Ok, i wanna make this quick.

its 100NL 6 handed on FTP

I am MP with 9,9. i make a raise to 3 bucks.

all folds and blinds call

$9 pot.

flop

9,7,2 rainbow.

both check.

I was torn between a check or a bet. It was a tight table, no crazy calls or shovels all night.

I made a half pot bet.

anyone disagree?

no there is no problem with that bet at all, but a check wouldn't hurt either

i hate these situations, because I really want to let someone catch a little something.

In a tournament, i think i check behind here often.

cash game, these guys could be playing a lot larger range, and unless i make a bet to find out what i'm up against, i could be way ahead now, and then way behind on the turn.


The gambling trapping money hungry dummy in me wanted to check so bad. But i think with no real reads on the individual players yet. I couldnt.

If someone thinks a check is better. please post.

i'm like 60/40 for bet>check

I will bet here every single time but that is, of course, because I have usually shown the table I am at that I will bet at this flop with absolutely nothing and probably have more than once already in my session. I think the perception of how everyone is perceiving you weighs well into this situation. Also how well you feel you are at reading the other players is also another factor in this situation. Let's say if you check and let them catch up what happens if a potential bad card (like a J or 6) hits on the turn and some guy with A10 in the bb decides to bet because no one showed any strength on the flop? Are you going to out think yourself and put the guy on 10-8? Another thing maybe is what type of guys am I playing in this situation. Are any of them maniacs.....or morons for that matter. Tight? Loose? Will call middle pair all the way down hoping to hit their 5-outer? Have either of these guys been bullied out of a bunch of pots lately? Did they just sit down?

I guess If I just sat down and had absolutely no information on the two blinds I would just bet.....fairly big......hoping that someone made enough of what they "think" is a hand to try and re-raise or call me. I mean I am obviously just continuation betting, right? Then if the turn comes a safe card I will check behind them hoping they pump the pot on the river and then I could get it all in. An Ace would be a great turn card for me. Oooooh. Then they might bet out of position and I'd just put it all in there.

I am a big believer in taking control of pots whether I am ahead or behind. I still make decisions street by street but, I make those decisions with the ball in my court not on defense. That way it's always my pot to win or lose. Sometimes I air ball the shot and the play goes the other way but, at least the ball wasn't stolen from me.

Oh....one more thing...I would bet at least pot here. That way it looks more like a scared bet rather than a "please call me bet." A half pot bet here only looks like you want a call from the other side of the table. Why raise with AQ and then only bet half pot when you don't hit the board. It doesn't make sense. You either check..(playing conservative) or bet big (to end the hand right now so no one can draw). Betting big absolutely makes it look like you are trying to just pick the pot up and you might get a call from a pair of 7's or pocket eights or something. Hell, even pocket 6's might call to see if you bet the turn.

mmm not really a half pot bet looks like a standard cont. bet and overbets look more like bluffs than pot bets, imo. Pot bets look like a value bet or atleast they show decent strength. It matters the player I guess but half- 2/3 the pot is my standard continuation bet and I'm sure it's others as well. Btw, welcome to the forum and nice first post.

checking or betting half the pot is fine. i kinda lean towards a check because you may get more money out of villians thinking ur on AK or overcards. But betting a weak C-bet can achieve the same thing.

also if the table (especially 6-max) is not making crazy calls or shovels then I would change tables pretty quickly.

No, I don't disagree.

Fold, fold, fold, fold ...

You should always bet here because you're almost always betting here with AA, AK or anything you raised preflop with. Let the blinds make a decision on whether or not they wanna play back at you.

If you checked and the turn was an AKQJ, you're unlikely to get action since they'll think that they were ahead on the flop and you've now outdrawn them.

You played it fine.

I agree, you played it fine. Especially if your continuation bets have been half-pot bets up to this point. To me, when someone raises preflop then checks the flop, I get pretty suspicious that he just flopped really hard.

well what do you expect to get called with, other than 108 and 86? A check can make it look like a whiffed AK here, and because you check, on the turn, you will probably get lead into by weak hands/bluffs.

I would bet on a loose aggro table, but because they're tight, you are very unlikely to get any action here, considering most likely no one has an overpair, or top pair.

You bet here to protect every future continuation bet you are going to make at this table, which at 6 max should be a large amount.

You'll make more off that than you will from this hand.