Caesar's Palace 1/2 NLHE (8-handed)

MP2 $450
Cobalt $350

Cobalt is Button w/ A J . Cobalt is viewed as tight. MP2 is a very competent, sLAG, young Danish player. We've been conversing quite a bit. He usually gives me credit for good hands. Game is slightly loose. He's open-limped in middle position a few times before. My guess is that he's not doing it with monsters.

Pre-flop:
2 folds, MP2 calls, 2 folds, Cobalt raises to $10, 2 folds, MP2 calls

Flop ($23): 9 8 8 (2 players)
MP2 checks, Cobalt bets $15, MP2 calls fairly quickly

Turn ($53): 6 (2 players)
MP2 checks, Cobalt checks fearing a check-raise

River ($53): 5 (2 players)
MP2 bets $30, Cobalt mulls over raising and calls

Final Pot: $113


The way he called my flop bet, I figured him for some kind of straight draw. I was pretty sure he'd try to check-raise me on the turn if he read me as weak (overcards), so I checked with the plan of inducing/calling a bluff on the river. When he bet on the river, I pondered about the chances of him having a small pair that I could raise him off of, though my initial instincts told me he was on a busted straight draw. As I was considering this, he outspokenly said that he was going to call whatever I raised (even all-in) as he put me on overcards. This seemed really weak to me. After a while, he called the clock on me. Ultimately, I decided that the safest route was a call.

I like a call too vs a player that can correctly put you on overs.

Raising eliminates a lot of weak hands that do beat you. I actually like a raise better than a call.

I fold here. I don't like the check on the turn to induce a bluff on the river while only holding AJ unless you are going to raise. Either raise or fold because I doubt you will win a showdown.

Did this Danish player have shoulder lenghth blonde hair by any chance Cobalt?

just a thought Cobalt, wouldn't he play a small pocket pair in the same manner?

Calling river seems poor. Yes, he sees how scary the board is for you and could be taking advantage but name one hand you can call with and beat that he would limp with preflop logically. 10J?

Thats about it for things he would be calling with OOP on flop. JQ and Q10 maybe but you said he was competent, not a fish/poor player.

Raise or fold but you're VERY right about his comment. Seems weak, very weak.

I think instead of chasing straight he was slowplaying 8, expecting to check/raise turn. However you foiled his plans and now the board is a tad scarier for him. Thuse he makes bet expecting he is ahead but slightly scared of 7 he doesn't hold.

Nah. He said he's with a big group of guys from Denmark though. They're renting a house.


Possibly. That's why I was considering the raise. That said, the more I thought about it, the more it seemed that he would've raised any pair when opening from that position pre-flop. He'd also be unlikely to "value-bet" the river. He certainly can't expect that I'm going to call with ace-high...and it's dumb if he thinks I have a pair.


JT is actually the hand that I put him on. QJ and QT would be two other possibilities. I don't think he's a "fish" for playing any of those hands this way. Yes, it'd be a little loose and "unusual" on his part, but he certainly felt he was capable of outplaying the rest of the players at the table.

The problem with raising in this spot is that I genuinely was giving off the "I'm really weak" vibe while considering. Also, if he's got a 9/8/7, he's almost certainly calling. It's really a question of whether I give him credit for a 6/5...and based on the way the hand went down, that seems unlikely.


So you'd rather risk getting raised off the best hand and not even getting to see the river?

no one likes min raising on the river? if he said he was gona call any raise on the river, try minraising, if he has nothing, he folds, if he reraises you know where we stand, no?

But if he's got nothing, we might as well call. We can beat 'nothing' (no pair). A min-raise doesn't dissuade a small pair from calling.

All this said, after I made the call, he asked, "AK?" "Nope." "AQ?" "Nope." "AJ?" "Yup." He flipped over QT. He said that if I'd put in a raise, he was going to push, because he "knew" I was weak. Now, I'm not sure that I believe it...but it's plausible. Most of the table was impressed by the call, though there was one guy that I respected that felt it was a pretty easy call.

Later, the Danish guy privately told me that when I'm weak, I have a tendency to blink a lot...so that was certainly helpful.