Can you find a fold here, Part I

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6 Comments

This is a hand which came up in a $1/2 nlhe game at Maryland Live recently.

V is to my immediate right. He is very loose and raises most hands pre-flop and still loose but not at all agressive post flop. I would describe his typical hand as raise pre-flop, get called by four people, completely miss the flop but call bets anyway then go runner runner straight. He doubled up shortly after the new table opened and his stack was greater > $400.

I have not been playing a lot of hands but playing them agressively when I do. I have eeked out a small win so far. I am up to about $300. I have K Q in middle position.

Folds to V who limps to me. I raise to $12. One caller and folds to V who calls.

Pot=$36.
Flop- K 9 3

V bets $15, I raise to $35, folds to V who calls.

Pot= $105
Turn- K 9 3 K

V checks- I bet $60, V calls.
River- K 9 3 K 6

V pushes out a stack of chips which turns out to be $40.

V has called a raise on the flop, check called the turn then bet a harmless river. I have trips with second kicker. I cant put him on AK , he didn't raise pre-flop. He has got to have a boat but can I really fold for $40 into a pot of $260?

Comments

  1. he is making a blocker bet with a 9 or a smaller pocket pair like 8s. Question in that spot isnt call or fold its call or raise especially when ur opponent is showing passive post flop tendencies.

  2. I can't see folding in this spot either. What EyeSmoke says makes sense, it probably is some sort of a blocking bet. But, I'd don't think raising here makes any sense -- because there are so few hands that the villain can have that you beat that are also good enough for him to call a raise (basically the case king with an unpaired, non-Ace kicker). So, by raising we allow villain to extract more money from us if he does have a boat, but get no extra value from a hand like 10-9. So, I think the play here is to call.

    Dave

  3. Yeah, as others have said folding isn't an option. Call or raise is the question. Both are viable vs different types of opponents but I'd probably just call and expect to win a super high % of the time. Problem with raising is that there aren't a ton of hands that he'll call with. Although an argument vs this type of passive player can be made to raise the river to $100 and fold if he shoves but now you're bringing in several extra layers of meta game.

  4. I misread the stack sizes here. I thought you were $300 effective but you said he has over $400 and you are winning $300 so I assume you're $400+ effective. So I'd definitely raise the river to $110 and probably fold if he shoves. There are a decent bit of Kx combos that you beat that will call your raise but won't shove over your raise so you need to get value.

  5. Benton your first read on my stack size was correct. I started with about $300.

    When he bet $40 my gut told me it was a please call me bet. I did consider a fold but given the size of the pot there was enough of a chance that he was betting with a smaller K thinking he had the best hand. One thing I have been working on is trusting my reads and in this case my read was he had a full house.

  6. Agree with others. This looks like a block bet. Depending on stack sizes, I might even consider raising to $100-150..... and then folding if he shoves. Otherwise, I would 100% call, but NEVER fold here (unless V is a 80 yr old woman that hasn't bluffed in her entire life lol)