No balls on the river

Full Tilt Poker, $5/$10 NL Hold'em Cash Game, 7 Players
LeggoPoker.com - Hand History Converter

BB: $950
UTG: $966
UTG+1: $1,122.75
MP: $1,500
CO: $998.75
Hero (BTN): $1,000
SB: $657.35

Pre-Flop: dealt to Hero (BTN)
UTG calls $10, 2 folds, CO raises to $45, Hero raises to $155, 2 folds, UTG calls $145, CO folds

Flop: ($370) (2 Players)
UTG checks, Hero checks

Turn: ($370) [ ] (2 Players)
UTG checks, Hero bets $245, UTG calls $245

River: ($860) [ ] (2 Players)
UTG checks, Hero checks

Results: $860 Pot ($3 Rake)
UTG showed (a pair of Kings) and WON $857 (+$457 NET)
Hero showed (Ace Jack high) and LOST (-$400 NET)


I lost quite a bit of sleep over this hand from yesterday...I played it TERRIBLY post flop. When UTG flat called my 3b from the CO, I put him on a very narrow range – JJ+, AK. At the same time though, I’m repping a monster…a hand bigger than whatever he limp called a 3b with. I chose not to cbet the dry ten high flop because I was certain I would not get a fold from any part of his range. When he checked the turn to me, I fired…and he made an AGONIZING call (he used most of his timebank). The river bricked, he checks again and I just could not pull the trigger. Shoving here is definitely profitable, how often do you see a villain call of their stack with second pair in a pot that has been re-raised preflop with second pair? If I had AA-KK, or AK, my actions preflop/flop/turn would likely have been the same – so why not balance my range on the river and shove the river with air as well?

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