Play a Hand w/ Me: NLHE .25/.50 (1 Viewer)

[cpac54]

We didn't get three bet on the turn, we didn't learn much about villian here. I think he has lesser King's and 10s all day to target for value.

I think a check here is so weak. It's possible he lead the turn with diamonds and got there. It's possible he turned a two into a bluff and got there.

I think betting the river makes money.

My first thought was to check back and see where my hand stood, but I my thinking then went in this direction.

Hero bets $11.50.

BB snap calls. Turns over .


I immediately knew this was a hand to learn from. Admittedly, I'm still getting back into poker after not playing for years, and just recently started actively trying to improve my game through books/online courses and tracking my sessions. I wouldn't pretend to be a good player by any stretch. It can make one feel vulnerable to put out hands like this to the wider community, exposing oneself and one's ability, but this has been a helpful process and I appreciate the responses.

Ultimately, betting the flop likely wins me this pot, but the decision to bet the river is what really cost me in the end. Checking that loses me $7.05 instead of $18.55.

I still have lots to learn, and look forward to the journey. Thanks for the input everyone, and please do add any additional thoughts!

 

[JustinInMN]

He didn't raise you on the river with a flush. Pretty risky on his part to even check the river. If AK is a marginal bet, then you are probably checking behind most rivers.

I think both betting and checking the flop can be right. The important thing is balance. I think checking a hand this good is a mistake if you are going to bet misses on boards like this (AQ,99, etc...)

There may have been no way to win this hand with this run-out. He turned too big a draw on the turn. But you will win most of the time, and I think he can take this like with some Kx type hands too so there is value in this river bet.

 

[Kain8]

This is a textbook definition of protecting your showdown value. You encountered some resistance with your check-raise being called, so at this point when you have the last action on the river, you need to put yourself in your opponent's shoes. What hands can he call a bet with on the river that you can beat with your AK?

If you're lost or can't come up with an answer to that, checking behind is good for 2 reasons:

1. When you are beat, you can muck without showing, and be happy you saved a bet.

2. When you have the winning hand, you are able to see your opponent's hand (provided they table first) and reconstruct the hand to see how you did with your actions. That information can be worth a bit if you're playing with the same opponents for multiple sessions.

Dust yourself off and try again!