Quote:
Originally Posted by $tack$Poker
Sorry I made the mistake of bringing in multiple hand histories in this single thread. I was speaking specifically about the 44 hand where I flipped middle set and rivered boat.
Before responding, just pause a moment and consider...
1. At low stakes, very, very, very few players will be check-raising the flop as a bluff. The vast majority of flop check-raises are value, almost always 2P or a set, especially on draw-heavy boards.
2. At low stakes, very, very, very few players have a check-raise-fold button when they're check-raising for value.
3. The odds of being in a set-over-set situation are around 1%. When we flop middle set, you're only losing to top set. The way to play sets is to play them as if our opponent does NOT have a set. In other words, we should try to get stacks in. We're not worried about opponents folding their bluffs.
4. V's bluffs have equity to improve. Raising for value builds the pot (which we expect to win), and denies equity. V won't ALWAYS be folding his bluffs, especially not his higher equity combo-draws. If V is a good player, good enough to be x/r'ing flop with some semi-bluffs, he definitely won't always be folding when we 3B, because a good player would only be x/r'ing with really good, high-equity draws, some of which can call (or even 4B) when we 3B over his x/r. See point 3 above, about trying to get stacks in.
5. Do you think this V ever 3B's pre with 88+? If so, it becomes less likely we're losing to 88, and more likely he's x/r'ing with 99-TT, 33, or he's bluffing. See point 4 above, about how his bluffs have equity to improve, so we should be raising, not slow-playing.
I'm not trying to beat you up or make you look or feel stupid. You're WAY over-thinking everything here, to the point where it sounds like you're getting defensive about your play, because this V is "special" or you were getting hit with the deck.
V might be special. He probably isn't. You won't always be playing against this V. You won't always be hit with the deck. He probably isn't special enough and you won't get hit with the deck enough for you to take all these passive lines with your strong-but-vulnerable hands against an aggro V.