$1 NLHE Home game STT: Does my post-flop play make senses?

There is a hand that has been bugging me from not so distant past so forgive me if it's not in formatted in the proper way. I'm trying to recall from my past memory.

Context : Once in a while, me and buddy will play in a home game $1 4-man SNG. Winners take all. We are in the second blind level in a normal-speed game. Average stack is 50 Big Blinds.

Me and the villain have played quite a while in the past. I think both of us realized that both of us are probably playing a little bit too tight, but I (and I think him as well) are trying to learn how to play with a more wider range and actively capitalizing our tight image.

Once in a while, in past game, we caught each other bluffing, but normally when we're more deep into the game. Neither of us has caught each other bluffing this early.

Hand:

Hero : 40 BB stack on UTG picked a . I raised to 3 BB.

Villain: A little bit bigger stack on the Dealer Button. I can't really recall how big, but it's just a bit more than my stack so I am an effective stack. He called.

Both SB and BB folded.

Flop: (Pot : 7.5 BB. Effective stack: 37 BB)



I got the high pair on a flushy board. We both checked. I don't usually check a high pair on a flushy board out of position.

Turn: (Pot: 7.5 BB. Effective stack: 37 BB)



I checked. Villain betted 5 BB. I didn't think he had a flush because past game dictates he will slow play and check. I din't think he was on a flush draw because I imagined if he has a flush draw, he will be more than happy to a see a free river. Which means he was most likely hit the board and was trying to discourage a flush draw from continuing. But what did he hit?? I decided to call.

River: (Pot: 17.5 BB. Effective stack: 32 BB)



I decided to bet 12 BB.

As the title dictates, I am not sure if I am playing my post-flop right.

Well that doesn’t make sense to me ���� definitly would like to bet that flop (flushy and also straight). Anyway If he is betting turn and you are playing check call then why you are betting on that river. I mean he is mostly not going to fold any better hand there so no sense to me.

Flight777sem said:

Anyway If he is betting turn and you are playing check call then why you are betting on that river.

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I was trying to represent a X , X , or A5. I figured out those cards are definitely in my opening range, I will check those hand a lot of the time on the flop, and I imagined that it would be believable that I was trying out get a free river card.

Pre: raise smaller

Flop: I like

Turn: I like

River: Leading doesnt do anything, much better to chk/hero call or chk/fold.

Ryan Laplante said:

Pre: raise smaller

Flop: I like

Turn: I like

River: Leading doesnt do anything, much better to chk/hero call or chk/fold.

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Agree. Just to elaborate a little though, when you're playing this 4-handed single table tournament, and < 50bb, it seems that 2-2.5 big blind raises will get the same job done as 3 big blind raises, so if we raise smaller we give ourselves more room to maneuver postflop, which at these depths is a benefit.

Leading the river is rough. I understand why you are trying to make these really tight reads on your opponent since you have history, but you can't really eliminate all of the single club holdings from his range, so leading as a bluff is probably not good here. And if it's not a bluff... let's look at the board - what can we really get called by that is worse??

This is a spot where we fall somewhat in the middle of our own hand distribution, so it makes very little sense to lead for a medium size as a bluff OR for value when we can just check and evaluate as Protential says.

Ryan Laplante said:

Pre: raise smaller

Flop: I like

Turn: I like

River: Leading doesnt do anything, much better to chk/hero call or chk/fold.

Click to expand...

Scourrge said:

Agree. Just to elaborate a little though, when you're playing this 4-handed single table tournament, and < 50bb, it seems that 2-2.5 big blind raises will get the same job done as 3 big blind raises, so if we raise smaller we give ourselves more room to maneuver postflop, which at these depths is a benefit.

Leading the river is rough. I understand why you are trying to make these really tight reads on your opponent since you have history, but you can't really eliminate all of the single club holdings from his range, so leading as a bluff is probably not good here. And if it's not a bluff... let's look at the board - what can we really get called by that is worse??

This is a spot where we fall somewhat in the middle of our own hand distribution, so it makes very little sense to lead for a medium size as a bluff OR for value when we can just check and evaluate as Protential says.

Click to expand...

Nice advises from the pros.
I'll definitely use all these that i am learning from you guys:2in1: