I was having a good session yesterday at a $1/$2 NL table on FCP. After a while I found myself w/ a very healthy stack ($475ish), but I was NOT the biggest stack at the table. Another player had $530ish. Needless to say we were both very deep when this hand came up.

Huge stack was in the BB ($530) He seemed to limp a lot and play surprisingly passively after the flop. I coulndn't get one hand out of my head where he had KK and I flopped top pr against him. He likely could've taken me for more, but he played the hand waaaay too passively. He made a small raise p/f and just called my check-raise on the flop, and checked the hand down on the turn and river.

EP had around $200, maybe a little more.

I was in MP and had $475ish.

EP raises to $8 which has been pretty standard. I smooth call with JJ. It folds around to the huge stack in the BB who makes the call. 3 of us go to the flop ($25 in pot).

Flop: KJ6 rainbow.

Huge stack leads for $10, EP folds. Here I am w/ middle set, and I'm hoping to extract as much as possible. I raised to $30 and he folds. Damn, a missed opportunity.

My question is, should I have just called to give him a little more rope, or was the raise the correct play, and he wasn't going to pay me off anyway???

My guess is he had something like KQ and thought he was beat by AK or KJ, or he had a gutshot w/ something like AT. Either way I don't think I'm getting paid off. Anybody else>>>

No, you played it right. He isn't folding KQ either LOL. He took a stab at the pot and gave up to a raise. I like the raise here because if he DOES have an AK or KQ he might come back over the top. And if he just has the K he will still call a bet on the turn and river if he calls the flop raise because there will be more in the pot. Of course you could have slowed played it, but that usually works best when they have a hand of some sort, atleast a pair. Im guessing he didn't since he folded.

If he had jack $hit, which it seems like he did,and you flat called the flop, your call might freeze him out and he would just check fold the turn. So basically you can only win money when he has a hand which he didnt, and you can ususaly make more by raising the flop. Considering he probably had nothing, it seems like he would've check/folded the turn had you flat called the flop because you said he was passive. So you made the correct play.

I play it the same. He doesn't fold KQ there. He may fold KT. He calls with QT. You have to raise there I think. Build the pot early. The larger it is going to the turn, the more likely you are to stack him, or at least win a huge pot.
If he doesn't have much you aren't going to make much unless he makes 2 pair/straight/set/whatever on the turn.

Exactly what I said, but with a little less detail. I agree sir, I agree.

You were clearly making a value raise, so unless he had a neat little straight draw or big kicker with a K, he was letting it go. It happens. Yay for getting $35.

Yeah, I was just a little slow.

I don't think this has to be a value raise from us. I make this raise with QT, AJ, many different hands. I also think he calls with most kings.

I play it the same. I like the raise alot actually. Aginst this opponent, it seems more likely he will call a bet instead of betting himself (KK example). So, give hiom the cahnce to call a bet.

lol @ ppl saying he wouldn't dump KQ here.

- Jordan

You think he would fold? I raise with a jack on that flop. I raise with the OESD. I raise with any king. Folding KQ would be somewhat weak tight imo.

The guy cannot dump KQ for +EV, thats a fact.

that was how he was described.

- Jordan

He was described as passive, not weak tight. A passive player calls here, and check calls a bet on the turn.
I don't think even a very weak tight player would fold here very often.
Probably just semantics. In any case I still think we get action from KQ, and that the best play is to raise the flop.

I never said not raising was bad. I'd usually raise too..unless I thought the guy was too passive, or weak/tight, or whatever, and then i'd let one peel and hope he fires on a turn, or catches trips/two pair, etc, etc.

it's hard to get money outta passive-weak-tight players...and calling here with a set against his lead is more than likely just as good as play as raising said opponent.

Edit...i like the raise more so if OP has been habitually raising Villian and showing marginal hands...however, if he has been playing passively against the villian, and all of a sudden raises...the villian is going to give him credit, and yes, fold KQ (duh duh duhn). From the OP post, it didn't sound like he was playing LAG and raising lots of pots postflop...and if he hasn't shown a bluff yet, i'd really rather call here and hope he leads again with Just his top pair, or if we got lucky and he improved, we have a chance of stacking him.

Ideally, we call and villian puts us on a draw...turn bricks and he leads again..then we can make our move...and hope he is confused enough to call us down.

- Jordan

yes he can when you factor in the size of his stack and the size of our heroes.