Party Poker No-Limit Hold'em, $ Hero (3 handed) Hand History Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com (Format: FlopTurnRiver)

saw flop|saw showdown

SB ($145.18)
Hero ($106.55)
Button ($109.60)

Preflop: Hero is BB with Q, Q. SB posts a blind of $0.50.
1 fold, SB (poster) raises to $3.5, Hero raises to $11, SB calls $8.

Flop: ($24) 5, 4, 5 (2 players)
SB checks, Hero bets $20, SB calls $20.

Turn: ($64) K (2 players)
SB checks, Hero checks.

River: ($64) A (2 players)
SB bets $45, Hero calls $45.

Final Pot: $154


Villain is 30/15/2, and seems to be a very good player.

The only thing you can really beat here is a stone bluff, and since he doesnt seem to be a huuge bluffer you might want to be weary, and with his big call preflop after his raise you have to be skeptical taht he could easily have an Ace or King.

I think you should again bet the turn about 30-50 to figure out where u are at, if he just has a high ace, he is gone, but if he has a K you will know it and have a better chance at the river of knowing what to do. This also gets you another chance to win the pot right there

Bet this turn. If he calls you can probably take a free showdown. As played this is is an easy bet for him on the river and you almost have to fold. Bet 30 on the turn and check the river

bet turn, check river like above ^

This line looks perfect to me. You bet your hand well for value PF and on the flop, and then on the turn you checked to induce a bluff when you knew you were ahead and likely had villian drawing slim, but had him in a situation where he couldn't possibly call a bet.

I can't imagine villian called the flop with just overs there, so unless he had exactly A4s, I don't think that river card hurt you at all. If anything, it just made it even more transparent that he's bluffing, probably with something like 33. Nicely played hand.

Villian can easily call flop with AK or AQ it happens all day, everyday. But I still think its a bluff I like the hand as played as well.

I'm torn whether or not I'd like to bet this turn. Given you checked w/ intentions to get a bluff, I think you honestly have to fold w/ the ace. What do you think he's calling the flop w/ and then betting the river? Most likely not a smaller pocket pair and since he raised preflop, most likely not a draw. I think he's got you by the river often enough to fold.

agreed, I actually like the turn check in order to encourage a bluff; but the ace is the worst card to come out and would prompt me to close up shop (and I understand that the villain knows this and will definitely bluff at the ace with a lower pp).

I would have bet a little over 1/2 pot on the turn.

River is a fold.



Yeah. No way you are good here 1 in 2.5 times. I think most pocket pairs check the river trying to see a cheap showdown since youre turn check looks a lot like an Ax hand.

Id been incline to fold this river too. But I think we gotta bet the turn, just so we dont open ourselves to a bluff on the river.

Iggy,

I'm glad we are on the same wavelength, as this is what my thought process at the time. A good player never has the A or the K in this situation, and way way more often has a smaller ovepair, like JJ on down. If I bet this turn, He's going to fold a very good portion of the time since good players don't peel this flop with AK.

Also, take into account that this opponent is capable of putting me on a hand. Looking at my line, I think I make my hand very very transparant to any decent hand reader when I check this turn. The A is a seemingly perfect card to bluff, but he literally almost never has it.

Screech,

In reraised pots in 100NL, the hand ranges are much much tighter than they are going to be at your stakes I'd imagine. Ax is just not a hand I'd reraise pre-flop in this situation.