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Browse > Home / Poker Blogs / Check or Bet the River?

Check or Bet the River?

July 22, 2008

So here was an interesting cash game hand I played within the past week or so, and I was wondering what you guys think about me betting or checking on the river. The game was $2-$4 no-limit holdem, and it was just myself and one other player sitting at a shorthanded table. I was up a little bit over the past ten minutes or so that our heads-up battle had been going on, and I had been playing a fairly aggressive style of nlh that I think is required in any heads-up situation. I looked down to see 74o, with which I completed the big blind and we saw a cheap flop of 356 rainbow. Bingo!! Gotta love those flopped straights, unless you're this guy.

I decided to bet out the full size of the pot ($8) into this coordinated board, which I had done several times during our heads-up session already, and he quickly called my bet. Then when a harmless-looking King♥ fell on the turn, I followed the pattern I had used previously when I was just c-betting with air, and I checked to my opponent to see if he would bet for me:



Which he did:



Here I opted to just call, again figuring this guy had me on a c-bet on the flop and basically on air once I checked the turn after he called my flop c-bet. If you read here you know I use this move all the time, and checking the turn when I am actually strong after having my c-bet called on the flop is a crucial piece of my overall poker strategy because it helps to balance out all those other c-bets I make where I really do have air and have to give it up with a check-fold on the turn. I can't let any opponent believe that every time I check the turn after betting the flop, I am automatically weak. But if I'm going to c-bet as actively as I like to do, then I need to check the turn sometimes when I'm actually strong after those c-bets to keep all of my opponents honest.

So I smooth called here with the flopped straight, and then the river fell a somewhat annoying Queen♥. Not that I was all that afraid of the runner runner scenario, but the river did bring a third heart and did make the flush possible in a spot where otherwise I had flopped the stone joint and had had the nuts all the way through the hand up to that point. Naturally this is the risk I take when I do opt to check-call the turn instead of raising this mofo out of the pot when I have the chance without seeing the river card, so I can't complain too much when it does happen.

So my question for you is: Do you bet out here? Big or small? Or do you check, and hope he checks behind? Or do you check, with the intent of check-raising? What's the best line here to maximize your profit and minimize your losses? Is he even likely to bet the river if you do check?

Let me know your thoughts and I'll be back tomorrow with what I did.

And don't forget the Mookie tonight at 10pm ET on full tilt. Sure most of the blonkaments are suffering from the summer doldrums as usual these days, but the Mook is still the shizz every Wednesday night. So be there or be squizzare and I will see you then.

Written by Hammer Player a.k.a Hoyazo | Filed Under Poker Blogs |  

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