$5 NLHE 6-max: Bluffing by representing trips after opponent shows weakness

5NL 6-max zoom pokerstars against unknown villain.

Hero (BB) has $8.78
Villain (BTN) has $5.83

Hero is dealt As Qd
UTG folds
MP folds
CO folds
Villain (BTN) raises to $0.17
SB folds
Hero (BB) raises to $0.50
Villain calls $0.33

$1.02 in pot
Flop shows 8c Kd Kh

Hero checks
Villain bets $0.55
Hero calls $0.55

$2.12 in pot
Turn shows 9s

Hero checks
Villain checks

$2.12 in pot
River shows Jd

Hero bets $1.85

My logic is that the villain has shown weakness by betting the flop and then checking the turn. If he really flopped trips, he'd either check back the flop and wait for me to hit a pair (slow play), or he'd value bet multiple streets (fast play), not mix it up between the two. Also, I felt I could credibly represent trip Kings here, based upon the way I slow-played my hand (check-calling the flop, rather than C-betting, as if to say I'm worried about my opponent folding), which is what someone with a hand like AK might do in this position. Do you think that this is a good bluff?

You beat all hands that fold...

What about 22-77, TT, QQ, AJ, QJ, JT, T9, 98, 87, A9, Q9, J9, A8, Q8, J8, T8? Remember that this is a button raise, so his range could be very light here and include a lot of things like suited one-gappers.

I think he's definitely calling with one pair hands here (and he definitely should be). The way you've played this hand you could have almost ATC. Wouldn't a king bet turn? I think check-call/check-fold river is best here depending on villain (spewier villains make me lean towards check-calling).

How does betting the turn make any sense at all? I was the preflop raiser and I checked the flop. Do you think if I had a hand like QK, AK, KK or 88, I'm going to check-call the flop then lead out on the turn? No. I'm either going to represent a slow played strong hand by checking the turn and going for that last bit of desperate value on the river, or I'm going to bet 3 streets, and I feel that betting 3 streets, or even check-raising the flop, looks way more bluffy than check-calling the flop.

When the preflop raiser (hero) check-calls the flop on a KK8 board, that is a sign of strength. Why would the PFR ever check-call the flop with AQ? He's either going to check-fold the flop, or more likely, he's going to Cbet the flop and then give up. It's the strong hands (trips or better) that will be check-calling the flop, checking the turn, then going for that desperate value bet on the river, which is exactly the thing I was trying to represent here.

Matthew Southall said:

How does betting the turn make any sense at all? I was the preflop raiser and I checked the flop. Do you think if I had a hand like QK, AK, KK or 88, I'm going to check-call the flop then lead out on the turn? No. I'm either going to represent a slow played strong hand by checking the turn and going for that last bit of desperate value on the river, or I'm going to bet 3 streets, and I feel that betting 3 streets, or even check-raising the flop, looks way more bluffy than check-calling the flop.

When the preflop raiser (hero) check-calls the flop on a KK8 board, that is a sign of strength. Why would the PFR ever check-call the flop with AQ? He's either going to check-fold the flop, or more likely, he's going to Cbet the flop and then give up. It's the strong hands (trips or better) that will be check-calling the flop, checking the turn, then going for that desperate value bet on the river, which is exactly the thing I was trying to represent here.

Click to expand...

Everything you said is wrong and the hand was played badly. Grats if he folded a hand you're actually losing to though.

Too drunk to elaborate.

I have zero clue what you're trying to do here. Just cbet the flop and depending on what you know about how often he calls flop cbets at least consider betting the turn. The way you played the hand the only part of his range that might fold to a river bet is 22-77.

There are a lot of reasons to check call the flop here. Believe it or not, AQ is going to be the best hand here a TON of the time. What're the chances he has a K or 8 (or a pocket pair)? Not high. And even if he has anything but a K you have outs.

So, with the best hand you could value bet. Or, if the guy likes to bet when you check flop, you could check-call and evaluate turn. If he doesn't have a K or 8 he is likely to slow down anyways and you can easily get to showdown.

It's good that you're thinking of ways to squeeze more narrow value, but I'd advise playing things a little more straight forward against unknown opponents, especially in 3-bet pots. Trying to fold out 22-77 (36 combos) vs. all the combos that beat you that aren't folding isn't a profitable approach. Just think 9x and Jx combos alone how many you have there vs your small pairs that might fold.

I agree with HillBilly and John when it comes to unknowns. Keeping it straight forward is the way to go. I'm sometimes trying to keep the pot smaller and just flat oop.

But if you want to rep a K you really have to reraise the flop or lead the turn. I think that if you had bet under half pot on the turn then bombed the river that this would be a good bluff.