Effective stack $230.

Dealt KcKh in the HJ.

I bet 20, button calls, BB calls, UTG calls.

Flop: As10c5s

Bb checks, utg checks,

Hero:?

Should I even make a c bet given the button is behind me and there is an A on the flop? If so, how much?

check, flop is terrible

Check. Betting does not accomplish anything.

If you disagree then I would like to know why, let’s say the button has none of this flop.

If I check, they may make a bet to represent an ace when they don’t have an ace and get me to fold the winning hand whereas if I bet and they don’t have anything they may fold.

I see betting as an action to deny the button from being able to rep an Ace without actually having one.

If you feel that is not a correct idea I would like to know why.

It’s not that it’s “incorrect” per se. It’s just that betting to avoid being bluffed is way down the priority list of reasons for betting:

- value (getting a worse hand to call)
- bluff (getting a better hand to fold)
- protection/equity denial

Yes our hand may be somewhat face up if we check but that’s how it goes sometimes when we get an unfavourable flop and we have 3 opponents. Having KK does not entitle us to the pot and we don’t have to win every hand.

Also, it’s simply incredibly likely that one of your opponents has an ace. Why are you only worried about the button? Bb and UTG will naturally check to the preflop raiser even if they have an ace (or a set for that matter).

Lastly, we can balance our checking range here with some check calls with draws and some Ax and some check/raises with sets. We don’t always have a “scared of the ace “ hand when we check. Here we do and I would simply check fold 4-handed.

I check, though not necessarily because there's an ace on the flop.

People tend to get overly fixated on the flop A when they have KK, and will over-check / over-fold to opponents' stabs. We can also have a lot of AX in our range here, that will c-bet at some frequency, and also check-call at some frequency. I'm not going to automatically check-fold 2nd pair just because an over-card hits the board.

I'm going to check here because it's multi-way, and we have opponents in front and behind us. I want to see what all my opponents do before I decide what I want to do.

If the BTN bets, and either or both of the other two players call, I might fold, or I might occasionally put in a big check-raise, to leverage our range and nut advantage on this board, depending on my reads on my opponents.

I like a check-raise better than a check-fold or check-call. We can balance our check-raise range by doing it with AA/AK/AQ and JJ-KK. A check-raise by the PFR on this board is going to look very strong, and generate a lot of fold equity.

If we do check-call a bet from the BTN, we can check again on turn, and see if our opponent checks back, or continues to barrel. If V checks back, I'd probably block bet the river. If V barrels big, like more than half pot, I'd probably fold. If V barrels, but bets small, we can call, and play our hand like a bluff-catcher on the river. V will often check-back river with weak AX, and occasionally barrel off with weaker value or a bluff.

If the flop checks through, and action checks to us again on the turn, we can make a delayed c-bet, which will get called lighter, allowing us to get value from a lot of worse 1P holdings and draws.

If flop checks through, and one of the EP opponents leads turn, we can call, depending on his sizing, not worried about the BTN having an ace, when he checked back flop.

C/R this flop with KK is pretty bad. There are many better c/r hands.

Why?

What strong AX hands do our opponents have that limp/flat pre? Other than AT or A5, few if any of them are going to call a check-raise, when we have AA, TT, 55, AT and AK in our range as the PFR.

The alternative is to fold KK to a weak stab from our opponents, or check-call, hoping to spike one of two outs to improve to a set, or going runner-runner QJ to make Broadway. If we fold, we'll sometimes be folding to TX or some sort of draw, like QJ, which is just a disaster.

If we're checking most flops as the PFR when we're multi-way and OOP or in-between opponents, with a plan to check-raise some strong hands, we need to balance that out with some bluffs.

KK is a good candidate here, as it can fold out a ton of better hands - basically all our opponents weak AX, and will freeze our opponents weak AX a lot, such that they'll check-back if we opt to check turn, allowing us to get to the river more cheaply, and it has little to no chance to improve, and not much showdown value on an ace-high board.

This board is pretty dry, such that we won't have many, if any natural bluffs. Check-raising this flop is going to generate a lot of fold equity.

C/r with 22 and 78suited will also fold out a ton of better hands.

C/R KK also folds out his stabs with TX.

I would rather c/r a polarized range and/or semibluffs with good equity called.

But mostly, as I said, it’s just a check fold. 4-way in a raised pot when we don’t hold an ace, it’s just too probable someone does and isn’t going to be likely to fold it because we may have them out kicked and chose a weird c/r.

Win money, not pots.

If V stabs with Tx, he may or may not fold. I'd think we'd be more or less indifferent to his folding or calling. We're ahead of him now, but he can catch up by pairing his kicker.

Our check-raise isn't weird when we're OOP as the PFR, especially when we're multi-way. We should be check-raising a good bit in spots like this. We'd be check raising for value with our sets, 2P, and strong TP combos, and check-raising as a bluff with some PP's.

It would actually be bad to check-raise a drawing hand here, because we'll have to fold to a 3B, or check turn when we get called and don't improve, or barrel off. If we check-raise and get 3B with a PP, it's just an easy fold. If we x/r and get called, we still have some showdown value, so we don't necessarily need to continue barreling.

KK is one of the better PP's to check-raise, as we're not worried about getting called and seeing over-cards to our pair rolling off on the turn or river, and we double-block AK.

If an opponent bets with TX, we x/r, and another opponent folds weak AX, we're printing.

If someone bets $25 into $80, then folds weak AX when we x/r to $75, I think our bet is +EV if they fold ~40% of the time.

It depends are these players good or are they idiots? Do you play them a lot? Would they 3 bet you here with aces that they play or would they play stupid middling garbage aces that get them stacked to AK or AQ?

The merit in betting is that if nobody has an ace you'll take it down. If people call, then you have an idea of where you are. The answer here really depends on the table and how they play.

just check the flop, and check the turn too if checked to. maybe call a small river bet but dont overcall. i dont think this is a very difficult spot.

What is your check raise value range? How many sets and 2p do you check raise, how many combos? It can't be many and you have a lot of flush draw check raise hands that have equity multi way so I don't think you need to check raise with kings when you end up probably folding out worse and being called by better.

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Whether I c-bet here depends on my image and my opponents' images.

Flop: As10c5s

Ok, so we are betting KcKh on this flop ... so all KK. What about QQ/JJ ... all of them too?
What about Tx ... all of them too?
What about 99-66?
What about KQ/KJ/QJ?
What about J9/98/87/76?
What about A9 or even A4?

Also if you are sure BTN is often going to rep. an A when you check, why would you be betting AK?