I'm trying to figure out when are good times to check on the river with the likely best hand to either keep it cheap if I don't have the best hand or give the other guy a chance to bluff. Usually if you bet, almost no river raise seems to be a bluff so If I can't take a raise, a check call is often a good play. Otherwise, betting it good if I have a decent chance to force out a better hand.

Which checks are good and which are bad. I got some good results though.

Hand 1

***** Hand History for Game 2844788400 *****
0/0 Omaha Game Table (PL) - Fri Oct 07 23:35:29 EDT 2005
Table Table 37092 (Real Money) -- Seat 6 is the button
Total number of players : 10
Seat 1: hotpants99 ( $27.65)
Seat 2: IainMBanks ( $22.55)
Seat 3: SaHufton ( $20.98)
Seat 4: Bouxkizer007 ( $58.20)
Seat 5: BBB03 ( $24.40)
Seat 6: SOFTSEAT ( $70.15)
Seat 7: all_chips_in ( $14.19)
Seat 8: briachek4 ( $25)
Seat 9: dormin ( $27.60)
Seat 10: mystentor ( $17.15)
all_chips_in posts small blind (0.10)
briachek4 posts big blind (0.25)
** Dealing down cards **
Dealt to briachek4 [ 9d, Jc, 8h, Jh ]
dormin folds.
mystentor calls (0.25)
hotpants99 calls (0.25)
IainMBanks folds.
SaHufton calls (0.25)
Bouxkizer007 folds.
BBB03 folds.
SOFTSEAT calls (0.25)
all_chips_in calls (0.15)
briachek4 checks.
** Dealing Flop ** : [ 5c, 6c, Jd ]
all_chips_in checks.
briachek4 checks.
mystentor checks.
hotpants99 checks.
SaHufton checks.
SOFTSEAT checks.
** Dealing Turn ** : [ Qd ]
all_chips_in checks.
briachek4 bets (1.45)
mystentor folds.
hotpants99 folds.
SaHufton calls (1.45)
SOFTSEAT folds.
all_chips_in folds.
** Dealing River ** : [ 9h ]
briachek4 checks.
SaHufton bets (4)
briachek4 calls (4)
** Summary **
Main Pot: $11.80 | Rake: $0.60
Board: [ 5c 6c Jd Qd 9h ]
SaHufton balance $15.28, lost $5.70 [ Ts Ad 7d 3h ] [ high card ace -- Ad,Qd,Jd,Ts,9h ]
briachek4 balance $31.10, bet $5.70, collected $11.80, net +$6.10 [ 9d Jc 8h Jh ] [ three of a kind, jacks -- Qd,Jc,Jh,Jd,9h ]


Hand 2

***** Hand History for Game 2844294649 *****
0/0 Omaha Game Table (PL) - Fri Oct 07 22:22:51 EDT 2005
Table Table 39294 (Real Money) -- Seat 8 is the button
Total number of players : 8
Seat 1: UrBetMyWin ( $28.65)
Seat 3: Nimoda ( $22.55)
Seat 4: TippMix ( $13.90)
Seat 5: KingJames43 ( $19.75)
Seat 7: OCD_Gambler ( $75.31)
Seat 8: schraperd ( $28.90)
Seat 9: Hurleysluck2 ( $22.95)
Seat 10: briachek4 ( $25)
Hurleysluck2 posts small blind (0.10)
briachek4 posts big blind (0.25)
** Dealing down cards **
Dealt to briachek4 [ 7h, 8d, Th, Jc ]
UrBetMyWin calls (0.25)
Nimoda folds.
TippMix folds.
KingJames43 calls (0.25)
OCD_Gambler folds.
schraperd calls (0.25)
Hurleysluck2 folds.
briachek4 checks.
** Dealing Flop ** : [ 9s, Jh, 6c ]
briachek4 checks.
UrBetMyWin checks.
KingJames43 checks.
schraperd checks.
** Dealing Turn ** : [ 5c ]
briachek4 bets (1.05)
UrBetMyWin calls (1.05)
KingJames43 folds.
schraperd folds.
** Dealing River ** : [ Qh ]
briachek4 checks.
UrBetMyWin checks.
** Summary **
Main Pot: $3.05 | Rake: $0.15
Board: [ 9s Jh 6c 5c Qh ]
UrBetMyWin balance $27.35, lost $1.30 [ Qc Ac 8h 9c ] [ two pairs, queens and nines --
briachek4 balance $26.75, bet $1.30, collected $3.05, net +$1.75 [ 7h 8d Th Jc ] [ a straight, eight to queen -- Qh,Jh,Th,9s,8d ]

Hand 3

***** Hand History for Game 2844149037 *****
0/0 Omaha Game Table (PL) - Fri Oct 07 21:58:20 EDT 2005
Table Table 36548 (Real Money) -- Seat 8 is the button
Total number of players : 8
Seat 1: briachek4 ( $28.80)
Seat 2: joegolfs2 ( $9.70)
Seat 4: bridgeiscool ( $26.50)
Seat 5: dorkydork ( $25.23)
Seat 6: engtwo ( $23.40)
Seat 7: FFFEMI ( $12.60)
Seat 8: pokerjohn53 ( $27.75)
Seat 9: NinjaTT ( $25.12)
NinjaTT posts small blind (0.10)
briachek4 posts big blind (0.25)
** Dealing down cards **
Dealt to briachek4 [ 5c, 6d, Td, Ac ]
joegolfs2 calls (0.25)
bridgeiscool calls (0.25)
dorkydork folds.
engtwo calls (0.25)
FFFEMI folds.
pokerjohn53 calls (0.25)
NinjaTT folds.
briachek4 checks.
** Dealing Flop ** : [ Tc, Ts, 8h ]
briachek4 bets (1.30)
joegolfs2 folds.
bridgeiscool folds.
engtwo calls (1.30)
pokerjohn53 folds.
** Dealing Turn ** : [ 5s ]
briachek4 bets (3.80)
engtwo calls (3.80)
** Dealing River ** : [ 7d ]
briachek4 checks.
engtwo bets (11)
briachek4 calls (11)
** Summary **
Main Pot: $31.90 | Rake: $1.65
Board: [ Tc Ts 8h 5s 7d ]
briachek4 balance $44.35, bet $16.35, collected $31.90, net +$15.55 [ 5c 6d Td Ac ] [ a full house, Tens full of fives -- Td,Tc,Ts,5c,5s ]
engtwo balance $7.05, lost $16.35 [ Js As 2c 9h ] [ a straight, seven to jack -- Js,Tc,9h,8h,7d ]

Hand 4

***** Hand History for Game 2843705273 *****
0/0 Omaha Game Table (PL) - Fri Oct 07 20:47:26 EDT 2005
Table Table 37517 (Real Money) -- Seat 5 is the button
Total number of players : 10
Seat 1: antibes111 ( $22)
Seat 2: Xsotomayor ( $28.30)
Seat 3: paddy4023 ( $24.75)
Seat 4: Ohio77 ( $25.20)
Seat 5: THEKUSA ( $19.43)
Seat 6: briachek4 ( $31.40)
Seat 7: harri589 ( $23.52)
Seat 8: Sooderstroom ( $7.50)
Seat 9: bridgeiscool ( $45.65)
Seat 10: frkideaky ( $35.70)
briachek4 posts small blind (0.10)
harri589 posts big blind (0.25)
** Dealing down cards **
Dealt to briachek4 [ Ks, Ad, Ts, Jd ]
Sooderstroom calls (0.25)
bridgeiscool folds.
frkideaky folds.
antibes111 folds.
Xsotomayor folds.
paddy4023 calls (0.25)
Ohio77 folds.
THEKUSA calls (0.25)
briachek4 calls (0.15)
harri589 checks.
** Dealing Flop ** : [ Qd, 9s, Kd ]
briachek4 bets (1.20)
harri589 folds.
Sooderstroom folds.
paddy4023 calls (1.20)
THEKUSA folds.
** Dealing Turn ** : [ 2c ]
briachek4 bets (3.50)
paddy4023 calls (3.50)
** Dealing River ** : [ 7d ]
briachek4 bets (6)
paddy4023 folds.
** Summary **
Main Pot: $16.15 | Rake: $0.50
Board: [ Qd 9s Kd 2c 7d ]

Didn't check this one but maybe I should have. Hell of a nice flop huh?

Hand 1 I rather like - it's OK to take the chance to call, he could easily have a busted flush draw or be thinking that his weaker made hand is good because you checked. This looks like a good spot for this move.

Hand 2 he needs TK specifically to beat you so I think I'd rather value bet, probably. Hard to know whether to fold to a raise but I'd say probably so. Checking ain't too bad as it's hard to see you getting paid off by many weaker hands, so perhaps trying to induce a bluff/weak value play is better.

The river in PLO seems to be a spot where a real "feel" helps - some decisions like this are hard to make just reading through hand histories - a vague intuition or read on how your opponent might act really helps on river play, IMO. In Hand 2 i can see either option working!

hand 3 I probably bet to be honest; although there's a couple of hands that beat you, he might be playing a lone T or might've just hit a straight and will pay off a bet when normally he'd check it down. ALthough once more, your play seems fine too.

Hand 4I might try to CR the flop and I'm certainly raising it up preflop. I think your river play is, again, fine though. I bet about 1/2 pot or so, same sort of amount, and he'll likely call if he has a lower flush. Might even try a crazy bluff . Again, though, your post got me thinking - against a good tricky player checking is definitely better (unless he's seen you use a "blocking bet" in the past, in which case a faux blocking bet, instigating a raise from him, may be used, as I described in one of the front page articles at one point) - you want to get a decent player to bluff at you. It's statistically more likely he has nothing, rather than a weak flush, and thus will fold to a bet, so a lot depends on his likelihood to bluff if you check - if this seems a very strong possibility, obviously it's time to check. However, against most players, i think it'll just be checked in turn (even with a weak flush) so you're best to try a value bet.