Beau Rivage 5/10 NLHE (8-handed)

Cobalt $1000
Button $1200
MP1 $2100
MP2 $1100

Cobalt is SB w/ 6 6 . I'm generally viewed as super TAG. All three other players are sLAG. Button has previously made some strange plays/bets. The game has mostly been playing loose-passive pre-flop and a little more TAG post-flop.

Pre-flop:
2 folds, MP1 calls, MP2 calls, 1 fold, Button raises to $50, Cobalt calls, 1 fold, MP1 calls, MP2 calls

Flop ($210): 4 2 2 (4 players)
Cobalt checks, MP1 checks, MP2 checks, Button bets $50, Cobalt calls, 2 folds

Turn ($320): 6 (2 players)
Cobalt checks, Button bets $80, Cobalt raises to $210, Button calls

River ($740): K (2 players)
Cobalt bets $300


I think my bet-sizing is potentially bad. However, I will attempt to justify after some responses.

at first glance the bet looks like a please call me bet, but to a really aggressive player it may look like you left enough behind that you would be willing to fold to a push. Perhaps intising him to push on you. But i dont know, its a really confusing bet and i know what you have.

i shove river.

- Jordan

I raise to about 240 on the turn, and then bet 350 on the river. I wouldn't be opposed to a river shove either.

I agree. Any hand that can call $300 on the river here, also calls the shoval. no point in value betting when your not maxing value.

I was going to say 250 on the turn... and then push the river. If he has a 4 or something really good you want his stack.

Make it 300 on the turn as it sets you up for a 2/3 pot river push.

You have to get all your $ in, in this spot.

Edit: Also if I was playing this hand i'd lead the turn for 250 and hope he puts me all in.

I like everything you did here.

Very situational ... depends on the player, but sometimes in this spot I will loudly announce "bet/raise" and act like I'm judging for a reaction. Then I send out a weak bet, which can stimulate a shove by an aggressive player. But yeah, I like it all.

I'd like to see rationalizations. I don't like river bet not being shove, it seems like you are hoping he has made the flush and to push over you but if he has the flush or the 2 he will call the shove as others have said.

Also, couple of questions/comments. What would you have done if he bet a normal amount on the flop, like $150? This hand plays out much tougher that way and the turn really bails you out unless you were hoping to lead out or C/R the turn? I just don't know what your line of thinking is going into the turn before you hit the set, youve put in 10% of your stack OOP of course once you hit on the turn it doesn't matter at all but I'm wondering how you proceed on a 10+ turn card. Or just any turn card that isn't a 6.

Here was the problem with the river shove in my mind...I'd been playing TAGtastic that it's going to look ridiculously nuttish. He wasn't a terrible player...he's going to fold a lot of hands that I can probably suck another bet out of. Basically, my feeling was that he'd only call a river shove with KK, 44, 22, and the nut flush.

As for rationalization of previous action...

I considered my call for a bit pre-flop. This is automatically going to set off some alarm bells in his head. I really haven't played many pots...particularly without the lead. On the flop, I also considered betting out, but I decided to see the action. I actually planned to fold to most of his c-bets...mostly because I hate playing small overpairs out of position. The problem was his bet...I couldn't quite figure out what to make of it. He could easily have a monster, but he might also just be screwing around with a couple of overs and trying to take it down with a small bet. I'm not super comfortable about it, but not fearing action behind me, I elect to call the small flop bet to see what develops on the turn.

Then I spike gin. Now I start assessing how to get money into the pot. I start considering how my hand appears to him. I reason that it actually appears about what it is...some sort of medium pair along the lines of 55-TT. I don't hate betting out there, but I've looked uncomfortable up to this point, so I decide to give him another chance to bet his overpair or flush draw or air...to take me off my hand. Again, he makes a pretty small bet. I have a hard time putting him on anything big at this point...he might have a flush draw, but he also might be on the same sort of hand as me...a middle to big pair. I might be able to re-raise more, but going with the story I've been selling to this point, I'm trying to portray that I'm check-raising tentatively (more "for information" than anything else).

Then that river pops off. That's great if he's got the flush, but if he doesn't, that could really kill my action. I continue with the story by making a "blocking" bet...the same sort of bet that I might plausibly make with the hand that I've been portraying. Yes, I lose some value if he's super strong, but that wasn't my read. By betting about half the pot, I've opened up the option for him to call (and potentially push) with a much wider range of hands.

If he has 22, 44, or KK; all the money is going in no matter how we play it.

So the critical hands to consider are:

• complete air
• overs with a king
• a flush
• medium pairs

I think I like leading for ~200 on the turn. We're still giving him a chance to bluff by coming over the top, and our story of 55-TT stays reasonable.

Depending on the turn action, I'd strongly consider a check/raise on the river. A bluff is expensive for him here and he may be pot committed with a flush.

The more I think about it, the more I agree that I like that line. I think it's got a good chance to get the most money into the pot.

Guy called the river and muttered for a few seconds before temporarily leaving the table somewhat steamed. When he came back, I asked him if he had AA or the flush. He claimed that he had a 2 (A2?) and said he knew he should've folded.

i think if your viewed as TAGish, the lead on the turn will most likely not work as a bluff inducer. Also, the lead on the turn is very risky here. I feel he folds more often, and that check calling or check raising the turn is a better play. I think leading into the raiser is good at some times, but usually when TAGs do it, they have the goods. it works better if you are a lag aggro donk fish like myself.