To bet the turn or not
Was playing in AC yesterday in a 7 handed live 1/2 NL Hold'em cash game. I'm in middle position and get K J of diamond. Everyone folds to the guy on my right who limps in. It's a typical 1/2 game, but not a lot of takers following a raise so I decided to raise to10 $. Only the SB calls my raise, making it heads up. The flop comes J 9 3 rainbow. I bet $25 and she calls. The turn card is a 10 , putting 2 spades on the board. It gives me a gut shot straight draw, with a total of 7 outs to improve my hand, without counting the 2 outs in spade,in case she has a flush draw. The river is the queen of clubs, completing my straight and leaving the board flushless. she goes all in, I call and the turns over A 2 of heart. I show my straight and win the pot. Nice outcome but did I really play this right ? should I have checked the turn instead of betting? It never even occurred tome that she could have caught a small set. so in the end I feel that I was just lucky. Thoughts anyone?
Comments
I wasn't 100% clear from your post. She checked the turn, you checked behind, and then she shoved the river? You also didn't mention the amount of the shove. But as it worked out, whatever that amount was, you probably wouldn't have gotten had you bet. I don't see how she calls another bet on the turn with her hand, since all of her backdoor draws were dead (I am assuming a heart on the flop, leaving her needing runner-runner to make a flush or a straight at that point.)
With a J, 9, and 10 all out there, you'd have to be a little concerned about her having two pair. However, with her checking to you with the various drawing combinations that were out there, I think I'd have bet the turn to keep her from getting a free card, and also to see if I could figure out where I am. With top pair, an overcard kicker, and a draw, I'd like to charge her to draw. And I would like to avoid the situation you had on the river, where a scary card comes and she shoves after seeming to be on a draw. Had you not had the king, she'd have folded you out of the best hand there.
But I tend to bet to much when I should check. So sometimes she might check-raise me if I bet the turn. Then I think I am beat, and I fold the best hand.
I bet $25 on the flop, she called, then, I bet $40 on the turn, she called. Then I hit my straight on the river. She shoved right then, giving me an easy call and win. But I'm not sure I should have bet the turn after her calling my pot size raise on the flop... you're right though, if the Queen doesn't come on the river and she shoves I certainly fold. So, I guess I was just lucky to see my hand improve so much on the river. Or did I make my own luck in some way?
Yeah, I thought you were saying that you did not bet on the turn. I am not really following her line here, unless she just liked you and wanted to give you some chips.
Or she thought I was bluffing all the way
I play with people in the bar league who will hold an ace to the river no matter what.
Regarding your turn bet, the question I would ask you is this:
When you bet that $40 into a ~$70 pot, did you have a reasonable expectation of either (a) being called by a worse hand (which is apparently what happened in your case) or (b) getting a made hand better than yours (e.g., if your opponent held A-J, Q-Q, etc.) to fold?
I certainly don't think you were getting your opponent to lay down a better made hand than your K-J. But if you though she'd call with J-x (x not A, 10, 9 or 3) or maybe like 9-8 where she has a pair of nines and turned the straight draw (provided here that you were making her pay enough to chase the straight draw such that you were getting positive equity if she calls), or was just crazy (which she apparently was), then you could justify the bet.
I think either way is OK. I like betting the turn just in case the person is on a draw so you do not let them get there for free and also your putting money in the pot when your ahead.
If you did check the turn sometimes that lets them think you made a continuation bet on the flop and now you gave up on the turn so they bluff bet the river and you call and make some extra money from them. If I know the player is aggressive and will bluff the river if I check the turn then I will check it. If the person is kind of straight forward then I will bet the turn if I think I am ahead or check the turn if I feel i am behind.