becoming a calling station when trying to detect a bluff..

this has happened twice to me recently where the villain would raise oop preflop and i would either reraise or call with AQ. the flop would come A high and i would bet pot and he would call. on the turn he would hit his set and go nuts with betting and id just go into check/call mode because his pattern made no sense.

basically, is it wrong for me to go into check/call when i sense that somebodys betting pattern doesnt make sense and my hand is fairly strong.

Either that or check/fold pattern. This was discussed in HoH about how when you dont see patterns or something unusual comes up, be very careful and the best way is to check/call or check/fold it.

He isnt always going to hit 2 outers....just keep doing what you're doing.

Generally speaking, people don't bluff into strength. From what you described, you aren't exactly crying out that you're weak. Without a solid read, top pair is typically an easy lay down for me when people are coming over the top of me in a cash game.

If he check raised you on the turn, then you definitely should have folded unless he's a total maniac. But it's a tough decision when they bet into you on the turn if all they did was check call the flop. It's a really strange bet when a blank comes out on the turn. For me it's just a matter of reads plus the "how much is this hand going to cost me" decision. With two deep stacks against an aggressive player, I don't want to call a large bet on the turn and then call an even bigger bet on the river when I might be drawing dead. Better to let them do their strange bluff on you. Almost always, it's not a bluff unless they bet small. If they bet around the same amount that you would have bet, that may warrant a call. Sometimes they have top pair and a weaker kicker and they don't believe your cont bet and don't want to give you a free card. For that reason, you may want to call.

i like the defensive pot-control idea. i think im going to think about how much the hand will cost me to showdown more than any other factor.

thankz for da help.

Originally Posted by journey075

i like the defensive pot-control idea. i think im going to think about how much the hand will cost me to showdown more than any other factor.

thankz for da help.

Reverse implied odds and respect are the equation. The biggest leak in a new players game is the inability to detect a better hand and fold for a better opportunity.

Always respect a raise on late streets unless you have a specific reason not to. Think about what he thinks you have, and then think about how he knows he's beating what he thinks you have. That's it.