€50 NLHE 6-max: Would you say I pussied out here or played it fine?

[Thinker_145]

iPoker - €0.50 NL (6 max) - Holdem - 4 players
Hand converted by PokerTracker 4

Hero (SB): 232.48 BB
BB: 291.94 BB (VPIP: 27.83, PFR: 22.21, 3Bet Preflop: 8.48, hands: 9,760)
CO: 101.38 BB (VPIP: 22.21, PFR: 13.68, 3Bet Preflop: 2.30, Hands: 804)
BTN: 98.16 BB (VPIP: 50.00, PFR: 5.75, 3Bet Preflop: 3.68, Hands: 360)

Hero posts SB 0.5 BB, BB posts BB 1 BB

Pre Flop: (pot: 1.5 BB) Hero has K:spade: K:diamond:

fold, BTN raises to 3 BB, Hero raises to 10 BB, BB raises to 20 BB, fold, Hero calls 10 BB

Flop: (43 BB, 2 players) 8:club: 5:heart: A:heart:
Hero checks, BB bets 15 BB, Hero calls 15 BB

Turn: (73 BB, 2 players) 6:spade:
Hero checks, BB checks

River: (73 BB, 2 players) Q:diamond:
Hero checks, BB bets 38 BB, Hero ?

I honestly got scared when I got 4 bet there. I also thought to myself what purpose does a 5 bet have? He folds everything but aces surely. Then that flop comes and I am thinking AK damn. However it's obvious it's not AK when he checks the turn after the small flop bet. It can't possibly be AA either surely why would he miss value like that? Then the river comes and I am like surely QQ?

The river bet seems to further reinforce that. Is there any point in calling? Why would he bet JJ when I already called the flop?

Calling the river is a separate decision I also would really like to know if you guys would have 5 bet pre and how much? And then if you got called how do you proceed with that flop?

 

[Trabendo_daze]

I think a 5bet to a solid player is pretty transparently KK or AA. You're in position with the second best hand in poker, and calling might disguise it a little. I think the call is fine. Flop is well played. Turn is well played I think. I fold river. This smells of AK or maybe AA. Probably AK. I often check the turn with top pair when I have a good read on my opponent and there aren't a ton of draws out there. I'm only going to get 2 streets of value, checking might induce a bluff on the river, and disguises my hand. Honestly I'm folding river I don't think he plays JJ or TT like this

 

[Thinker_145]

I think a 5bet to a solid player is pretty transparently KK or AA. You're in position with the second best hand in poker, and calling might disguise it a little. I think the call is fine. Flop is well played. Turn is well played I think. I fold river. This smells of AK or maybe AA. Probably AK. I often check the turn with top pair when I have a good read on my opponent and there aren't a ton of draws out there. I'm only going to get 2 streets of value, checking might induce a bluff on the river, and disguises my hand. Honestly I'm folding river I don't think he plays JJ or TT like this

I am out of position.

 

[Trabendo_daze]

Oh whoops sorry man. Hm 4betting is still so strong that I don't mind callihg and treading carefully on A high flops like you did. River remains a fold I think.

 

[Thinker_145]

About the AK part well I am very certain he doesn't have it because he made a very small bet on the flop which is unusual of him and then to check turn is missing too much value. And he would pretty much never play AA in such a comically undervalued manner.

 

[IPlay]

Think we can fold and feel pretty good about it.

 

[Trabendo_daze]

I think this line makes sense for AK if he puts you on KK or JJ or TT, doesn't it? Sure his bets could be bigger, but as far as when he's betting, AK checks out. QQ is also a possibility, as sometimes people bet a little amount when they have something meh. However, this guy's stats, which are decent, seem to imply that he wouldn't do something so weird. If he reeeeeallly doesn't have AK, what're you putting him on?

 

[BPEPFPDP]

Prefer fold river in this spot, villain have very likely AA,AK,QQ mb, and you oop i don't like situations when we must do some hero call or what... and also 9k hands - I think a decent info.

 

[John A]

Your opponent has some solid stats, and I expect him to be trying to outplay people deep in a spot like this a decent amount of the time. Even at these stakes correct?

So his small 4-bet could literally be anything. I don't mind calling it of course. There's always the - I'm just folding everything else out logic. But I also like the 5-bet for value logic against someone I might want to be 5-bet bluffing this deep sometimes as well - especially at these stakes. I think you'll get him to start making some big mistakes.

Any ways... as played, call/fold is close on the river. I don't mind how you got to the river. I also don't mind just betting the turn since your opponent will have a wider range, he could have a # of pair, or pair/draw combos. I'd rather get value from those hands, and also narrow someone's bluffing river range when I'm not thrilled about trying to pick one off. The decider here for me in these kinds of spots is how valuable I think the info will be vs. a reg. If I'm really not sure what kind of lines he takes like this, I'm calling for info knowing I'll win at least some of the time as well. Otherwise I'm folding.

 

[Trabendo_daze]

+1 for calling for info. If you're hanging around this guy it'll allow you to see how wide his 4 bet range really is

 

[Thinker_145]

Your opponent has some solid stats, and I expect him to be trying to outplay people deep in a spot like this a decent amount of the time. Even at these stakes correct?

So his small 4-bet could literally be anything. I don't mind calling it of course. There's always the - I'm just folding everything else out logic. But I also like the 5-bet for value logic against someone I might want to be 5-bet bluffing this deep sometimes as well - especially at these stakes. I think you'll get him to start making some big mistakes.

Any ways... as played, call/fold is close on the river. I don't mind how you got to the river. I also don't mind just betting the turn since your opponent will have a wider range, he could have a # of pair, or pair/draw combos. I'd rather get value from those hands, and also narrow someone's bluffing river range when I'm not thrilled about trying to pick one off. The decider here for me in these kinds of spots is how valuable I think the info will be vs. a reg. If I'm really not sure what kind of lines he takes like this, I'm calling for info knowing I'll win at least some of the time as well. Otherwise I'm folding.

You are correct that these sort of regs don't simply play ABC against other regs. This guy actually goes out of the box quite often. However the 9k hands I have on him also include 20NL so this deep at 50NL I don't really have much history on him as it may seem.

 

[Figaroo2]

I don't think you can do much more here after the ace lands on the flop and then the Q on the river.as well. AK and AQs & QQ are a big part of most players range here.
Depends on how often he's 4 betting and what you've seen him show down. It's good that you have hands from the previous stakes, his ranges won't change very much.
I mean we just take what we can here without making any big mistakes right.

 

[6bet me]

I expect the villain to have a range of {AA, AK, AQ, QQ} here about 95% of the time, and maybe KK/JJ the other 5% of the time, so I'm definitely folding this river.

I like the way you played postflop and I don't hate the call preflop either, given the deep stacks. If I had a 100bb stack, I'd 5bet shove a range of {AK, KK, AA}, but with 250bb stacks, I'm usually flatting the 4bet with KK just like you did.

 

[c9h13no3]

NH, now flip a coin on the river, because I think call vs. fold is pretty neutral EV.

 

[TimovieMan]

I call this river, and then curse myself for calling this river when he shows me his QQ.

 

[John A]

I expect the villain to have a range of {AA, AK, AQ, QQ} here about 95% of the time, and maybe KK/JJ the other 5% of the time, so I'm definitely folding this river.

I like the way you played postflop and I don't hate the call preflop either, given the deep stacks. If I had a 100bb stack, I'd 5bet shove a range of {AK, KK, AA}, but with 250bb stacks, I'm usually flatting the 4bet with KK just like you did.

No, not this deep. That's not even close to an accurate range for a decent regular honestly.

 

[Aces2w1n]

Hmmm villain could be much much wider here being blind vs blind

We were able to get to a cheap showdown..
We enabled bluff in his range and he will b much weaker if we have a tight image thinking he can outplay us.

Blinds + image + small pot
Easy call if we are known to fold a lot

 

[Thinker_145]

I called and he showed QQ. This is one of the very rare hands where I held back with KK pre and I really felt bad that I allowed him to play the hand at his pace getting him there eventually.

Knowing my opponent there are really just 2 most likely outcomes if I 5 bet. I take the pot there or I take it down by betting the turn after the flop goes check/check.

I mean sure he got lucky on the river but he was never going to bluff had he missed since he had good showdown value and knows we are unlikely to fold a better hand. Basically a situation where we would win a smaller pot if our opponent doesn't suck out and lose a bigger one when he does or we don't get showdown. I understand this is inherently a limitation of being OOP but perhaps I should show more balls being deep stacked.

Would any one of you suggest a 5 bet/fold move here pre?