A time to use bet/fold?

While I get bet/fold as a concept (you bet with the advance intention of folding to a raise), I struggle in using this technique appropriately. This weekend I identified a spot I probably should have used it, and I did think about using it before ultimately deciding against it. But at least I thought about it, and the minimal response I received on 2p2 indicates it may have been a good spot for it. Baby steps.

Anyway, the hand. This is early in a $10 tournament, blinds are 25/50. The table as a whole has been not only allowing limping, but most villains have been actively limping (and calling fairly significant raises pre) and check/folding missed flops. A standard overall weak/loose table. No specific reads on the villain I ended up HU with in the hand. Both of us have stack sizes close to the starting stack of 3000, and I have villain covered.

I decide to limp in MP1 (with two limpers already in the pot) with JTs, a hand I like to try to see a cheap flop with if possible due to the obvious straight and flush possibilities. The BTN also limps and the SB completes, so there are six players in the hand at the flop, pot 300. Flop is AJT with two hearts (the A and J), so I have bottom two pair but an extremely wet board. Four checks to me, and I bet the size of the pot (300). I bet this amount for two reasons. First, I always bet more on wet flops simply because of the likelihood of pairs and draws on the board; I would bet this amount with any reasonable hand I held here, like AJ or a set. Second, I want to protect a hand that is likely best now and extract value from anyone who would like to draw. I don't believe anyone has a set (unless it was with TT, about the only pair I would think someone would limp pre in this situation - AA and JJ most likely raise pre), although AJ or AT are possibilities. Also possible are multiple pair draw combos, especially ones that include the K or Q of hearts. In actuality, this was probably also a b/f spot, although I didn't think that through at the beginning. While I may have continued against a single villain who played back at me (one in particular who I had a decent read on), multiple individuals raising and reraising probably would have been a sign to let the hand go, since a better two pair, a flopped straight, or some sort of monster pair/draw combo were all in range. In any event, I got only a single caller and I went HU to the turn vs. the villain in UTG+1, meaning I had position for the remainder of the hand.

Turn is the 8 of hearts. An obvious scare card, as it puts three to the flush and three to the straight on board, although straight draw being completed is more unlikely (only Q9 and a very unlikely 97 would complete the straight, and I think only the exact 97 of hearts would call the flop). Villain checks.

Here was what should probably have been a textbook b/f spot. If the villain already completed a flush, he would probably raise here to build the pot, and also to protect against a higher flush redraw if he does not have the K of hearts. If he has a straight, he should also raise, since unless I have exactly two hearts he now has the best hand but would be unable to extract any value should another heart fall on the river. So, by the book, either a better made hand than mine should be raising here, and I would be able to assume because of the raise that I was behind, and depending on the size of the bet either fold, or in the case of an extremely small bet, call with direct and/or implied odds to draw to the full house.

On the other hand, it's unlikely a similar strength hand would raise here. If he has a better two pair, he should have raised the flop on such an obviously wet board. If he has a pair draw combo, the size of my bet and the strength of my position may push him out (I could conceivably even scare a hand like AT out, though this is unlikely), either by denying him odds to draw to his straight or flush, or by convincing him I already have the hand he is trying to draw to, and he would be trying to draw to a chop.

I, however, opted to check behind. The third flush card "froze" me, since flush draws were obviously in his calling range. The river was the Q of diamonds, completing a ton of straight draws as well. Villain bet half the pot (450 into 900) and, not seeing a hand I could beat other than a comically insane weak A or a complete bluff. All other draws got there, and any other draw that didn't hit the straight hit a better two pair. So I think the fold was obvious here.

I'm still conflicted as to the turn action, and to when to use b/f in general. I hope to find more spots it should be used in the future so I can get a better grasp on it, and add it as a part of my arsenal. Whether or not using it here would have been the "correct" play is difficult to say, but it certainly would have been a different way to play the hand, and one I should have given sufficient thought to before deciding my action on the turn.

Good luck to one and all, and see you at the tables.

SGT RJ