Raise for value or call?

[zenbitz]

Full Tilt Poker Game #1522163902: Table Buck Creek - $0.25/$0.50 - No Limit Hold'em - 23:17:47 ET - 2007/01/02
Seat 1: dumblawned ($53.45)
Seat 2: Ham77mer ($49)
Seat 3: JAKE20000 ($27.25)
Seat 4: flop412 ($6.30)
Seat 5: JTB012 ($50)
Seat 6: DallasDog ($36.35)
Seat 7: Bogfrog ($52.80)
Seat 8: zenbitz ($49.95)
Seat 9: Johnny Slippy ($61.55), is sitting out
Ham77mer posts the small blind of $0.25
JAKE20000 posts the big blind of $0.50
The button is in seat #1
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to zenbitz [Qs 9d]
flop412 folds
DallasDog folds
Bogfrog folds
zenbitz raises to $1.50
dumblawned folds
Ham77mer calls $1.25
JAKE20000 calls $1
*** FLOP *** [5d Jh 9c]
Ham77mer checks
JAKE20000 checks
zenbitz checks
*** TURN *** [5d Jh 9c] [Td]
Ham77mer bets $3.50
JAKE20000 folds
zenbitz has 15 seconds left to act
zenbitz calls $3.50
*** RIVER *** [5d Jh 9c Td] [Kd]
Ham77mer bets $7
zenbitz ???

PFR is just a feeler not a standard play, new to table.

[martindcx1e]

looks like a pretty good flop to cbet on. i'd call the river.

[freechus9]

Call. He's not going to call you with anything other than a Q if you raise, and if you raise he might call you with the nuts. Raising gets you nothing more than calling, and calling is a lot safer.

[zook]

I bet the flop. As played I think I call the river for reasons stated above. A raise only gets called by hands that tie or beat you. I think JT finds a fold, unless he's horrible.

[zenbitz]

I talked myself into checking flop here here because of the two villians, somewhat wet board, and 2nd pair giving me some showdown value. Plus no reads, and keep the pot small.

On the river I figure he has a weak J or strong T, and might call if I raise... so I bumped it to $20. I was right, sort of. He had J8d FTW.

[mixchange]

Calling on the river if you don't have the nuts is usually good advice...in fact hearing the advice on this board has saved me more money than anything. Hands you have beat won't be calling your big raise but hands that do beat you will call or worse, re-raise.

I play the river safely now. Maybe I lose a couple dollars of value on hands, but I prevent myself from having to make a big call and lose a significantly bigger pot.

[martindcx1e]

I talked myself into checking flop here here because of the two villians, somewhat wet board...

they only get slightly drier