Part: Part Seven - Betting on Fourth and Fifth Street
Respecting a river raise
River
You raised pre with A♥J♥, bet the J♦ 8♠ 4♣ flop and the A♣ turn (making top two pair), and were called twice. River 6♥ - the big blind checks again.
Top two pair, aces and jacks, on the river; he checks. Best?
WhyBet for value. Top two pair is strong and a check-caller often has a worse ace, a jack, or a busted draw that pays - bet to get value on fifth street.
What happensYou bet 3,500; he check-raises all-in to 14,000.
Decision
After you value-bet, he check-raises all-in on the river.
Your value bet got check-raised all-in. With top two pair, best?
WhyFold. A river check-raise - especially all-in - almost never is a bluff: it represents a straight (5-7 or 7-5 fills the 8-and-4 with the 6), a set, or a better two pair, all of which beat you. Top two pair is a great hand, but river raises demand a hand that beats a straight. Without a specific read that he bluffs here, this is a clean fold.
What happensYou fold; he shows 7-5 for the rivered straight. Respecting the raise saved your stack.
You value-bet top two pair, but when a check-raise jammed the river you folded - fifth-street raises are rarely bluffs, and a straight had just gotten there. Knowing when your strong hand is beaten is the last skill of betting on fifth street.
Respect river raises - they are rarely bluffs; fold strong-but-not-nut hands to fifth-street aggression unless you have a specific read.