Check-Raising the River After a Missed Turn Check-Raise (For Value)

Lets say you missed the turn check-raise because your opponent checked behind. What should your line be on a “scary” river? Go for the check-raise again.

Let’s go over the following example.
The Cut-Off open-raises to $4 and you call with 9s 8s from the SB.
The flop is Jh 8c 3c and you check-call a pot-sized bet.
The turn is a 9h. You check, and he checks behind.
The river is a Ks.
What is your action? Check or bet?

Check. Look at your line from his perspective. After your check-call the flop, your range is mostly Jx, 8x, straight draws and flush draws. You are probably check-raising the flop with AJ+ and strong combo draws to get more money in. The river is the perfect card for him to try to take down the pot against your range. Betting the river prevents him from bluffing with his air and missed draws. You are going to get value from AK/KQ by betting or checking. For these reasons, checking is infinitely better than betting. One argument for betting is that it protects the time you show up on the river with a missed draw and want to bluff at the pot. While this is true, considering that Your Opponent didn’t bet on the turn, he likely has ace-high and will fold to a river bet. As exploitable as that sounds, that’s how players play.

Posted by Joel on Jul 29 2010. Filed under Poker Strategy. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry