$10 NLHE 6-max: Value betting on river when draws complete

[Mercurius]

One area I'm looking to work on is extracting maximum value from winning hands. Generally I try to mix up my c-bet values between 1/3 and 2/3 pot, typically going lower the more nutted I am / the less drawy the board is.

Generally happy with the bet sizing here on flop and turn, getting decent value when I'm probably ahead 95% of the time, however when the river comes I struggled to quickly evaluate the situation given straight flush draws completed and so ended up checking back....

My general thought process when betting (particularly on the river) is "what weaker hands are calling" and "what better hands are folding" due to my bet sizing. I decided to check back the river on the basis that no better hands (straights and flushes) were folding whereas the hands I was beating would also be scared off by the river.

Ignoring the Villain hand and thinking more in terms of ranges, how are you betting the river given my holding?

pokerstars, Hold'em No Limit - $0.05/$0.10 - 6 players
Hand delivered by CardsChat

UTG: $22.22 (222 bb)
MP: $10.00 (100 bb)
CO (Hero): $11.75 (118 bb)
BU: $17.45 (175 bb)
SB: $10.13 (101 bb)
BB: $30.21 (302 bb)

Pre-Flop: ($0.15) Hero is CO with 7♣ 7♠
2 players fold, Hero raises to $0.30, BTN calls $0.30, SB calls $0.25, BB calls $0.20

Flop: ($1.20) 7♥ Q♣ 4♥ (4 players)
SB checks, BB checks, Hero bets $0.58, BU folds, SB calls $0.58, BB folds

Turn: ($2.36) 9♠ (2 players)
SB checks, Hero bets $1.50, SB calls $1.50

River: ($5.36) J♥ (2 players)
SB checks, Hero checks

Total pot: $5.36 (Rake: $0.24)

Showdown:
CO (Hero) shows 7♣ 7♠ (three of a kind, Sevens)
(Equity - Pre-Flop: 52%, Flop: 98%, Turn: 100%, River: 100%)

SB shows Q♦ J♣ (two pair, Queens and Jacks)
(Equity - Pre-Flop: 48%, Flop: 2%, Turn: 0%, River: 0%)

CO (Hero) wins $5.12

 

[gustav197poker]

Without readings we can bet in the river. You are active against a blind range so you have an advantage from the flop. Many times you will get sticky calls from hands like AQ; AJ; QK; Q9; 44; KK; etc. So in these scenarios you can extract value from many dominated hands. A 70% pot bet is enough to induce open OOP calls and generate narrow range fold equity, for which we only want to steal your positions on the river. Taking this sequence into account we are behind flush draws combos and the times you represent these bluffs, you compensate the losses you suffer when the villain flushes. Straights are less likely since these lines are completed more remotely, because they are limited by the texture of river.
Greetings.

 

[Mercurius]

Thanks - on reflection it was pretty weak not to bet as his range has a lot of hands which I beat and may still call and I should probably be looking to extract more value here for all the times I don't hit a set or Villain hits the draw.

I suppose part of my fear betting the river with clear draws out there is what do I do if I am check-raised? I then face a really tough decision on laying down my trips with say $5 (50BB) invested in the pot vs calling off for my stack against a straight or flush

 

[fundiver199]

Without reads I think, its fine to bet-fold the river. A lot of players are never check-jamming a spot like this without a straight or flush, but its good to think it through, before you even bet. Given the size of the pot I would bet around half pot to not give myself to sick odds, if he come over the top.

 

[Mercurius]

Without reads I think, its fine to bet-fold the river. A lot of players are never check-jamming a spot like this without a straight or flush, but its good to think it through, before you even bet. Given the size of the pot I would bet around half pot to not give myself to sick odds, if he come over the top.

Yeah 1/2 pot makes sense - 1/3rd pot is just begging them to jam and 2/3rd means you're pretty committed to calling down when they do.

 

[Aballinamion]

One area I'm looking to work on is extracting maximum value from winning hands. Generally I try to mix up my c-bet values between 1/3 and 2/3 pot, typically going lower the more nutted I am / the less drawy the board is.

Generally happy with the bet sizing here on flop and turn, getting decent value when I'm probably ahead 95% of the time, however when the river comes I struggled to quickly evaluate the situation given straight flush draws completed and so ended up checking back....

My general thought process when betting (particularly on the river) is "what weaker hands are calling" and "what better hands are folding" due to my bet sizing. I decided to check back the river on the basis that no better hands (straights and flushes) were folding whereas the hands I was beating would also be scared off by the river.

Ignoring the Villain hand and thinking more in terms of ranges, how are you betting the river given my holding?

PokerStars, Hold'em No Limit - $0.05/$0.10 - 6 players
Hand delivered by CardsChat

UTG: $22.22 (222 bb)
MP: $10.00 (100 bb)
CO (Hero): $11.75 (118 bb)
BU: $17.45 (175 bb)
SB: $10.13 (101 bb)
BB: $30.21 (302 bb)

Pre-Flop: ($0.15) Hero is CO with 7♣ 7♠
2 players fold, Hero raises to $0.30, BTN calls $0.30, SB calls $0.25, BB calls $0.20

Flop: ($1.20) 7♥ Q♣ 4♥ (4 players)
SB checks, BB checks, Hero bets $0.58, BU folds, SB calls $0.58, BB folds

Turn: ($2.36) 9♠ (2 players)
SB checks, Hero bets $1.50, SB calls $1.50

River: ($5.36) J♥ (2 players)
SB checks, Hero checks

Total pot: $5.36 (Rake: $0.24)

Showdown:
CO (Hero) shows 7♣ 7♠ (three of a kind, Sevens)
(Equity - Pre-Flop: 52%, Flop: 98%, Turn: 100%, River: 100%)

SB shows Q♦ J♣ (two pair, Queens and Jacks)
(Equity - Pre-Flop: 48%, Flop: 2%, Turn: 0%, River: 0%)

CO (Hero) wins $5.12

Well, first of all, it is crystal clear that you are overplaying your value range quite a bit.
Which hands do we open from the CO (20-30% range of hands) that could possibily get 3 callers ahead, being out of position, with a bloated pot and go for a 1/2 pot c-bet?
Well, I believe we are only this magic move with QQ+, 77 and 44. Maybe 74 if you are Loose Aggressive and maybe Q7 and Q4 if you are some aggro donkey.
So, this flop is very dry and we have no reason to be going some giant here with our c-bet flop.
When SB calls, SB might have the flush draws, the straight draws and Q4, because we are blocking a lot of 7x.
This turn doesn't alter the picture of the hand and we must seriously ask what Villain is calling with and which part of our range playes like that.
Your check OTR is good because you protect part of your weak range that opens from the CO, you protect your AQ, KQ, QT and QJ as well, so, without being result oriented after reading the hand result and begin howling that we should bet OTR for value, let's look for the configuration of the hand and how do we play our entire range, not our particular "holding" or "a set" or "a straight).

Regards;

Carlos 'Aballinamion' Barbosa