PokerCoaching.com Quiz: Getting Check-Raised On The River

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You are eight-handed in a $1,000 buy-in live poker tournament. With a stack of 650,000 at 7,500-15,000 in first position, you look down at A A and raise to 30,000. Only a loose, aggressive player (LAG) in the big blind calls. The flop comes 9 7 3 and the big blind checks.

Question 1: Should you check, bet 20,000, bet 40,000, or bet 80,000?

Answer: This flop is excellent for your opponent’s range. You could check and induce them to bluff on many turns, but given the big blind’s range connectivity, it is better to bet and get money in the pot immediately. Bet a reasonable size, but avoid betting too big because it may cause your opponent to fold their marginal hands.

You bet 40,000 and your opponent calls. The turn is the 7 and your opponent leads for 40,000.

Question 2: Should you fold, call, raise to 100,000, or go all-in?

Answer: By leading, your opponent is essentially saying they have a premium made hand like three of a kind, or a draw. Some opponents may alternatively lead with their entire range because they have way more trips in their range than you do.

With pocket aces, you do not need to raise because your hand is decently protected against the various draws because they cannot improve to one pair to win (such as when 10-8 hits a ten on the river). GTO prefers raising top pair and worse overpairs that are vulnerable to getting outdrawn, such as 10-10 and A-9.

As an added bonus, when draws get there on the river, by calling the turn, you prevent yourself from getting stacked.

You call and the river is the 10. Your opponent checks.

Question 3: Should you check, bet 75,000, bet 150,000, or bet 225,000?

Answer: Assessing your opponent’s checking range, they likely have a ten or nine. If they had a seven, they would usually bet due to the fear of missing value when you check it back. While they could have some full houses and trips, your hand is strong enough to value bet.

A common trait amongst LAGS is that they do not like folding top pair on the river. Targeting paired tens and nines, bet 225,000 and expect to get called most of the time. 

You bet 225,000. Your opponent thinks for 30 seconds, then min-raises to 450,000.

Question 4: Should you fold, call, or go all-in?

Answer: Against a LAG, your opponent may put you on an overpair and be trying to bluff you off of it. The hands your opponent would most likely turn into a bluff are paired tens and nines because they block full houses.

If you suspect your opponent sees you as a calling station and is attempting to extract value with a boat, you should consider folding. However, being offered amazing pot odds, your opponent only has to be bluffing one out of five times for calling to be profitable.

Of course, if your opponent rarely or never bluffs in this spot, make the easy fold, but because your opponent is a LAG, make the crying call and hope to be shown a bluff.

You call your opponent’s check-raise and they flip over 8 8. By correctly assessing your opponent’s playstyle, you navigated some tricky spots and extracted a ton of value. ♠

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