PokerStars No-Limit Hold'em, $0.25 BB (9 handed) - Poker-Stars Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com

Hero (MP3) ($28.50)
CO ($29.35)
Button ($15.10)
SB ($25.10)
BB ($25)
UTG ($25)
UTG+1 ($24.65)
MP1 ($28.25)
MP2 ($24.50)

Preflop: Hero is MP3 with K, K
4 folds, Hero bets $1, 2 folds, SB calls $0.90, 1 fold

Flop: ($2.25) 5, 5, 4 (2 players)
SB checks, Hero bets $1.75, SB calls $1.75

Turn: ($5.75) 3 (2 players)
SB checks, Hero bets $5.50, SB calls $5.50

River: ($16.75) 9 (2 players)
SB bets $7.50 Hero?

The villain here hadn't done anything that had caught my attention yet, running 21/7 over 56 hands. He was done maybe $2-$3, but was using the auto-refill feature to stay fully stacked. No reads on him yet.

Does this river bet scream "I ht my 5's and am praying to get paid" or do you think it's a desperate attempt to pick up a hand with something like a missed flush draw, maybe an A9 of hearts that caught top pair on the end? I guess he could also have picked up an inside straight with something like A2h or 67h, too?

Thoughts all around, including flop and turn betting are appreciated.

You're not folding this sorry...

But raising has no value so just snap it.

All other streets are fine although I think your turn bet is a little on the large side. I'd be going 2/3rds here with about $4.

agree at this limit you have to call. maybe he had A9 hearts? Q's, J's 10's? IDK. I mean if he boated he boated oh well! im just never finding a fold in the micros here with this baord and passive action, probably a bad player that hit the river, i know it seems really simple but what can i say, there is a ton of bad players at this limit call

couldn't have put it better myself.

This seems like a poor bet size for the villain on the river. If he's holding trips or a straight, he's missing value by betting that small. Donking the river for a full pot-size bet looks a lot like a bluff. It's too small as a bluff, too, because the hero is going to shrug and call.

He might get some value against ace-high hands this way, I guess.

I think we have to pay off value bets like this and snap off value bet bluffs like this.
But it went call, check call, check call, BET for a reason. The nine is a blank.

So I ended up calling, which seems the standard play.

Villain showed down Ace Diamonds, 2 Hearts for the low straight, oh well.

A followup question, if anyone would care to comment, is about the line: call, check/call, check/call, 1/2 PSB on a board like this.

What kind of holdings could a villain have with a line like this? To me, it really says one of two things and not much else. Either villain is bad and making a desperate bluff attempt with a missed draw, or villain has the nuts (the nuts in his mind, at least) and is afraid if he checks a third time he'll lose value, so he shoots out just under 1/2 PSB just hoping to get a little more.

So, it just feels like this line is one extreme or the other (total air, or the nuts, according to the villain).

What do you think?

I think we have to pay off value bets like this and snap off value bet bluffs like this.
But it went call, check call, check call, BET for a reason. The nine is a blank.

And you don't think that over time you will profit huge calling that kind of range getting better than 3:1?

50-50 ahead or behind ... getting 3:1

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Well, maybe. Just because I think it's only one of two plays doesn't mean they are 50:50.

What about the villain who only makes this play 20% of the time when he's got air and 90% of the time when he's got the nuts?

EDIT: I just realized this might be evened out by villain's who make this play 90% of the time with air and 20% of the time with the nuts. . .

Does this eventually come down to an almost 50/50?

It could be 75/25 against and you will still profit... you also neglect to see hands the opponent is blocking with that you are ahead of.

THIS.

I think this is a blocker bet with some mid-pair type hand that doesn't want you to fire another close to PSB a lot of the time.

This is 77-JJ a LOT ! If you consider he also has air sometime this is a profitable call all day everyday. If he shows 99, which i think he did, it sucks. Move on.

Butters, mark the black if you want results after drawing a conclusion.

yeah this is a snap call... cant fold it, but wouldnt wanna raise it neither