A very weak played open limps in the HJ 9 handed at my 1-3 table and I complete in the sb with T8o. The BB checks his option and the flop is 667r with $9 in the pot. I lead for $5, the BB folds, and the HJ calls. The turn is the jack of clubs putting out a flush draw. I bet again, this time, $8 into $17 (after rake). He calls. The river is an offsuit 5, making the board 667,J,5. I bet 14 into 33, he promptly declares "I missed," and folds. Missed what? I don't know. But I like my line and bet size. The 5 seems like a terrible card to bluff, and it is, but I think he has enough air that my bet size gives me a good price.

A good player opens to $11 in EP and I just call in MP with 99. The button, an older player, calls, as does the small blind. The flop is QT8r and the initial raiser checks to me. I fire $25 into $46, and get called by the button and the small blind. Here basically betting is slightly better than checking partially because I can't check-call, partially because I have a disincentive to see another card multiway, partially because I have some non zero equity versus a calling range and non zero showdown value. In any case the turn is a 7, so now I definitely have an incentive to see a river car. It checked through but I can call some bet sizes from the button should they stab at it. The river is an offsuit 4, there is no value in betting when it checks to me and the button decides to bet $35. The small blind folds, which is of note, and I think for a bit. I think he basically always has KJ or AJ here unless he slowplayed the flopped nuts. He can also have A9 I suppose. I made the call, he said good call, and showed KJ.

A few orbits later I made a similar play, bet flop, check turn, check-call river, against another older, but more tilty-loose player. I opened A8ss UTG but we were 7 handed for this hand (otherwise I would fold pre). He was my only caller on the button. The flop was T73 with 1 spade and I c-bet smallish, he calls. The turn is an offsuit 3, I check, he checks. The river is an offsuit 2. I check, he bets $40. One thing about loose players and live players and bad players is they possess the ability to represent strong hands that have been slowplayed in a lot of spots that good players can't. So they will sometimes check behind on wet turn cards where a bet seems necessary or not raise in spots that seem necessary. This wasn't a particularly wet board at all, but the point being that he can certainly have a lot of 3X type hands, and can certainly play those 3X type hands this way. So whereas there weren't too many clear value hands in the above hand my villain could be betting, here there were. Of course there are lots of missed draws especially for someone who can call with J8 on the flop or 45. I called and he showed 34o. So one bluff catch that went right, one that went wrong. In the one that went right he has very few value hands and a small number of specific bluffs, really just KJ and AJ. In the one that went wrong he has more value hands and a wider variety of bluffs.

Back at it today

Gareth