Turning a value hand into a bluff (catcher?)
I feel like I took a pretty bad line. How would you play this hand?
$0.50 NL FAST (6 max) - Holdem - 6 players
BTN (BTN): $79.58
SB (SB): $43.00
BB (BB): $61.11
UTG (UTG): $43.67
MP (MP): $38.52
Hero (CO): $66.92
SB posts SB $0.25, BB posts BB $0.50
Dealt to Hero:
UTG raises to $1.43,
MP calls $1.43,
Hero raises to $4.20,
fold,
fold,
fold,
fold,
MP calls $2.77
Flop ($10.58, 2 players):
MP checks,
Hero bets $5.00,
MP calls $5.00
Turn ($20.58, 2 players):
MP checks,
Hero bets $7.00,
MP calls $7.00
River ($34.58, 2 players):
MP bets $22.32 and is all-in,
fold
MP wins $32.86
Hi there Cyclone9, thank your for sharing your hand with the CardsChat community
The Preflop
Okay, you saw that both UTG and MP were broken stacks and then you decided to Squeeze. I don't like your sizing because you went to 2.93x raise, and here I like to polarize a little bit more given there are so many players yet to act. I would go for 3.5x or 4x, so we don't give excellent odds for other players to enter the pot, specially BTN.
the postflop
The Flop
MP checks a flop with overcard and you c-bet 1/2 pot. Let's suppose you are raising versus MP here with AQ, KQ, QJ, if you are blocking MP's range there is a higher fold frequency of MP's range than usual: it is a very easy fold for almost all the pocket pairs, weaker Queens would be speculating, or we would be even with AQ, KQ, since MP can have these combos.
Okay, we will have more AA, KK, QQ on our range, however 88 is not blocking any part of this range, we are not even
bluff catching. Given that 88 has showdown value, I would rather check and take a free turn. When I c-bet, I'll go for 1/3 pot at maximum, because it is a 3-bet/Squeeze pot and the flop it is not very connected, that my value range would need so much protection.
The Turn
It completes another Queen and a flush draw of diamonds, and now it is very hard for you to try to represent QQ on your range. AQ, KQ, QJ, if they were going to bet here, knowing that if we hold the Queens on our range it is not likely that Villain/MP also has a Queen i.e, we have all the nuts and MP doesn't, the chances of MP to fold even more its pocket pairs increase, MP's draws are dead, or check-raising turn for bluff, although we don't see many bluffs on a very dry flop like this.
Under the argument we should be protecting our range against the flushes of diamonds when we hold Qx, the fact is, Villain will not have many BDFs when it calls 1/2 c-bet flop, because BDFs have terrible odds to be calling this large bet, they would be folding or check-raising for bluff, IMO. If we do bet for value our Qx, it is never so little.
Your turn sizing is a tell that your range is not so strong: when you bet so small, I mean 1/3 pot on a turn like this, considering that you hold a hand with showdown value (88), plus that you have no bluffs here to balance your 1/3 pot, plus we are telling Villain that we have some pocket pair that has some value but it is not entirely safe, this is why we bet 1/3 pot to make MP to fold its AK, AJ, AT, A9, KJ, KT, JT, 22-77, etc. (but those are good bluff catchers and since you gave too much
tells, Squeezing little, c-betting high flop and slowing down your sizing OTT, those very bluff catchers can put you in a lot of trouble on many rivers).
If we had a bluff on turn like this, and we don't, we should never bet 1/3 pot, specially at 50 NLHE, because we are giving excellent odds for Villain to float us on many rivers and if we call, we are guessing too much, thus doomed. Now if Villain has the BDF, it would be easily calling, or even if Villain only holds the Ace of Diamond as a bluff-catcher, if Ace of Diamonds shoves river you can never be calling with nothing that it is not a Qx, 44, 77, KK or KQ or you would be guessing very much.
When you catch a good card for
bluffing, utilizing the proper range, because I think 88 has plenty of showdown value and after MP call 1/2 pot c-bet on a very dry board, where I barely have any bluffs, MP shows potential strength and we should be checking turn to evaluate the situation OTR and try to get a cheap showdown. Don't need to be scared of the BD that it came OTT.
Yes, when you go for 1/3 pot size on the turn you are giving too much information for Villain about your range.
If you'd believed that your 88 was a good bluff catcher because you are blocking some possible diamond structure, you should've bet 130%, 150%, 180%, polarizing your range for either you have a bluff (in this case you have a value hand this is why I wouldn't bother betting this turn for value, because I don't expect many worst
hands to be paying) or the nuts, and I mean here Qx, QQ, 44 (are you Squeezing 44 vs UTG/MP?) 77, KK and KQ.
Consider that 88 is not blocking any part of this range, this is why I rather not to turn a good value hand into a bluff on a dry turn like this.
The River
Yeah, it completes a flush and come a horrible King of Diamonds and MP donks shove, giving us no option unless fold or go for that embarassing situation of "pay to see", when we know that almost never we are ahead here.
I rather Squeeze preflop a larger size and with hands that will have more playability against UTG/MP range, such as AJ, KJ, QJ, JT, T9, 98, the suited combos most of times.
When MP donks shove it can has only the Ace of Diamonds trying to make you fold the part of your range that 1/2 pot flop and 1/3 pot turn. Since it comes a flush draw OTT, we should be protecting our range and in situations like this where we can have AQ for example we don't want to give MP's flush draws an easy time and then we overbet turn for value/bluff when we have the proper combos.
Now MP can represent almost all the flushes (although it didn't had it a lot of BDFs OTF), all the KQ, all the Qx, 44 and 77 and if we call here thinking "
it is doing it only with a missing Ace of Diamond flush draw" we are guessing and thus burning money.
Regards;
Carlos
'Aballinamion' Barbosa