Confused

[darrenelias]

NL $50 Table at UB

Me: $80 Stack
Opponent: $60 Stack...Average Player

Dealt in the CO and limp with 1 caller in front of me, Opponent in LP raises up to $2 and I call along with EP.

Flop is Pot $8
Not really what I was looking for but a good flop, I check expected a bet from the LP (Aggressive player) and he bets half the pot ($4), EP folds and I raise up to $10 he calls.
Not sure what he has here...probably would have reraised with AA or KK, leaning towards AK or flush draw.

Turn is Pot $28
Terrible card for me, I check and he bets $5...a suspicious bet, wasn't real sure what to put him on here because I think he would have bet AK harder. I call hoping to fill up on the river.

RIver is $38
Another bad card for me, I check he bets $20...leaving him with $3 and some change...Really wasn't sure what to think here, I assumed he hit the flush and the bet on the turn was a blocking bet and I folded. I think I was beat by too many hands here.

Hand confused because I really wasn't sure what to put my opponent on and the turn bet was especially confusing...Help?

[Bob314]

The play in this hand is horrendously weak. I can see limping with the Q-J suited in the CO like this with position, but what you really want to do here is raise. You should be about the EP player's actions due to the types of hands that some people limp in EP with, but If you raise from the cuttoff you have a pretty good chance to take the button, thus position, and likely take the flop heads up with the 1 limper (and the limper might even fold). This is a much better position than limping and calling the "opponent in LP" who raises. This player would be on the button I assume?

So now the flop comes down Q-J-6 and you've hit hit it hard. The check-raise isn't what I personally like to do here, but it is definitely a respecatable move (I prefer leading into the raiser). The problem is that you need to do it like you mean it. Your opponent bet half the pot, which is weak, and you need to come over the top of him for a real amount of money. Your opponent bet $4, making it a $12 pot. Your check raise makes the pot $22 and your opponent has to call 6. That is nearly 4-1 on his money and he will be correct to call with a number of different draws. A check raise making it $12 or $16 to go is more appropriate.

A ten of clubs pops off on the turn. No, you don't really like this card. If your opponent raised preflop with something like A-K he now holds the nuts. You check. WEAK. If you check here you are done with the hand, period. You are out of position and you have checked after check raising. You don't check after check-raising, you lead out! You check raise to take control of the hand and now you just gave the initiative back to your opponent. You said that your opponent started the hand with a $60 stack. He raised to $2 preflop and bet/called a total of $10 on the flop so he has $12 invested in the hand putting him at a $48 stack, you with a $68 stack, and the pot at $28. I agree that A-A, K-K, or a set re-raises that flop, but I think A-K would probably fold, so I'm not sure that you are up against that. A flush draw might certainly underbet the pot to get odds and then your check raise didn't take the draws odds away so the flush draw could still be there. If you think your hand might still be good then like leading for a $20 bet here. Because while it isn't a pot bet it is pot commiting your opponent if he calls, so he will likely go all in or fold. If he pushes you can still fold because you haven't overcommited to the pot and if he folds you win so it seems like a good bet to me. If you think the 10 helped him and don't want to continue further into the hand then you need to check-fold. I don't know the odds of 2 pair making a boat on the river here with 1 card to come but I don't think that your odds are good enough to make it appropriate to even call your opponent's $5 bet even though you are getting 6-1 (you are drawing to 4 cards). The $5 bet is tricky because he is either trying to milk you or he is betting small in hopes you'll just call and he'll continue to build a pot while looking for a heart on the river. I think raising or folding is really the only play once you have checked and your opponent makes this bet. You definitely fold the river--no quesiton about it.

[iceman5]

I dont agree with eveything that Bob said, but I do agree that you should lead out or check raise more on the flop. Alot of people are afraid to make big bets here because they dont want the opponent to fold.
He'll fold if he has nothing, but if he has an overpair youre going to get him all in. If he has nothing hes going to fold at the turn anyway unlss he hits a miracle card. You onlt get a couple hands like his every session (2 pair or set against overpair preflp raiser). You need to maximize these hands.

If you make a large check raise on the flop and he still calls or raises, he doesnt have AK. The way you played it, he very well could have AK. Since he made a small turn bet, I still mightve called to try to fill up, but rarely do I put myself in that situation.

[Mad Genius]

[darrenelias]

Thanks