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When you are Raised on the River

When you are Raised on the River Only the most loose, aggressive, thinking opponents will even consider raising the river without a strong hand. In fact, I can’t remember the last time I raised the river as a bluff, simply because people call too often. When a player raises the river, you are almost always looking at a very premium hand. But from time to time, you will be shown a stone bluff. A standard opponent will most likely raise the river as a bluff when he flops a strong draw and misses. He is usually upset that he had so much value and it turned into nothing. Because of this, he goes crazy and raises the river. So, if the board contains one or more missed draws, I will be much more likely to call a river raise with a weaker holding. Say you raise A-J to 3BBs out of your 150BB stack from middle position and the small blind calls. The flop comes J-10-2. Your opponent checks, you bet 4BBs and he calls. The turn is the 3. Your opponent checks and you decide to pot-control by checking behind. The river is the 6. Your opponent checks, you bet 10BBs for value and he raises to 28BBs. I will usually call in this spot because the cards after the flop are unlikely to have helped my opponent’s range and he could easily have missed a draw.

Most opponents will go for a raise when they hit on the river,

Most opponents will go for a raise when they hit on the river, especially if they think you will bet. If the river is the 8 instead of a blank in the above example and your opponent checks, value-betting is an option, as he could easily have a hand like Q-J. If you bet and he raises, be quick to fold. If your opponent makes a donk lead on this river, you should also strongly consider folding, as he almost always has what he represents. As always, it is good to have a decent read on your opponent before making a fairly large lay-down.