When a Calling Station Makes a Move

blueskies

blueskies

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I just played this hand like an hr ago on BOL 10NL 6-max. It turns out calling stations don't always just call.

I was on a table with Sir Limpsalot, he was three seats to my left, so when I am BTN he's UTG. He loves to limp.

A bit before the hand in question, he limped UTG with 93 suited and I raised him with ATos. I cbet once and he called with a flush draw. It was then checked down with me winning with ace high.

This time he limped again from UTG and I raised him with AJos from BTN. Flop's K23 rainbow. He chk and calls my cbet. Turn's a 6h and there's no flush draws as all suits are diff. He chk calls me again.

I bet again because he had seen me slow down if I missed, so I am trying hard to rep the K.

River's an A. He surprises me by leading out with about a 2/3 pot bet. Really it looks like he hit two pairs with A2 or A3 and didn't want me to check behind with a K. That's what it looked like. If this is a better player I likely would have folded, but having seen how he plays, I felt he doesn't necessarily make moves that make sense. I was on the fence but called.

Dude had T5 suited... floated me OOP with nothing. Turned a gutshot draw and then tried to rep an A to try to push me off my K.

Twas not a bad try because given his previous style, it really did look like he got a great river card and was value betting. So don't assume all calling stations only call and don't bluff.
 
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fundiver199

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River donk bets on cards, that should not have helped the out of position player very often, are often bluffs. In this case no draws completed on the river, so as you say, he is mostly representing some weird two pair like A2 or A3. Its not a very convincing story, after he called you twice, so I would certainly not be folding top pair to this donk bet. Of course calling with AJ is kind of easy, and it would be a more difficult spot, if we had KQ or KJ. But even then I would still consider calling, because I think, you will see some crazy hand like the one, he had, often enough in the micros. As for the rest of the hand I think, its fine, but I might have selected to check back turn.
 
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