This a hand that came up last night in my .50/$1 nlhe home game. In this hand there was a $2 straddle. All players involved have >$200.

Pre flop

I am on the button with . A few players call the straddle to me. I raise to $7. I realize this is a marginal hand especially for a raise but I also know that the straddled will raise his straddle with atc and I think this hand is good enough to play in position. I decide it's better to be the aggressor here, hence the raise. Three players call.

Pot = ~$30
Flop

This is a pretty good flop for me. I have top pair good kicker and it is unlikely to have hit anybody else. Although I figure I am ahead almost any turn card will slow me down. I bet $25 hoping to get all players to fold. Planning to check behind on any turn except a king or an 8. Three players call.

Pot =~$130
Turn
It checks around to me. I decide my opponents range includes flush draws and pocket pairs. I consider a large bet to price out the flush draws but doing so would commit my entire stack with a marginal hand. I decide to check behind as planned and call or fold depending on the river.

Pot=~$130
River

Check to me. I doubt anyone would check a Q here since the turn was checked around. I decide to bet $50 to represent a Q. Obviously, no worse hand is going to call here. However, pocket pairs 99-jj will fold.

Comments?

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I liked the way you played the hand except for the river bet. I discount 99-JJ a little bit, many would raise you on the flop, especially if you're perceived to be an aggressive player. So while I think that you likely have the best hand, your hand is marginal but has showdown value. Problem with the river bet is that you will unlikely get a call from a worse hand, and I think 99-JJ will still look you up, much of the time. When you bet the flop, check the turn and bet the river, your hand looks a lot like AK or AJ where you raised pre, made a C-bet, checked the turn and now trying to steal the pot with a bet.

Next question is, what do you if you get raised? Answer.....you fold. So you're essentially taking your hand with some showdown value and turning it into a bluff.

Hope it worked out for you.

I am going to check this down, your hand looks a lot like a flush draw at this point. You C-bet, checked behind then bet. AQ is a possibility, but I am reraising you with air a lot and not folding anything that beats you. 99-JJ and I come along most time I think. If this was limit you go ahead and value bet it, but in no limit it is a lot tougher spot to bet. I agree, a bet turns your showdown value to a bluff. I'd happily show my 8 and hope it's good.

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I like the fact that you are river betting, although I would bet $35, as I think that is the max bet a weak 8, 7x, 44-66 will call you with. I am not afraid of any overpairs at this point. If you get raised then you saved $15 as you obviously can not call. Most calls are profitable, few are beating you.

Overall, I really like your logic and deductive reasoning.

I check behind on river with that many people in pot as your hand now has good showdown value and I don't see much value here as 99-JJ does not make sense for villains preflop and I don't want to reopen betting in a home game where people are more inclined to be tricky at least my friends play tricky against me often

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Depends on my image but I am probably bet/folding here. You could get called by worse. I think 99-JJ is an unlikely holding, you would have heard from them on the flop.
Bet-sizing is tough. I'm not sure you need to rep a Q. You would like to get called by someone who is suspicious you having a busted flush draw and trying to buy the pot. 35 or 40 might do the job.
Of course there is more history to come!
Had exact same hand at Excal 1/2 a while ago. 3 of us see the flop. It goes Check-Check I bet 2/3 pot and it goes Big Raise-CRAI. Raiser had 99, CRAI had TT. WTF??

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I don't like a river bet at all here. I think you have ONLY showdown value. 99-JJ is calling you here almost 100% of the time because your line doesn't make sense for a Q. I don't see any of your Vs having a smaller 8 or 55-66 either. Someone would've raised the flop with TP to reduce the field before the turn and small pairs just aren't calling often enough to make a bet profitable. Plus, you have three hands to consider. Any of them could be check-calling a random Q to avoid getting raised. Your check on the turn really hindered your river action. Just check and be happy with what is likely max-value from this pot. And you're saving money when you are beat. Either way I hope your play won the pot.

I disagree with your logic.

You're missing a big piece of the Vs ranges. You can't assume their range is just pairs, 7x and weaker 8s.

Their total range is

1) hands above....44-66, 7x, weaker 8. Will they call a river bet? Depends on the image of Krusherlaw. Higher percentage if Krusher is an aggressive player who has shown to try and steal pots on the river. But you can't assume that they will always call.........I will say a V would call a river bet is less than 50% here with a hand in that range.

2) drawing hands. Flush and straight draws all missed. They aren't calling, but they could raise you on a bluff. It's a good spot to checkraise. If they led out after check-calling the flop and checking the turn, their hand looks like a missed draw and it's going to get picked off.

3) A8, 99-JJ.....a bet isn't likely going to make these hands fold, especially a $35 bet giving the Vs 4-1 pot odds. They'll pick off enough bluffs and weaker hands to make it profitable. With Krusherlaw's $50 bet, I suspect this range will call about 75% of the time, maybe more if he's a LAG.

4) slowplaying a monster - very unlikely, but if so they're checkraising.

You need to balance winning an extra $35 from weaker made hands with losing to hands A8,99-JJ and losing by getting bluffed off the hand. I just don't see it being a profitable situation. Since you aren't calling if you get raised, don't put yourself in that spot. Just check the hand down. Also, if you had a real hand, would you bet $35 or would you bet more? I would bet $50-60 as a pure "value" bet. Betting $35 is silly since it makes your hand appear to be what it is....a scared marginal hand.

I would expect a two pair hand such as 78 to still be in it and unwilling to lay it down to anything but a shove.

With 4 players still in it, I see little +ev in betting here, unless you are perceived as a tight player, in which case you should prob bet big.

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I like betting bat $80 on the turn and folding to a raise. You likely have the best hand but you can easily dump it if you get check shoved on. Also, if you get called you'll likely get a free showdown as they'll check the river and you can check back. Plus you get value against draws.
As played, checked back bc 99-JJ always call, as well as A8, and not much worse will call in this spot I think.

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