Please consider the following situation, and tell me where you usually put on the brakes in a full limit ring game. Is it on the flop, the turn, the river, or never?
Say you are in a tough 5-10 or 10-20 game. You have AKo in a middle position. You raise, and only the bigblind calls. Bigblind is a good player who is not too loose but is capable of bluffing.
Flop comes J 9 5 rainbow.
Bigblind checks. Do you bet, or put on the brakes?
If you bet, and he calls, and a 4 comes off (still rainbow), BigBlind checks, do you bet, or put on the brakes here?
You bet, he calls, and the river is a 2. He checks. Bet on the river, or put on the brakes?
I know every situation is different. But I have a feeling that everyone has a spot that they find themselves putting on the brakes most often. Any responses?
I would leave the game if possible.
My default play is bet, bet, check the river unless I improve. The beauty of playing like that is if you river an ace or king you get the extra bet, you aren't giving any free cards to draws and sometimes a worse hand without a draw will call and a better hand will fold. But you have to mix it up. If your opponent likes to bluff, I might check the turn and call down on the river, unless another card in the zone fell(Q,10 or 8).
I think I'd bet-bet check as well most of the time. If he raises along the way I'd probably fold, but read Rformans post in the quiz thread. Knowing when to bet and when to fold in these situations is an artform.
Also you should consider the likeliness that he's holding a draw. This is determined by the flop, and how he has played previously.
I would play the same way in limit. But would you apply the bet, bet, check method in NL as well? Say in a tournament situation?
I played in a 200 player tournament last week and even though some cards came my way early, I just could NOT hit a flop to save my life. The times when I was first to act and checked, the other guy bet so I folded. This exact situation we are discussing here has stuck in my head since then.
So in a NL tourny, If I have a hand (AK, AQs etc.) but miss the flop and the flop has no draws, do I bet into it if first to act? If I am second to act and it is checked to me I will surely check as well but if it is bet to me should I fold? I have been very confident about my play but after busting out around 100th last week and never having a comortable stack I am wondering if it was my play in situations like these or just not hitting flops that caused me to bust early.
I would bet the flop, check the turn, then call if he bets, or check it down...this way, you m ay induce bluff and get an extra bet that way, and you are still betting the same ammount in the bet, bet check scenario...also, I might bet the river if Ichecked the turn...maybe he will fold something like 5's thinking I have something like 9's and was worried about theovercads on the turn, now I'm responding to two checks...
