Views from the Rail

Usually when I hear these six words my first thought is: Terrible.

Here's a spot where I regretted not turning my hand into a bluff on the river. I'll post the hh then analyze the hand.

BB is Tryptamean, a solid regular at mid/high stakes

SB is the reason I'm in the game. I don't know much about him, but he seems somewhat erratic so far.

Poker Stars $30.00/$60 Limit Hold'em - 4 players - View hand 718055
The Official DeucesCracked.com Hand History Converter

Pre Flop: (1.5 SB) Hero is CO with 5 5
Hero raises, 1 fold, SB calls, BB calls

Flop: (6 SB) 7 2 3 (3 players)
SB bets, BB raises, Hero calls, SB calls

Turn: (6 BB) A (3 players)
SB checks, BB bets, Hero calls, SB calls

River: (9 BB) 6 (3 players)
SB checks, BB bets

Final Pot: 9 BB

First of all, I feel as though the flop merits some discussion. I don't think folding is a very good option as I think Trypa's range includes pretty much any draw or pair with which he wants to continue. There are some exceptions that are probably pretty close (the nut flush draw springs to mind), but his range is incredibly wide in this spot.

Now the question becomes, is there value in a 3bet? I'd say that on first glance, it appears that it's a viable option, and it may very well be. I elected to cold call because I felt as though SB was calling almost his entire donking range in this spot (weak tp, mp, bp, all draws), and my hand was worst than 33% against the combined ranged of Trpta and the SB. Of course if SB would fold any of that range, or if he would donk a hand like KJ and fold it, a threebet becomes very attractive indeed. However I felt as though either of those scenario were extremely unlikely so I decided to cold call.

The turn doesn't change much. In fact it's probably one of the safest cards in the deck since Trypta may not raise the nut flush draw in this spot 100% of the time.

The river is again an interesting spot. I folded at the time, but upon further reflection, think a raise is much better for the following reasons:

1. I have a hand that's near or at the bottom of my distribution. Every draw I could possibly have in this spot just came in. This hand that was the bottom of my bluff catching range just a moment ago has become pretty worthless in that capacity.

2. I can very credibly represent a draw, many of which just hit.

3. I hold 2 fives in my hand. This is one of the few spots where blockers seem important in LHE. Furthermore I have the 5 of hearts which adds a very small additional amount of value.

This is, I think, what separates me from the stronger players at my level. There are a few moments in a session where a better player would make the obvious best play every single time, where I think about them after I make the close but clear second best play.