Better to value-bet or take pot without having to show?

I had 57 offsuit on the small blind in a microstakes ring game. The button was first in, and limped. I called, and the BB checked. Flop was A46. I checked and they checked. Turn was a K. I checked and they checked. River was a 3, giving me the nuts.

So I was wondering, should I make a small value bet, hoping to get calls, or just bet the pot and probably take it down without having to show.

definitely value bet, there's nothing wrong with showing down with a big hand and getting paid off for it

bet whatever you think is the biggest amount that will get called

i think i often make a mistake there. since i try to play a lot of freerolls...cause they're free and all; i'm used to making a pot bet there since there's often an idiot willing to say "ha yeah right, i'll call/raise/all in" ...but on the other hand, i like not having to show. if it's been a hand full of nothing but checks, i'll try to valbet but sometimes its hard to not try to put the hammer down. i play pretty tight and sometimes prefer to look like i'm trying to steal

If both villains checked around twice, it's likely they simply don't have much of anything, and the pot is tiny so noone is going to fight for it most likely.

That said, I would definitely value bet this and charge anyone for getting to the river here. Bet whatever you think they might call and pray somebody actually has something.

Bet the flop?

It's only worth spending money (potential calls on the value bet) if you stand to make it back later. That requires that you're against players who are watching your betting patterns closely and you'll be in a situation where they may use that information later. I don't see how this can be the case in a micro stakes online game - there are too many different players and they rely a lot on HUDs which won't show this play.

Live games where you don't think they'll call the value bet anyway it might be worth over-betting and trying to pass it off as a bluff.

Reducto makes a good point. I just started playing online. So in live games, where the people know me, not showing down has value. But in online, it makes more sense to try and get paid.

Value bet!
You are in the small blind....
What are you worried about?!?

Value bet.
If they have nothing, or little, milk it for whatever you can.
If they were slow playing they'll re-raise you.

c9h13no3 said:

Bet the flop?

Click to expand...

And the turn?

depends on the situation

Well, i would have bet the pot if i had noticed i was playing a player or players who slowplays that ace alot or just kinda loose and would have called with their pr of kings. But to just make a value bet on the river would have been fine too. If you made some money with it then your probably played it fine. Either way would have been appropriate in that situation. hope this helps

Gl and hope to see ya on the tables

You would have been better to bet on the come (as in betting a draw) on the flop. Depending on how aggressive your opponents are, you may sometimes want to check on the river in hopes of a check raise from an aggressive button. Most of the time though, in this situation, bet (1/3 pot) on flop, check turn, and value bet river, especially if you both checked the turn, because you can disguise it as a bluff.

I like the idea of an overbet to fake a bluff and the a muck to follow. This will help set you up for later.

vanquish said:

bet whatever you think is the biggest amount that will get called

Click to expand...

This ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^


You might look up any post by Egon Towst & read the line that appears at the bottom.

vote: value-bet ...the whole point is to win money... with the nuts i will always value bet unless i think i can check raise....maybe 1/2 the pot to 3/4

I bet pot because I don't want the other players to know how loose I'm really playing. I also don't want them to have any kind of read on my river bet.

SavagePenguin said:

Value bet.
If they have nothing, or little, milk it for whatever you can.
If they were slow playing they'll re-raise you.

Click to expand...

^^^ Nuff said.
Even if i am, on a draw, i am going to value bet it.

LOL you must be related to phil hellmuth. Your just setting him up for later so you can pop the big one!!

But seriously. You always want to get max value out of your opponent. Not trying to get value to keep your opponents guessing is overplaying poker. You may want to do a very low value so it looks like a bluff. Then he maybe bluff you back if he has nothing.

If he has maybe a pair of aces you suspect go for a higher value. If he has nothing do a very small bet on river hoping he rebluffs you, he cant call you down for sure.

my vote: value bet. With everyone checking I would just bet what I thought they would call and hope someone raises/bluffs.

You got the nuts, bet something that is going to pay you. There is no shame in showing the cards you limped in with from the SB

It's obvious the button isn't showing any sign of aggression. He basically flat called preflop for position on the blinds. The button checked both the flop & turn perhaps enticing either the SB or BB to bet out. You then river the nuts, well, well, well. Know this: If you don't ask, you don't get. Bet anywhere from 30 - 40 % of the pot. If he's holding an Ace or better, you're getting called for sure - hopefully you get raised.

Bet flop, bet turn, shove river.

I can't offer any advice as played, because i'd never play it that weakly on flop and turn.

I've seen a few posts like this in various places. I don't understand why people want to win the pot and not show a weak (preflop) hand. If anything you *want* them to see your raggy cards, preferably after they call a big bet and lose the showdown. It'll loosen up your image, get you more action, and maybe even tilt them some.

value bet

value bet here big A, 2 pr aren't likely to call an allin but would call a small bet 1/3 of the pot is what I use, a big hand wouldn't have let you get to the river so probability of a set against you is low and this is the only hand that is likely to call a big bet on the river.