small hand on ugly river

[couriermike]

Here's the general situation. You have a good but small hand, like an overpair or two pair, say. You raise preflop and get called, you bet a safe flop and get called, you 2barrel and get called. Now the river puts some funky backdoor 4-straight or 4-flush on the board. You don't think you're opponent could have called you down with any hand that just got there, but this is the micros and you don't know. How do you play the river? Do you keep betting, shut down, or just bet small? Betting the scary river almost turns our hand into a bluff, but if you don't bet, you might easily get bluffed. What's the play here?

PokerStars No-Limit Hold'em, $0.20 BB (6 handed) - Poker-Stars Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com

saw flop | saw showdown

MP ($14.25)
CO ($18.35)
Button ($21.10)
Hero (SB) ($27.65)
BB ($3.85)
UTG ($20.40)

Preflop: Hero is SB with ,
1 fold, MP calls $0.20, 2 folds, Hero bets $1, 1 fold, MP calls $0.80

Flop: ($2.20) , , (2 players)
Hero bets $1.50, MP calls $1.50

Turn: ($5.20) (2 players)
Hero bets $3.80, MP calls $3.80

River: ($12.80) (2 players)
Hero bets $12.80, MP calls $7.95 (All-In)

Total pot: $28.70 | Rake: $1.40

Results in white below:
Hero had K, K (one pair, Kings).
MP had A, 8 (straight, eight high).
Outcome: MP won $27.30

[couriermike]

Here are my thoughts, after the fact. With KK, I'd like to get all-in preflop, but my opponent has to raise me for that to happen and I don't control that. So, if he just calls pre, on a dry board, I should just pot it to protect my hand which is probably best, instead of trying to milk it and letting him make some one-card nut hand. So, I think my bet-sizes on all three postflop streets were wrong, and I probably should have potted the flop, bet big on the turn, and bet/folded kinda small on the river like 40% of pot. What do you think?

[Hornstar]

My opinion on this is that you played it fine except your bet sizing.

I do not see how you get away from this the way it was played. Villain could have 99-JJ, 7x or some other weird 1 pair hand. The fact he called the flop and turn with A8 is indicitive of why you are vbetting the flop and the turn. You were unlucky and he got there.

Personally I would have bet around $1.85 on the flop and $4.95 on the turn. That would leave him with $6.45 on the river and the pot being $15.80 and so you can easily get him allin on the river as he will find it difficult to fold getting 3.5-to-1.

As for bet/folding the river I can't see how thats an option in this hand as his stack is so small relative to the pot that you have to get it allin.

[pdfbq]

Did you tell hime he sucks?

[given1982]

This hand is played fine (including bet-sizing). Please leave out results if you want to get better comments on your hands.

[Padawan]

I agree with given here... bet sizing is fine... Things I ask myself is how much can I bet to make him call while still being able to get him all in by the river.... You accomplished that...

I would have immediately went into a storm of cuss words calling him the biggest donkey in the world and being so upset that... wait shit... he just left with my money... F!!! STUPID HIT AND RUNNERS... oh maybe I shouldnt have told him how dumb he is... oooops

Anyways... well played

[dansiek]

I dno bout u lot but i prefer a c/c on scary calls if u intended to bet anyways.
Gives villain a chance to bluff.