2/5 ~1k stacks

-CO opens for 30 (Aggressive player who opens wide from late position)
-B calls
-Hero makes it 130 in the BB with KK
-Both players call

Flop(392): 6K5
-Hero checks and CO checks
-B bets 190 (Button is a decent, rec 5/10 player, a TAG capable of making moves post flop)
-Only Hero calls

Turn(772): 3
-Checks through

River:A
-Hero leads for 160

I did consider leading the turn small (150-200) to prevent him from checking back. I end up checking to keep his bluffs in. The small river bet is to try and induce him to bluff, considering he probably doesn't have a strong hand here.

What do you guys think? Cheers

When button calls twice IP preflop I'm thinking he has a speculative range of hands with decent playability, something like pocket pairs 99-22 BWs SC S1G.

I don't really think he will be flatting an open and a 3bet with many AX hands because they're too often dominated.

On the other hand hero can have a few more AX via either AK slow playing flop or AXs that paired flop or flopped BDFD or BDFD+BDSD.

I think the river Ace is more a scare card for villain than hero. So as played to the river I think I prefer a check from hero. Then V has to read hero as having QQ- and that's going to shift V's perception of the Ace and maybe he's going to bluff with 87s or 76s/88.

Looking at alternative lines on turn (as played flop): I think leading to represent a blocking bet with QQ- would be OK if you were substantially deeper. It makes V pay to draw with 87s and any 2-pair/trips draws (he doesn't know he's drawing dead) but mostly it gives V an opportunity to bluff shove the turn - if you had more behind.

The problem with trying to induce on turn with actual stacks as played is that effective stacks are only 680, pot is 770 so anything you bet is going to make V think you're committed and bluffing futile. The same is almost true if you check turn as played to be honest - I think any bluffs from V have to be one-and-done flop bluffs if he's going half-pot+ on the flop.

Can you do anything but check flop? You're kind of crushing the board here but villain has a bunch of pocket pairs and SC that connect with this flop and won't go away for a single bet so I think betting flop smallish is an option.

If you bet flop you can then try to lure V into stealing on the turn (either by feigned blocking bet trying to get raised or checking) or you can just keep betting whatever you think he'll call.

I suppose if you thought V capable of making big moves postflop then tiny-bet flop/tiny-bet turn gives him two opportunities to bluff shove on you and sometimes gets value from weak pairs while still getting stacks in against his sets.

Inducing an allin bluff on this board requires you to feign weakness and manage the pot size such that V can think SPR gives him fold equity at the moment that he decides you're weak. In a way checking flop maybe allowed V to set the bet size such that he could detect that you were strong enough to commit and thereby saved him $680. If instead you'd bet 25% of pot he wouldn't really know if you hit or were just c-betting AQ or scared-money with QQ-. The SPR would be just high enough that he could raise flop all-in with some expectation of decent fold equity.

Clearly though it's always going to be hard to get paid here unless V also flops 2-pair+

As played check the river and hope he tries to bluff you off JJ

He also has Ax a decent bit and you’ll make more money off that from a check

I think you played your hand like QQ or JJ, but both should mainly be checking river now that they're only third pair. If V is prone to pounce on weakness, I'd give V a chance to try to blow you off your perceived range and check river again. But I also like a bet since V could have Ax himself.

I think my standard line would be to bet small or check flop, bet small on turn, and bet small on river.

I'd like to know what happened after you bet river.

Xr river as played

Thanks guys. He tanked for a long time and folded. He claimed to have pocket 10s and said he didn't think I had enough behind for him to get me to fold to a jam. I agree and in hindsight I think a micro bet on the river (100ish) would have a higher chance of inducing a raise.

I also think leading the turn small is generally a good idea here. And then x/r the river or lead small again.

yeah x/r riv AP
let him bluff the scarecard and blow you off QQ-