by Cornholio
How to extract maximum value on the river when not having the initiative? This article shows you three commented sample hands which are concerned with the fundamental idea of the river play without initiative. In every example we hold a strong hand and it's just a question of how to extract the most value in the last betting round.
Hand 1
Pre-flop: (6 players) Hero is CO with Q♣ J♥
UTG (poster) checks, UTG+1 folds, Hero raises, Button 3-bets, 1 folds, BB calls, UTG calls, Hero calls.
Flop: K♠ T♦ 2♥
BB checks, UTG checks, Hero checks, Button checks.
Turn: 8♦
BB checks, UTG checks, Hero checks, Button checks.
River: A♥
BB checks, UTG checks, Hero checks, Button bets, BB folds, UTG calls, Hero raises, Button calls, UTG calls.
Hero tries to isolate a blind-poster with QJ and the button 3bets.
The flop brings an OESD for hero and 3 players are in the pot. A donk bet doesn't make sense since we can't expect enough fold equity against all players and it's only a bet for value when all three opponents would call our bet. Hence we check and will decide, depending on the action, whether we play passive or raise.
We could raise either for fold equity when all are folding to the PFA's bet or for value when all opponents are calling. Unusually though, the PFA checks behind. We can be relatively sure that he holds no pairs because he would have protected them. It remains almost only ace high (AJ or AQ in particular) or sometimes the nuts which he is slowplaying.
On the turn we again decide not to donk since we can't expect enough fold equity against 3 players.
On the river we hit the nuts. Normally, we would bet into our opponents in order to avoid a freeSD, but we can expect more value with a check/raise.
As noticed earlier, the most likely hand of the button is A high since he checks behind twice. That means he will call our donk bet only for overcall, however, if we check, he will bet for value, might also trapping the other players and we can raise the whole field for value.
A donk bet might only be a good choice when he has hands within his range with which he would call a donk and at the same time wouldn't bet for value. But this is hard to imagine.
Hand 2
Villain: TAG
Pre-flop: (6 players) Hero is SB with A♠, 7♣
2 folds, CO raises, 1 folds, Hero 3-bets, CO caps, Hero calls.
Flop: 5♠, 9♥, A♣
Hero checks, CO bets, Hero calls.
Turn: 2♥
Hero checks, CO checks.
River: 3♣
Hero checks, CO bets, Hero raises, CO calls.
Here, Hero is OOP without initiative on a dry board with TopPair against a preflop capper.
On the flop we are planning with a Way Ahead/Way Behind situation for well-known reasons. Villain checks behind on the turn though. What's his hand range and what kind of play follows on the river?
We can surely rule out all hands with an ace since he would have bet for value on the turn as well as on the river. Furthermore it's not a hand without a pair since he wouldn't cap KQ or lower from the CO.
For this reason he almost always holds TT-KK with which he may call a river bet, but we also have a fair chance that he is going to bet for value versus smaller pockets, MidPairs etc. Because he must assume that we would donk the river with an A, thus he feels ahead and we get an extra bet with a c/r.
Against weak opponents you should donk on the river by all means.
Hand 3
Villain: Tag
Pre-flop: (6 players) Hero is CO with T♣ Q♥
2 folds, Hero raises, 2 folds, BB calls.
Flop: 5♠ 2♥ 8♥ (4.33SB, 2 players)
BB checks, Hero bets, BB raises, Hero calls.
Turn: T♥ (4.17BB, 2 players)
BB bets, Hero raises, BB 3-bets, Hero calls.
River: 3♥ (10.17BB, 2 players)
BB bets, Hero raises, BB calls.
Heros play on the flop is standard. First a contibet and then a call for our outs. Villain will check/raise every made hand, every flush draw and straight draw as well.
On the turn we are ahead against many hands and furthermore, we hold the 3rd nut flush draw. That's why we raise for value and call a 3bet with the intention to make a Crying Call on the river when we not improve.
However, the river makes us a flush and now we have a close decision between a call and a raise. A call would avoid a 3bet from better hands, nevertheless we should raise for value here! After his 3bet on the turn, we are ahead against most of the hands within his hand range: Most of the flushes, sets and two pairs as well. Since he would almost never 3bet an A or K-high flushdraw on the turn, only a turned nut or 2nd nut flush can beat us which is just a small part of his range. -> raise/call river.
