6max .25/.50NL top pair hand

[BIGandRICH]

i'm UTG with AQ, i raise to 4BB, folds back to the BB, who calls, He is a fish.

flop is Axx, flush draw.
I've just seen the fish call huge bets on a flush draw so i think i can make him pay here. I bet pot, he calls.

Turn doesnt bring flush so i'm still confident. I think he has either the draw or Aweak kicker. He bets min. $0.50, into $8, i raise AI.

my reasoning was this, if i bet the pot that leaves me with a pretty small stack if he calls, and i'd most likely call the remainder if the flush card hits anyway. He's a fish, so if he is chasing the flush then i think he'll pay the whole lot. also i think he'll pay me on A weak kicker so i go for it.

what you think of this? A wise move?

and whats with that 50c bet? does that mean something from the average fish, or are they just completely random?

[DimitriT]

I've seen the .50 bet on a draw from time to time. It must be a superstition or something. Pay off the poker gods to get your card???

The big bet is a little risky there. The problem is what if he's slow playing a monster rather than drawing. I like to bet the pot in this situation. You will spoil his odds and add about 25% in your favor. That seems to work for alot of cases.

[dsaxton]

How much did you go all-in for?

[BIGandRICH]

around $20, sorry i should have mentions that. .25/.50 tables on champs have max buyin of $25 (50BB)... i wouldve had around $10 left in a ~$30 pot if i'd pot bet.

[EricE]

I have seen the min bet a couple of ways. It can be used to detect if someone has a hand. I often semi bluff so people will min bet the turn if I bet on the flop. If I have a hand then I won’t let that min bet stand so I’ll raise it. At this point they know I have something. Similarly, it could be to illicite a response when they have a monster and they know you have something less. A min bet will entice a bet from you so they can min-bet-raise. Same as a check-raise.
The min bet could be a semi bluff. But it’s so weak it is hard to respect. Hehe.

I like the AI move if you think it reasonable he will call it. I think he will fold though. His min bet suggests he wants info and you just gave him what he needed.

[biondino]

The min raise confuses the poor player (it certainly confuses me). I read it as someone holding a semi-bluff or weak made hand and probing to see what others have. Some people with nowt will fold, but others will stay in the hand for 50p, thus adding a bit more to the pot. Players with a strong hand will be tempted to raise, thus giving the original raiser info for only 50p.

Of course, where this falls down is that a good player will probably see this as weakness and raise tactically if he believes it'll help him. But it confuses the fish, and at the level I play, they make up the majority of the table (again, me included, particularly on night's like yesterday ).

[BIGandRICH]

he called, showdown is.. I have AQ, pair of aces, he has AJ, a pair of aces.

Thanks for your input guys.

[Kiriath]

with so small stacks ( relative to the blinds ) id do that all in as well. ive seen minbets used in another way as well, and that is as blocking bets, like if the pot is 8$ and u bet the pot on the flop, he minbets the turn, this signifies somekind of monster normally since hes all of a sudden betting into a superagressive opponent. Ive seen lots of ppl fall for it, so instead of just reraising the pot like they should, they raise like 3$. And the blocking bet worked. Thats also why I like the allin, just show him u couldnt care less bout hes hollywood act, and push em in. Good play.