2/5 NL live-game

Stack sizes -
Hero ~500
Villain ~ 400

Villian is kind of a loose idiot. Played with several times and have consistently beaten him, known to lose his *** chasing flushes.

Pre-flop:

Villian limps in UTG, two more callers MP, I look down at A Spade 10 Club and complete, BB checks.
Pot size = $25

Flop: A Heart Q Spade 4 Club

I lead out for $20, figuring that a stronger ace would have raised pre-flop.
BB folds, Villain calls, other two fold.

Turn: 7 Club
I don't like that villain smooth calls but I still think i have the best hand, so I lead out for $40, he smooth calls

River K Club
I this point I really don't like my hand much, but I want to showdown, b/c I think there's a decent chance he's holding a weaker ace, but now I'm also afraid of KQ, or a A Club X Club backing into a flush. So I throw out a reasonable blocking bet of $50, hoping to get called, villain insta-raises to $150. Hero ?....

I would have check/called the river, that keeps the pot small incase he decides to raise you (like he did) and it induces a bluff a lot of the time from loose opponants.

I don't think 50 is enough of a bet on the river to block anything. It stinks of weakness. 85 would do the job a little better.

Though this is definitely a check call to me, I was just trying to pretend the question you were asking was exactly how much I should bet if I wanted to fire off a blocker bet.

Yeah I think c/c is a lot better than a blocker bet here. The blocker bet never prevents anything that wants to raise from raising here.

Thinking you're ahead isn't really sufficient reason in itself to bet the turn. I don't hate it, but you're making the pot big out of position with a marginal hand.

I don't like blocking bets in general, but if you're going to make one, it makes sense to fold when you are raised. Otherwise, it's inferior in all cases to check/call.

Check muck?

Everything got there on you. I don't know that you can call a whole lot. I probably would have defined our hands better on the turn or check checked it.

Well, you said youve played with him a bunch of times, does he often smooth call on the flop and the turn than bluff the river? Does he often slow play his big hands until the river? If you dont have a specific read on him I think you have to fold, theres just not much you can beat. I think check calling the river is a better play, because he could make a bet on the river with a smaller ace, but I dont think hed reraise on the river with a smaller ace.

I folded, this isn't the kind of guy that bluffs small. His bluffs are usually huge overbets, this one reeked of trying to get paid. Normally I would check-call here, but as I play with the same people quite a bit (only local cardroom), I've been trying to mix up my play a little. I think if I check here, he probably still bets more than $50, so I think I got away pretty cheap.

Do you guys like the use of blocking bets? Or much prefer a check-call? I think against better players the blocking bet is probably more effective, and I'm not sure this guy qualifies.

I use the blocking bet for three reasons:
1. Betting my draw in a multi-way pot to desguise my hand and see the turn at the right price
2. To test my oppenants strength
3. Possibly win the hand without a showdown

I dont block bet a lot without a drawing hand. If I have a made hand I prefer the check/call to the blocking bet.

I uset teh blockin bet to leanr hwo to spell in the Engilhs Lanugageweasgs

yeahhh I know. The worst part of it is that I'm a writer by occupation. Thank god for spell check.

If you check and he bets 150, do you call? Why or why not? (I hated those questions in school.)
What hands are there with which he would call the 50, but bet more than 50 if you had checked?

I mostly use blocking bets to try to make my gutterball draws cheaper on the turn and test the water for a river bluff if I miss.

Word. Without spell check, most of us would be in a world of hurt.

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