BB ($270): Has only been at the table for 20 min. Late 20's or early 30's, plays TAG and can shuffle chips.

Hero ($460) AK is BTN and is very nitty.

Pre: 2 limpers, Hero raises to $12, BB calls, limpers fold

Flop($27): KT4
check, check

Turn($27): 9
BB bets $12, hero calls

River($49):A
BB checks, hero bets $25, BB raises to $80, hero...

not folding, but i really don't like raising without a better read. lot of hands he could have here, some we beat, some we don't. just call and learn from what he shows up with.

also, bet the damn flop.

+1

Since villain "cab shuffle chips" I think you had to bet the flop. I mean c'mon, this is basic ****.

As played prolly call, but I think it's quite possible you're beat. Players at 1/2 are not really fancy and river check-raises are usually super strong hands (C/R bluffs are fairly rare too) and lastly players are bad at value-betting or value-raising thin so he probably isn't C/Ring too many lower 2prs. Yeah, but call and consider it punishment for not betting flop.

Why check the goddamned flop?

snap call. i do not see any value in raising since i believe his range is very polarized here.

I do not have a major problem with your check on the flop and then betting two streets for value. Although i think a bet on the flop would be best here.

Bb calls prevwith what? I would think qj some pairs.

Now we must bet the flop 100%! Sp now we are confused all the way through the hand. We just call the turn and under rep our hand. River is good unless he plays qj this way through and I think he does. Or he has another 2 pair hand.

You messes up on every other street and now screwed yourself.

Bet flop. AP call river.

Preflop looks obvious.

I'm all for pot control with TP hands. This is a pretty dry board, so I like the flop check.

Villain has given himself a fairly decent price if he's on a draw on the turn, but I think I just passively call here as well, and I'm looking for him to bluff off some more chips to my passive play on the river.

I also do a 1/2 PSB for value on the river. When typical villain's checkraise here, I don't think we beat much, even though we have underrepped our hand. I mean, it's possible he's doing this with A9/AT or something like that, but a check/raise, really? If you folded the river, I play the whole hand the exact same way.

ETA: Not sure why all the hate for the flop check; I think this is actually a fairly standard option here (especially on this board). Also, I was rereading HOC the other night and he mentions that early in a session it might be worth our while to make looser river calls in order to gain information, so maybe the calling of the check/raise is closer than in a normal situation.

GcluelessNLnoobG

Bet flop, raise turn, just flat river because you might have let something sick get there.

If the villain knows you are a nit then you are dead. It all comes down to that.

The villain's $12 turn bet is bizarre and looks like a feeler bet to me to induce a raise from you. What else could it mean from a TAG player? I mean is he setting up an elaborate bluff?

It looks more like he expected a bet on the flop from you and it did not come.

Then he makes a probe bet on the turn and you don't show any strength by calling.

So I go back to my original point. Best case you barely beat him with a better two pair than he has. It looks like he is raising for value.

What was your thinking on checking the flop?!

Bet Flop, Call River.

That post was painful to read. If your going to insult the OP, at least do it in decent English.

you're beat on the river. he's not c/r with a worse hand.

Almost always QJ.

In a 1/2 game, given the relative hand strength, your AK doesn't beat anything if he's raising the river for value. If he's clever enough to do this with a set or QJ, so be it.

However, since it's the beginning of the session, and coupled with how underrepped you hand is, I think you should be calling here. Villain is either bluff raising or has a set/QJ.

If villain views hero as being super nitty it's also possible that he could be X/R OTR with a worse two pair for value because we have under repped our hand but if he's only been at the table for 20 min. then he probably isn't so...

I might try to get him talking, do all that live gibber gabber that actually works against some live players. Say something like, "Man, think I might make a bad call here." and try to get a reaction from him. Cut out the chips for the call behind the bet line, shuffle them, try to get a read. I think many online players who are transitioning into live play underestimate just how much info can be gathered through conversation and physical tells.

We are getting almost 3-1 on a call here. X/R OTR at 1/2 live does scream strength but as TPTK77 pointed out it is the beginning of the session and the future EV you gain from seeing villain's hand now does offset things a bit.

Think I'm making a crying/ hero call here and taking careful note of how villain played his hand.

Villain would have to be a complete drooler to call a raise preflop, a flop bet and a turn raise with something that we beat. This line is really overplaying TP, IMO.

Again, I still don't understand all the hate towards checking the flop. TP hands were pretty much made for pot controlling and this board is fairly dry, so a good time to check the flop (rather than the turn) and just get in two postflop streets worth of value.

In a vacuum perhaps checking AK has some merit, but I feel for the metagame of it all, I want to bet this flop with AK because I will bet it with all the other stuff I raise on the button that miss this kind of flop.

this flop leaves so many hands with gutshots, pairs, draws that we may not be able to get two streets after checking the flop. We may lose value by checking if scare cards come.

I'm not advocating betting 3 streets here, but the flop for sure. It gives us balance later when we cbet with air, gives us an aggressive image, wins us money, etc. We are IP so we can pot control at any time.

I don't bet this flop 100% I suppose, but early in sessions I do.

If you are going to check the flop, you have to call the river I think.

He could be raising a wider range on the river due to the fact that you checked the flop. You checked the flop and hit the A and come to life.He could have KT, AT, A9 for a weaker two pair and think you have AQ. It's been 20 minutes at the table, so he doesn't know if you are a fish or a good player, either.

I would think that posting from a phone should give me some leway...

I can also see villain do this with lesser two pairs, or even AQ

Hero's hand is way under repped, so I call

I'm less worried about QJ that others ITT. I have to imagine a TAG villain with QJ would have taken the lead with his OESD after we check OR raised the turn since our NITTY range often includes a set/tptk. Of course QJ and a set are part of his range, but a KT/AT/A9 two pair are also. There's slight value that he's turned a flush draw, missed, and made it into a bluff.

I absolutely am calling. He's never calling a raise with worth, raise and fold are both pretty bad IMO.