Hi all,

1/3 MGM National Harbor. Hero around $700. V around $400. I limp 44 on BTN behind four other limpers and V in SB makes it $25 to go. We all call. Pot $125.

Flop: 4-4-6.

Villain bets $45. Only I call. Pot $215.

Turn: 9. Villain checks. I check.

River: J. Villain checks. I bet $65. Villain folds.

How was this hand played? Specifically, the turn check and river sizing? Also, calling pre is fine, right? Getting great odds and implied odds too, and his sizing led me to think he had a monster so flopping a set against his likely overpair would get paid off.

Thanks,
DT

Sick hand!
Pre, it really depends on the table dynamics. Any read on v in sb? If its super passive then I like a raise IP and a profitable flop cbet on certain boards. If its pretty aggro and loose, then limping with small pp's is fine as you are more likely to get paid off.

AP, bet the turn really small, but I don't expect to get any action in this situation from big broadways

preflop is fine. flop call is fine. turn bet is 100% mandatory. The pot is over $200 on the turn and V has over $300 behind, so its pot building time. I go $95 ott to set up a reasonable river shove. The reality is you dont get paid often with quads, but checking back the turn here is leaving too much value on the table.

Reads on V?

I call flop as you did, but I bet the turn. If he's going to continue on a draw he'll put money in on the turn but not river if he misses. We also want the pot much bigger if he does hit or was slowplaying 66.

Bet turn $75 or so, jam river.

I also overlimp and I also sigh call preflop closing the action and already getting 5+:1 where it should be pretty easy to make up enough postflop in position against the world.

SPR is 3 on the flop so we can play for stacks with just three 1/2 PSBs in position. So I also just call the flop. I think there is also an argument for making a small raise on the flop (there are perhaps some overcards that could kill action, and perhaps a 6). If 44 is a BBJ hand I wouldn't raise to prevent a hero fold from a potential BBJ hand.

I would mostly bet the turn, to around $100. It's simply going to be harder to play for stacks if we check it back.

On the river as played I would go for the gold and shove and just hope he makes a massive hero call with AK or had an overpair all along that ain't going to fold.

While I'm cool with preflop, it also illustrates why we often overestimate our IO. We were basically in the nut situation and still only made 2 measley preflop bets up postflop, coming up shy of what we required to breakeven.

GcluelessNLnoobG

Bet turn

Unfortunately, he didn't have as big a pair as I thought. 10s. Didn't get paid.

Definitely one of the reasons to bet the turn, and also a reason for considering a raise on the flop.

GcluelessNLnoobG

100% bet the turn 70-90.

also, did he say he had 10s or did he show? b/c if he folded TT OTR, that's pretty nitty.

I agree. I put him on AK/AQ to be honest. He said 10s, no show. 10s would not check the turn IMO. Most would bet to protect against overcards or draws.

I'd bet like 1/2 pot on turn

I don't think we get much more by giving a free river card.

Pre is okay though I prefer raising to try to get it HU.

Flop is fine. As GG points out it takes only a few small bets to GII so you can just call in position.

Bet the turn when he checks. Like 100 or so. If he does have a smallish OP like TT you want to bet while he still has it. Then jam river.

On the river TT is no longer an OP but you should rarely have any Js, so the card doesn't really change anything.

Your river bet is too small IMO. Bet at least 100 to try to get calls from TT+ and random Js. I can't imagine much he calls for 65 he folds for 100. And you don't look particularly strong since turn went x/x. If I had an aggro image I might bet significantly more to make it look more bluffy.

Don't raise pre. Bet like $80-90 ott and jam river.

Def bet turn. I think minraising flop could be interesting and be the easiest way to get stacks in by the river. While technically three 1/2 pot bets would get stacks in villains often look at bets in absolute terms so by the turn and river 1/2 pot bets seem big. Also flop minraises seem to get call very often.

If he did have tens, you might have an image problem, OP. Something to think about.

Probably not the best idea to adjust your game based on lies your opponent tells to save face or psyche you out. If he showed tens, then you'd have something to think about.

It should affect your action whether there is a flush draw otf or not. That needs to be mentioned, as well as - obviously - whether any were completed by the river.

Yeah, I find myself in the same boat, but it's a real catch-22, imo. I'm not sure how OP's game plays, but a lotta games I sit in are very loose preflop with small stacks; the only way to play these games is uber tight, imo. I'm not convinced we should be sacrificing that strategy just to improve our image in these types of spots.

GcluelessNLnoobG