Consider this hypothetical action with deep stacks. All the bets until the river are around 2/3 pot. UTG and the button are equally skilled.

Preflop
UTG limps. Other players fold. Button raises. UTG calls.

Flop:
A T 3

UTG checks. Button bets. UTG calls.

Turn:
A T 3 6

UTG checks. Button bets. UTG calls.

River:
A T 3 6 3

UTG checks. Button . . .

Now consider the button's correct play if he has:

• A K
• A T
• A A

For AK, if he bets the pot he's probably a dog to the range of hands that call him. If he bets something small, he can often get paid by a smaller ace or maybe even a smaller pair. So if he bets, a smaller bet seems better.

For the other hands, the button can bet something more and still get paid. A strong ace pays off AT.

A flush or A3 certainly pays off AA. So a larger bet seems better.

In practice, I probably check behind with the AK and maybe the AT. Why? Isn't there a bet amount that insures I'm a favorite to the range of callers? Is it just that I'm afraid of being bluffed? Part of the problem is that I can't just bet proportional to my hand strength without giving away information.

The fact that he might bluff in itself shouldn't dissuade me from betting. I can still pick off the bluff. Maybe I should occasionally just sell the big hands cheap on the river, inviting an occasional bluff. And maybe I should sometimes pay off the raise with one pair. It's clear that I can't bet small with AK and then fold every time I'm raised. That's pretty easy to exploit.

Sklansky and Miller's book has made me challenge some pretty basic crap.

Fire away.

This is interesting. Both competent players, UTG limps and calls a raise. So much of what he might call with is read dependant. But a competent player who is chasing the flush would probably bet the river, or bluff at it to take button off the presumable ace. If a bluff is coming I think your more likely to see it on first action of the river.

If I'm button, I check behind AK, might bet AT depending on read of the player.



What are you talking about specifically?

ak is a clear check and AA is a clear reasonable bet hoping for a reraise.

AT like you said is more difficult. The flush got there, but knowing you have the optino to check this river w/o the flush, I would think UTG would be very hard pressed to actuallly run a river bluff since you could have just completed the flush on the river. However, A big Ace is usually going to call in this spot. I think (If I was knowingly playing one of the competent posters here), I'd bet the river.