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Bet size too small ?
empty_seat
I have top pair top kicker, but opponent won't go away and I get beat on the river
Comments
3/4 pot bet UTG called by SB. Post flop, SB bets $130. I raise to $340 and get called. Turn, I bet $550 and get called again. River, Didn't expect it to go this far, but I'm all in for another $552. Opponent makes 2 pair on river.
I'd prefer a larger open, especially from EP. Maybe this guy still flats from the SB but if he is going to make plays like this, charge him for it and you are auto-profiting every time he does. When he donks into you here, I'd raise stronger than you did, say to $450 or so. He is still calling you and still with the worst of it so that's fine. On the turn, you only have a little more than a pot sized bet left so IMO its shove or check. His check would scream weakness, like TP weak kicker or a missed draw, like 6/7. I want to punish someone in this spot and since I only have 1 bet of ammo left, I need to decide how best to deploy it. VS TP, I want a call and vs a draw, I want to charge as much as I can get away with or force him to fold his equity. For both these reasons, I'd choose to shove on the turn. If he calls and spikes a 2nd pair or makes his straight, well good for him. Make a note that he's a calling station and get your chips back with interest as the session goes on.
I may have played this a little differently. EP raise around $80. I know it's a lot but in my experience big hands are better off with big raises. If everyone folds so be it, you're still better off than getting a call from a rinky-dink hand like Q9 suited which can mean trouble if it hits. Would have flat called the $130 bet instead of raising. A flop bet into a raiser (you in this case) can mean real strength like in this case 44, 55 for a set or possibly pocket KK or AA (AA might have triggered a reraise preflop but may be not KK since you're you were the UTG aggressor). Would have probably checked back the turn, being wary of a check-raise, against which I would have instantly folded. This might all sound very passive but I don't like to see a lot of resistance when I just hold top pair, so I like to slow down the betting to keep the pot small. Finally the river shove in my opinion is unnecessary. While it's unlikely that he's got a flush, your hand has become more of a bluff catcher anyway, so if he's weak you'll grab the pot anyway and if he has you beat then you save yourself the remainder of your stack. Now, if you are going to play it hard like you did, you might as well shove the turn, as 1warlock suggested, as you were pretty much pot committed anyway. That's my very humble opinion of course.