River Bluff Dilemma

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Wickedestjr

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Hello everyone,
My main poker focus (recently) has been $1.50 sit n goes. Overall, these games have been profitable for me, but I recently discovered a potential leak in my play style that I'm not sure how to fix.

Last night I was playing a $1.50 sit n go and I made it to the final five with about 2,600 (1,500 starting stack) and I was in third place. Everyone was playing tight, so I was able to run lots of successful flop bluffs. I got involved in a hand with a villain who seemed to be playing honestly and had about 1,500 I think. I had an ace with a medium kicker, I was the pre-flop raiser, and I had position on the villain.

An ace comes up on the flop, so I have top pair. Villain bets half pot and I call. The turn opens up some draw possibilities, he bets two thirds pot, and I call after tanking for 10-15 seconds. Then the river card makes the board even more draw-heavy and villain shoves all in with the rest of his chips (about half to two thirds pot). I folded, because villain hadn't bluffed before, he bet this board three times, and I only had top pair. He showed squadoosh... a missed straight draw. :(


What should I have done differently? This question doesn't pertain to a specific hand (that's why I didn't give specific cards). What do I do differently if I have top pair and a seemingly honest player bets into me three times?
 
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wildice13

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i'd say you made the right play by folding. look back to the information you have.

he hasn't been getting out of line at all
the turn opens up drawing opportunities
i'm guessing you mean that the river completes some draws (would be better if you told us the exact cards on the board)
he bet every street and increased his bets in relation to the pot street by street
you only have a medium kicker T or less
you have position on him
everyone(including villain) is playing tight

so there's a fair chance(just assuming here) he's in EP or UTG, all of the stronger aces than yours are in his range, as are pocket pairs that hit sets on any board at the very least. If it's cutoff vs btn or btn vs blind then even the suited connectors that hit your board are in his range.

looks like a combination of him using his tight image to exploit your use of marginal holdings and making a decision of 'whats the only way i can win this pot now i've missed and committed half my stack to it already'.

i guess the only other things that you've got to go on are his bet sizing on the flop & turn and his line throughout the hand. is bet sizing consistent with previous hands where you know he hasn't bluffed? does he normally lead out when he hits the flop and he's not the pre flop aggressor? does he normally bet the turn or checkraise when holding draws?
 
rytciaq

rytciaq

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When the villain bets turn and shoves river when both were cards that make the board more heavy and I don't catch the straight/flush that those cards could've made, I fold. Yes, he could be having nothing like in your case, but I'd just feel that I made a big mistake if I called and he wasn't bluffing.
 
luizmarinho

luizmarinho

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I think it was a good fold, but if his shove went 1/3 or maybe 1/2 of the pot you could call because sometimes in low limits shows a desperate move or a he was beting for value since the beginning, thats why I dont like to play with Ax because if you hit the top pair you really dont know where you are in the hand at the moment, but in final stages you could raised on flop to make him give up and if he still show agression you could fold because as you said he was playing tight at all.

Just saying the way I play, dont know if its the correct or best way :)
 
westside1950

westside1950

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You can't catch all the bluffs that are thrown in your face, its impossible.
You played ok - especially if you say that the villian played some abc poker until that hand.
Maybe you could shove the turn once he bet 2/3 pot and it was heavy draw board... but the way you played is also ok, nothing wrong there i guess.
 
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Sergei

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Hello everyone,
My main poker focus (recently) has been $1.50 sit n goes. Overall, these games have been profitable for me, but I recently discovered a potential leak in my play style that I'm not sure how to fix.

Last night I was playing a $1.50 sit n go and I made it to the final five with about 2,600 (1,500 starting stack) and I was in third place. Everyone was playing tight, so I was able to run lots of successful flop bluffs. I got involved in a hand with a villain who seemed to be playing honestly and had about 1,500 I think. I had an ace with a medium kicker, I was the pre-flop raiser, and I had position on the villain.

An ace comes up on the flop, so I have top pair. Villain bets half pot and I call. The turn opens up some draw possibilities, he bets two thirds pot, and I call after tanking for 10-15 seconds. Then the river card makes the board even more draw-heavy and villain shoves all in with the rest of his chips (about half to two thirds pot). I folded, because villain hadn't bluffed before, he bet this board three times, and I only had top pair. He showed squadoosh... a missed straight draw. :(


What should I have done differently? This question doesn't pertain to a specific hand (that's why I didn't give specific cards). What do I do differently if I have top pair and a seemingly honest player bets into me three times?
Top pair is not an indicator especially if aponent can be street. It's all vydelyaetsa. Therefore, you should question and if he was bluffing on the river. Can certainly a bluff. Once bluepanel second bluepanel and the third gathered here already neurodes. Opponent live you don't see and Monir his behavior at bluff. But for the most part with one pair of even older more middle-kicker I would have fallen.
 
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RandyMarsh

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sounds like u made the right decision
 
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jacksonionh

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You made the right decision, a lot of the time he would have it in this situation.
 
koreano

koreano

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I have an absolute assurance of my action, because at some point the game honest player might want to take your time to bluff and is at this time that a reading can be thrown away.
The main point I would consider here is that you have a pair of aces with a medium kicker (I imagine it's something between 6 and 9), and this complicates and limits their action. I think the data calls were correct, because a player who shows tight for much of the contest, when he becomes aggressive suddenly I always see as a bluff indicator (can go wrong in some situations).
 
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