Weird river call live

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Weisssound

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So, I'm play 1/2 live last week. Came out +70BB, so I'm not mad at myself at all. But I had one call that was weird.

I had A9c on the button, CO raised to $10. I called. Flop comes As Ts 8h. Checks to me. I feel like there's some draws out there, higher ace possibility, I need some info. So I bet $20. I figure that's enough to eliminate any funny business (the villain isn't a maniac). He smooth calls it. Turn was a blank. He does that check that people do when they pat the table very softly. So I'm pretty sure I'm beat. River wasn't a total blank, but I still feel like I was beat on the flop regardless. CO puts in a $30 bet. Now I'm SURE 100% that I'm beat.

And yet...

I called it anyway. It was a pride call, or for lack of certainty to my hand strength. I called because I had folded a number of rivers where I felt I was beat recently and I didn't want the table to think I could just get rolled off the river with a half pot bet.

I think ultimately my mistake was showing a set that I was folding to (an obvious) flush, which the opponent did show as well. And later my image did help as I was in a river position with top pair (AQ), but the cards were very bluffable, lot of sticky stuff out. And my opponent opted to just check back a weaker ace which was pretty good for me as I would have been in a marginal spot to make the call if he made a big bet.

Is my thinking off though. I feel like I helped my image, but I also knowingly blew $30 in order to do it...
 
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tomnovember

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I almost have no idea whether you are ahead or behind on the river. You are probably beaten by sets, a little possibility that your opponent hold AK - AT, but may also beat some draws.

First of all, I don't think calling 5bb open with A9s is a good idea, esp. if CO is a tight player. You are quite likely to be dominated by CO, and unless you hit 9 triple or flush, you can hardly know whether you are ahead or behind and may be too easy to make many calling/folding mistakes.

Well, you call, and then hit an A. It is strange that your opponent check call the flop. As the board is quite wet and exist too many draws. Any spade or card higher than 5 may make the flush/straight/triple draws. Check raise/may be better for your opponents.

You may bet $10-$12 on the flop and see your opponent's action. Then you can easily put him between trapper and passive fish.

Furthermore, please bet on the turn and check the river, fold to any resistance from your opponent. You will get more value from passive drawer and avoid losing to much chips to slim trapper.
 
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aznman08

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First of all, I don't think calling 5bb open with A9s is a good idea, esp. if CO is a tight player. You are quite likely to be dominated by CO, and unless you hit 9 triple or flush, you can hardly know whether you are ahead or behind and may be too easy to make many calling/folding mistakes.

Since you dont seem to play live poker. FYI: Live players dont look at as # of BB, instead they look at numerical value. $10-15 at live 1/2 is common.

To OP: $30 into a $60 pot. Sounds to me that you had a read yet leveled yourself into doing the opposite. Course how players act at the table/ table presence could be info worth looking at.

Don't like that you showed a folded set, unless you had a plan to use that info against them.
 
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tomnovember

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Since you dont seem to play live poker. FYI: Live players dont look at as # of BB, instead they look at numerical value. $10-15 at live 1/2 is common.

To OP: $30 into a $60 pot. Sounds to me that you had a read yet leveled yourself into doing the opposite. Course how players act at the table/ table presence could be info worth looking at.

Don't like that you showed a folded set, unless you had a plan to use that info against them.

I do play live poker a lot, and really know that A9 is a money burning hand.

Every decision you make on every street shall be reasonable and must bring you enough information. So, don't be to passive.
 
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Weisssound

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Furthermore, please bet on the turn and check the river, fold to any resistance from your opponent. You will get more value from passive drawer and avoid losing to much chips to slim trapper.

Good call!
 
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Weisssound

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Since you dont seem to play live poker. FYI: Live players dont look at as # of BB, instead they look at numerical value. $10-15 at live 1/2 is common.

To OP: $30 into a $60 pot. Sounds to me that you had a read yet leveled yourself into doing the opposite. Course how players act at the table/ table presence could be info worth looking at.

Don't like that you showed a folded set, unless you had a plan to use that info against them.

Yeah, I kind of regretted showing the set. It was pretty obvious my opponent his a flush. But I wanted to make it seem like it wasn't easy to get me to fold the river. The more I think about it though, the more I realize it wasn't a good show.

Anyway, my opponent had a set of 8s.
 
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Weisssound

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I do play live poker a lot, and really know that A9 is a money burning hand.

Every decision you make on every street shall be reasonable and must bring you enough information. So, don't be to passive.

Dig. I think A9 against a cut off raise is usually ok. There's nothing that I'm really crushing, but a lot of hands that I have decent equity against unless I'm playing a very very tight opponent. And with position I can probably control the pot against hands like AT-K since they're not going to want to scare me out of the pot. And besides - it was A9 SUITED.......
 
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tomnovember

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Dig. I think A9 against a cut off raise is usually ok. There's nothing that I'm really crushing, but a lot of hands that I have decent equity against unless I'm playing a very very tight opponent. And with position I can probably control the pot against hands like AT-K since they're not going to want to scare me out of the pot. And besides - it was A9 SUITED.......

A9s can hardly continue on the flop without an A, 9 as top pair or flush/flush draw. Moreover, how much value can you get from your opponent if you do hit something? With low implied odds, A9s is not a good hand to play here.
 
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Weisssound

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A9s can hardly continue on the flop without an A, 9 as top pair or flush/flush draw. Moreover, how much value can you get from your opponent if you do hit something? With low implied odds, A9s is not a good hand to play here.

I dig it. You're right. Only serious value I get is IF my opponent has AK/Q, and A 9 X hits the flop. Which happens not so often.
 
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tomnovember

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I dig it. You're right. Only serious value I get is IF my opponent has AK/Q, and A 9 X hits the flop. Which happens not so often.

Yep. Fold it unless you can have good read on your opponent. I usually play it against loose aggressive fish, then float/3bet/fold according to the relationship between the board structure and my opponent's range. Against tight passive fish, I usually bet after their check on the flop and then always easily take the pot. Texas Hold'em is more than a game of hand gambling, but just talking about hands, A9s is to marginal to call.
 
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