The One-Card Nuts

Earlier tonight I had a hand that played out like this:

One guy raises preflop, I call with AQ in LP, and the BB calls.

Flop: A 3 J

Turn: A

River: J

So obviously you assume this is a split pot, unless JJ is out. Anyway, the BB had just been calling all bets, then on the river he raises the $2 bet to $7 and I just call, not trying to feed the rake.

He shows down 33.

So my question is: do you guys always reraise there, just in case? Or will you end up giving more than you get to the rake (and the occasional JJ)?

Originally Posted by sejje

So my question is: do you guys always reraise there, just in case?

Yes. Always. I'm not worried so much about the rake as I am about missing a bet.

Later tonight, this guy gave me his whole stack with this same general idea:

The board was double paired, and he had a flush. And he RAISED my bet, all-in! I was almost scared he had paired his kicker higher, but I did my duty and called anyway.

Some novices are so involved with making their hand that when they make it, they're so excited they forget to stop and read the board for better hands.

Don't give the suckers too much credit.

raise it, you don't know what crap they have.you at least have to do it on the chance they have the sucker full house, if you can call it that.

Technically, you didn't have the nuts...that's JJ.

I think it's correct not to worry about that though and bet it.

Originally Posted by JeffreyGB

I think it's correct not to worry about that though and bet it.

That's the peculiar thing. It seems that he was more concerned about feeding the rake with what he assumed was a split pot than betting into the nuts. That's something I never think about (unless the nuts is on the board and everyone's playing it).

I mentioned right in my post about paying the rake and put in parentheses "(and the occasional JJ)."

I know it wasn't the NUTS, but I think it's close enough for this discussion.

I don't know how often you lose all your money there to JJ, but it sure as hell isn't very often.

The rake can only do a minimal amount of damage compared to what you can win. If the board shows AKQJ9 and i'm holding a 10, I'm pushing all-in in the end. If i get rake-raped, so be it. I'm looking for AK to call or some set to think they're winning

I also have held bets out of concern for the rake.

This began when I had to call an all in to get my half back on a A7777 board. Annoying. Since then, it's lingered in the back of my mind during certain hands like on a KQJTx board with no flush.

I'm glad sejje posted this question. Makes me realize this concern for the rake needs to be extracted from my play. Thanks!

I will often bet when I can't beat the board, but i am pretty sure my opponent can't either. (for example a small straight with no flush possible) This seems to be +EV since the few times they fold more than make up for the chance that I am beat, or the effect of the rake.

Originally Posted by sejje

So my question is: do you guys always reraise there, just in case? Or will you end up giving more than you get to the rake (and the occasional JJ)?

No. Unless he's an idiot, he isn't going to call a raise on the river with anything less than aces full (or quad jacks of course, in which case he'll raise), so there's really no value in the raise. Just hope that he was stupid enough to bet jacks full on the river and call him. Also, you force him to show down his hand if he was bluffing.

The rake is like taxes; do you worry about earning income through your day job because you have to pay taxes on it?