ITH Poker Forum

[Cript]

PokerStars Limit Hold'em, $6.00 BB (6 handed) - Poker-Stars Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com



Preflop: Cript is BB with ,
4 folds, SB calls, Cript raises, SB calls

Flop: (4 SB) , , (2 players)
SB checks, Cript bets, SB raises, Cript 3-bets, SB calls

Turn: (5 BB) (2 players)
SB checks, Cript checks

River: (5 BB) (2 players)
SB bets, Cript calls

Total pot: $42 (7 BB) | Rake: $2

[Willem]

I pretty much always call down the the flop raise. He is representing something stronger that what you have so your hand is essentially a bluff catcher. Exactly what is the purpose of the 3bet? Your hand is too strong for a bluff, but a little thin for a value play?

[Cript]

I pretty much always call down the the flop raise. He is representing something stronger that what you have so your hand is essentially a bluff catcher. Exactly what is the purpose of the 3bet? Your hand is too strong for a bluff, but a little thin for a value play?

The 3-bet is so I can check behind on the turn...I pay 1 more SB so I don't have to pay a BB...also, I can entice a river bluff with a turn check.

[Willem]

I pretty much always call down the the flop raise. He is representing something stronger that what you have so your hand is essentially a bluff catcher. Exactly what is the purpose of the 3bet? Your hand is too strong for a bluff, but a little thin for a value play?

The 3-bet is so I can check behind on the turn...I pay 1 more SB so I don't have to pay a BB...also, I can entice a river bluff with a turn check.

I don't like free card plays with hands that don't need one. In any case, villain has more outs when behind so his range needs the free card more. I would just call down when check-raised here. Wins the maximum from bluffs while losing the minimum against a better hand.

Are you going to fold to a cap, or a turn bet?

[Rubeskies]

The reason to just call down to his flop c/r is that a pretty large % of the time he is bluffing here. A Queen is doubtful given that he didn't raise preflop and there are only 2 left. So that leaves weak pocket pairs, fives, and bluffs with the occasional Q.

Calling down saves you $$ vs the queens and you lose 2.5 BBs vs bluffs by 3-betting or 1.5 depending on how many barrels he fires.

Besides the Queens, which are a small part of his range (and who will cap you a lot of the time), you don't want to be checking behind on the turn. You want money going in and you don't want to fold out bluffs. Just calling down accomplishes both of these things.

[kpr16]

I think these guys nailed it. There's no traditional draws on this flop that he could be semibluffing with, so his draws are 6 outters + some backdoor stuff... Vs those hands you want to let him barrel. At some point you might draw the line and say...with a pair of JJ+, you think there's more value in trying to get more money in (but even then I'd be hesitant since a large percentage of players cap pairs here in the SB, so how much are you really getting value from?)

And finally, 3-betting here puts you in a shitty spot on the turn when he just calls IMO. To make 3-betting the flop/turn check play effective, you need to have some hands you 3-bet and give up with that actually induce a bluff. Suffice to say it's a hard strategy to play balanced. You end up checking the turn a lot when ahead or bet-calling and paying 2 bets vs monsters... I could say more but I think you already see the point... when you start to think more holistically about this spot and your entire range, I think you'll agree with us.

-kpr