
River
Ao
Me: Call

He flips over a low flush.

I arrived at the call because he made the bet with incomplete information which gave me top pair top kicker... and he was acting drunk... but obviously he did it because he was very confident in the strength of his hand and thought it would manipulate me into a call which it did. had a 4 card flush come on the river he could have easily been counterfitted and throwing money away.

have you encountered this and if so what percentage of the time would you say it is representative of strength and what percentage of a bluff.

did I make the worst call in poker history?

if this should be in brick and mortar instead of here feel free to move.

The worst call in poker history is probably something like calling 23o on a 457KQ board.

Betting in the dark is strong btw.

1) It can be both. An interesting false tell can happen with this play in 7 card stud. If you're semibluffing 6th street with a flush or straight draw, you could trick your opponent into thinking you're strong by betting without looking at your 7th card. Or you can do it as a value bet with a strong hand if you think your opponent will level himself into a call because of it.

2) I would take note that he'll bet a low flush without seeing the river fall and therefore increase my expected implied odds in the future in similar situations.

3) I've seen both. I play a lot of limit holdem, and in that game it's often correct to bet 100% in certain situations, so knowing your game is important.

4) Definitely not, I'd play it the same because you said "Drunk and reckless." Though if he bet any more I might fold.

I've thought about this hand a lot and I think that may have been inaccurate. He was sitting there with his girlfriend who was very drunk and very reckless. She kept flirting with the random guy to my left saying very direct things about f*cking him and what not and it was getting me uncomfortable. Being the couple was sitting next to each other on my right and both drinking I think I sort placed my read on her on him... but he hadn't showed me much one way or the other... and then when he threw the chips out the second after I checked it fit intot he reckless image the wife was developing that i had projected onto him.

It was an odd table. she was basically talking about blowing everybody but had a big herpe swore.

can this be moved to live low stakes nl

Done

No this call is not awful. However I would try to focus on his previous actions in other hands to put him on a range for each street and use that to make a river decision.

As per other thread (and this is completely common for newish players, especially live with all the extra things that go in that environment) you are spending too much time on things that are not that important. (also true for your angling thread) That is not to say this dark bet is irrelevant but it is a very small piece of the jigsaw that is preventing you focusing on the things that will happen 100 times a session which you need to get right to become a winning player.

+1. Fundamentals, value betting, and then the rest.

Betting dark usually indicates a strong, but vulnerable hand. V wants to get value, but is afraid a scare card might make him puss out, and/or fold a good hand to aggression. He figures it looks so strong that even if a scare card hits, hero will be unwilling to raise without the nuts. A low flush no the turn fits that profile perfectly.

I'd prob still call river, given what it was and V's profile, but I'd do so knowing that we're often losing. It would be a crying call.