08- 4-04, LearnTexasHoldem:
Betting AK unimproved to the river
I WAS ON FIRST POSITION WITH AKs .I REISED .I HAD 2 CALLERS BEHIND ME. FLOP WAS 10 4 9.I BET AGAIN PLAYER BEHIND ME FOLDED ANOTHER ONE CALLED.TURN WAS 4 AND I BET AGAIN HOPPING TO TAKE POT RIGTH THERE. UNFORTUNATELY HE CALLED.RIVER WAS J AND I BET AGAIN. HE CALLED AND SHOW PAIR OF 2.I WAS PLAYING AGRESIVE TRYING TO GET THAT PLAYER TO FOLD.SHOULD I PLAYED DIFFERENTLY????
THANK YOU
BRIAN
Top 3 Beginner Rooms
Answer: That's a tough question. What you'll find at the middle limits and above are players who use similar moves to what you just mentioned; they will raise preflop and bet the river if heads up regardless if they catch a pair or not. The hopes are that either the person will fold a smaller hand or they will catch the A or K by the river to win.
I consider that type of play to be a weakness unless it is used sparingly. To know whether it was correct in your situation you have to ask a couple questions. Number one, would this person call you down with no pair at all? If that was the case then you probably are correct in betting it the whole way because it was equally likely that they didn't have a pair yet and you had the best hand.
That reasoning can cut both ways though because if the person is a really poor player that you know will call to the river with anything, then why bet. So my logic is usually like this, if it is a good player and the flop looks pretty ragged I will keep betting. I do that because they are capable of folding a small pair. On the other hand if it is a really bad player that will call down with anything then I'll try to see the river as cheaply as possible.
Ideally you'll have position on them so you could bet the flop and see the turn and river for free. That seems like wimpy poker but this scenario comes up so often that I save a bunch of chips by not pushing AK all the time. There are games where you will bet the hand down so future hands you'll get action but with a game like you've been talking about, getting action on your good hands isn't an issue.
Your rating:
Click on the clover of your choiceTop 5 Poker Rooms
| Colt Poker Free $10 | Read Review |
|---|---|
| Cake Poker Free $10 | Read Review |
| Minted Poker | Read Review |
| Poker Stars | Read Review |
| 888poker | Read Review |
