Checking Behind

[David_Nicoson 1]

Consider this hypothetical action with deep stacks. All the bets until the river are around 2/3 pot. UTG and the button are equally skilled. PreflopUTG limps. Other players fold. Button raises. UTG calls.Flop:A T 3 :club:UTG checks. Button bets. UTG calls.Turn:A T 3 6 :diamond:UTG checks. Button bets. UTG calls.River:A T 3 6 3 :spade:UTG checks. Button . . .Now consider the button's correct play if he has:

• A K
• A T
• A A

For AK, if he bets the pot he's probably a dog to the range of hands that call him. If he bets something small, he can often get paid by a smaller ace or maybe even a smaller pair. So if he bets, a smaller bet seems better.For the other hands, the button can bet something more and still get paid. A strong ace pays off AT. A flush or A3 certainly pays off AA. So a larger bet seems better.In practice, I probably check behind with the AK and maybe the AT. Why? Isn't there a bet amount that insures I'm a favorite to the range of callers? Is it just that I'm afraid of being bluffed? Part of the problem is that I can't just bet proportional to my hand strength without giving away information. The fact that he might bluff in itself shouldn't dissuade me from betting. I can still pick off the bluff. Maybe I should occasionally just sell the big hands cheap on the river, inviting an occasional bluff. And maybe I should sometimes pay off the raise with one pair. It's clear that I can't bet small with AK and then fold every time I'm raised. That's pretty easy to exploit. Sklansky and Miller's book has made me challenge some pretty basic crap. Fire away.

[Jadaki 1]

This is interesting. Both competent players, UTG limps and calls a raise. So much of what he might call with is read dependant. But a competent player who is chasing the flush would probably bet the river, or bluff at it to take button off the presumable ace. If a bluff is coming I think your more likely to see it on first action of the river.If I'm button, I check behind AK, might bet AT depending on read of the player.

Sklansky and Miller's book has made me challenge some pretty basic crap.

What are you talking about specifically?

[Scott3705 0]

:

• A K
• A T
• A A

ak is a clear check and AA is a clear reasonable bet hoping for a reraise.AT like you said is more difficult. The flush got there, but knowing you have the optino to check this river w/o the flush, I would think UTG would be very hard pressed to actuallly run a river bluff since you could have just completed the flush on the river. However, A big Ace is usually going to call in this spot. I think (If I was knowingly playing one of the competent posters here), I'd bet the river.