$1 NLHE MTT: Should I semi-bluff the turn or river here?

1250/2500 NL - Holdem - 8 players

SB: 27.68 BB (VPIP: 18.75, PFR: 12.90, 3Bet Preflop: 14.29, hands: 33)
BB: 50.4 BB (VPIP: 36.21, PFR: 15.79, 3Bet Preflop: 0.00, Hands: 60)
UTG: 91.34 BB (VPIP: 21.67, PFR: 18.33, 3Bet Preflop: 13.64, Hands: 62)
UTG+1: 25.9 BB (VPIP: 39.13, PFR: 27.27, 3Bet Preflop: 0.00, Hands: 23)
MP: 22.93 BB (VPIP: 0.00, PFR: 0.00, 3Bet Preflop: 0.00, Hands: 1)
MP+1: 25.98 BB (VPIP: 8.33, PFR: 9.09, 3Bet Preflop: 12.50, Hands: 12)
Hero (CO): 29.12 BB
BTN: 18.62 BB (VPIP: 4.29, PFR: 3.03, 3Bet Preflop: 0.00, Hands: 71)

8 players post ante of 0.26 BB, SB posts SB 0.5 BB, BB posts BB 1 BB

Pre Flop: (pot: 3.58 BB) Hero has 9♥ 8♣

fold, fold, fold, fold, Hero raises to 2.09 BB, fold, fold, BB calls 1.09 BB

Flop: (6.77 BB, 2 players) Q♥ J♠ 7♦
BB checks, Hero bets 2.62 BB, BB calls 2.62 BB

Turn: (12 BB, 2 players) 6♦
BB checks, Hero checks

River: (12 BB, 2 players) J♣
BB bets 3 BB, fold

BB wins 12 BB


Originally I was thinking I should maybe reraise on the river, but I thought I could find a better spot. Looking back I feel like I could have also bet the turn potentially since it's a blank if I'm trying to represent top pair. I think I'm okay with my fold here, but I wouldn't be surprised if I could have won the pot here.

I think you did right there.
Maybe a continous bet on the turn, but I think in the end villian has called it. The chance he has more than a draw is to high. He calls the preflop raise, so I would gave him broadway cards in his range. And after the flop call I think he wouldn't fold it later.

I think with someone with the stats like the BBs who seems to be a little on the loose passive side i would not want to open 98o in the CO especially with these stack sizes.
If the blinds were super tight then go ahead.

Now if you think he is a super bad player and you have plan post flop its OK to open.
Generally in micro MTTs i try not to bluff off my stack. I would exploitable check in some clear bluff spots if i think i am not going to make money there.
What is villains fold to cbet percentage, fold to steal ? It would be a helpful info here.
If i see that he is folding like 40-50% on the flop cbet i would go bigger with my cbet prob something like 1/2 pot or bigger.

With a 1/3 cbet on the flop you are keeping his range pretty wide in this spot and the turn 6 is probably the only card that i would continue bluffing with this hand.
At this point i am trying to fold him of of 22-55, 7x and other Ax and Kx floats that beat you.
I dont think he is ever folding Jx or Qx.
River is just a clear check on every card that doesnt get you there.

I think raising with 89o is a little risky because BB stats look like He wants to play lots of pot and defend alot. For this reason I would like to play solid hands and bet bet bet for value; if we play 98o it is hard to get value from this player unless we catch perfect flop. As play, we raise preflop and got a call from BB. On flop we have gutshot draw so we bet to take down this pot is right in my opinion, however, we got another call from BB. At this point, we have to check back the turn and hope to get lucky on the river catching either 8, 9, 10 for us to justify a call on the river. I don't think you can bluff here because checking back on the turn is very weak against QJ76 board; a dangerous board if we have AQ, or AJ, or KKs, QQ, JJ, 77; we would for sure bet the turn; and so if we check, we have drawing hands, and the river J is really bad for us to bluff.

I think your play on pre flop and on the flop was spot on. I think you should have continued on the turn one you had the open end draw. If you had he may have folded out the junk hand an possible and jack week kicker he had. Once you check behind you left yourself open for the bluff. On the rived I this your fold was correct. He does play a lot on hand but what did he check call on the flop would fold to your river 3 bet now? Since you checked the turn he may call with any Queen and he wont be folding a Jack at this point as well, I think a 3 bet here would have failed.

BB is calling alot pre from the sample size you have so stealing with marginal hands against them isn't the best but not terrible.

As played I would shut down after the flop bet gets called.

Save you chips for another battle.

neverbluff said:

1250/2500 NL - Holdem - 8 players

SB: 27.68 BB (VPIP: 18.75, PFR: 12.90, 3Bet Preflop: 14.29, Hands: 33)
BB: 50.4 BB (VPIP: 36.21, PFR: 15.79, 3Bet Preflop: 0.00, Hands: 60)
UTG: 91.34 BB (VPIP: 21.67, PFR: 18.33, 3Bet Preflop: 13.64, Hands: 62)
UTG+1: 25.9 BB (VPIP: 39.13, PFR: 27.27, 3Bet Preflop: 0.00, Hands: 23)
MP: 22.93 BB (VPIP: 0.00, PFR: 0.00, 3Bet Preflop: 0.00, Hands: 1)
MP+1: 25.98 BB (VPIP: 8.33, PFR: 9.09, 3Bet Preflop: 12.50, Hands: 12)
Hero (CO): 29.12 BB
BTN: 18.62 BB (VPIP: 4.29, PFR: 3.03, 3Bet Preflop: 0.00, Hands: 71)

8 players post ante of 0.26 BB, SB posts SB 0.5 BB, BB posts BB 1 BB

Pre Flop: (pot: 3.58 BB) Hero has 9¢¾ 8¢À

fold, fold, fold, fold, Hero raises to 2.09 BB, fold, fold, BB calls 1.09 BB

Flop: (6.77 BB, 2 players) Q¢¾ J¢¼ 7♦
BB checks, Hero bets 2.62 BB, BB calls 2.62 BB

Turn: (12 BB, 2 players) 6♦
BB checks, Hero checks

River: (12 BB, 2 players) J¢À
BB bets 3 BB, fold

BB wins 12 BB


Originally I was thinking I should maybe reraise on the river, but I thought I could find a better spot. Looking back I feel like I could have also bet the turn potentially since it's a blank if I'm trying to represent top pair. I think I'm okay with my fold here, but I wouldn't be surprised if I could have won the pot here.

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I think it looked like you gave up on the turn.

I would have liked a bet on the turn and river.

Villain could have had a Q - why not?

Good luck !

I struggle too with those spots , I agree totally with razzor94 here , I like the pre flop / flop play but I would probably have double barreled around 1/2 the turn because as already mentioned before is a total brick for your opponent's draws. On the river I think there is no need to bluff with air.

akmost said:

I struggle too with those spots , I agree totally with razzor94 here , I like the pre flop / flop play but I would probably have double barreled around 1/2 the turn because as already mentioned before is a total brick for your opponent's draws. On the river I think there is no need to bluff with air.

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Yea that's what I was leaning towards after the fact. I probably checked back the turn too fast thinking I could have made a river bluff or got there, and I should have just fired another shot on the turn.

Would have been okay folding the 98o here, but I don't hate it. It would be about the bottom of my opening range here though.

I like the flop bet AND the sizing - nicely done with the small sizing there, def don't think we need to go any bigger.

On the turn, with this EXACT 98o I like checking, but I think with a diamond blocker I'd consider continuing bluffing along with some of my other open enders and backdoor flush draws.

As played on river, I like how you are thinking, but if we get to river with some like JT and KT I'd rather bluff raise that on the end since we block more of the reasonable Jx combos that are most likely to call us, as WELL as Qx which may play this way and may or may not call.

NH overall.

Iwillplay this one of two ways usually but its dependent on info I get from the table not quantified here. First of all your stats are minimal for any true insight to the player type so while its good to use as a guide I would take the info with a grain of salt. Even for the players with 60 hands or more of info.

Second he has double your stack. So you start off with a raise showing strength and he flats. You then, Pot bet he calls, seemingly unfazed.

The turn is where you decide to either get more information or give up. Checking is fine hear if you are willing to fold on a bet, but you set yourself up in a way because it can be a sign of weakness. So the river is not really an optimum bluff move after the check imo ~If you are trying to pass yourself off as sneaky I would want at least some of that board to bluff the river with. However had you 1/2 - 3/4 bet the turn to see his response that might give you a fold, but if he raises or calls you can make your decision on the river to really bluff here or take the chance he will not call you with a made hand.

I think you did well because ultimately you put less chips at stake for what has all the markings of a disaster. Regardless if he has a hand or not.