Illconceived slowplay or just unlucky?

[jrf2k]

When do I say "Ok I am beat?". I can't can I? This is either a payoff hand or a paying hand.

Poker Stars
Limit Holdem Ring game
Limit: $0.25/$0.5
8 players

Pre-flop: (8 players) Hero is SB with 6c 6h
UTG calls, UTG+1, folds, MP1 (poster) checks, 3 folds, Hero calls, BB (poster) checks.

Flop: 9s 9c 6s (4SB, 4 players)
Hero checks, BB checks, UTG bets, MP1 folds, Hero calls, BB folds.

Turn: kd (3BB, 2 players)
Hero checks, UTG bets, Hero raises, UTG 3-bets, Hero caps, UTG calls.

River: 5c (11BB, 2 players)
Hero bets, UTG raises, Hero 3-bets, UTG caps, Hero calls.

Results:
Final pot: 19BB
Hero showed 6c 6h
UTG showed 5d 9d

[biggle10]

I think you're fine until the river 3-bet. I'd just bet-call.

[jrf2k]

I seem to have a lot of trouble like that on the river. When to just call, when to raise, when to just check.

[alanpsych]

I probably chicken out and bet/call river as well, but against a guy like this--a tard who's playing 95s from utg and who's happy to 3 bet his trips w/ no kicker on the turn--your mistake is slight if it's one at all. You will very seldom be beaten by a guy like this with a FH. Don't let this result keep you from getting the extra bets you deserve from this guy.

[mervhage]

Seems unlucky, I like a cap on the river.

[caffiend]

I probably chicken out and bet/call river as well, but against a guy like this--a tard who's playing 95s from utg and who's happy to 3 bet his trips w/ no kicker on the turn--your mistake is slight if it's one at all. You will very seldom be beaten by a guy like this with a FH. Don't let this result keep you from getting the extra bets you deserve from this guy.

Don't make a habit of dropping bets here either though. For my money, I actually like a bet on the flop for a couple of reasons. Not only is your hand pretty well disguised, but with the underfull you'll definately want more information later on in the hand. This is information you can't get without leading early on.

That King on the turn isn't a good card for you in a .25/.50 game because it presents the obvious danger of K9s. (Similarly, an Ace would also be bad) Complicating matters is the tendancy of people to take cheap draws with a split two pair at low limits. While you're a comfortable favorite over 77+ the fact that virtually any card coming may make a bigger full is a nightmare.

The short story is that in a game where people may play big/little or any pocket pair you really want to take the strong lead, simply to see where they try and take control of the hand. You aren't chasing trips out of this pot, and you probably aren't getting paid off by anything worse, so don't worry about losing bets.

In this hand, of course, it wouldn't have helped. If he plays back on the flop I'm thinking trips, and if he wait until the river to pop it I'm maybe thinking quads. At no point am I thinking 95s. Still, there are times you'll put him on the hand based on a scare card.

One added benefit is that against stupid players you can make more money with the strong lead when they hit an inferior hand. Say I've bet the flop and the turn completes a flush. Now I check and make a crying call on the turn if I know he's made that draw. The river, of course, is the old check-raise and he's boned. Here he has to pay off that extra bet knowing he's beat because the pot's simply too big to fold.

Your approach of waiting until the turn to pop it would work better from late position. Here you'd have more information to work with along with the option to run it through cheaply should something hideously scary show up.