Any thoughts on how I could have reeled this guy in? CO is fairly decent player, plays semi-tight (28%).

On a related note, a previous hand I posted got comments that I might be slowplaying a bit too much and I need to raise my good hands. I know it's not black and white, but I've been making an effort in this vein. Thanks in advance for you comments. -- Schro

Party Poker No-Limit Hold'em, $ BB (9 handed)

saw flop|saw showdown

MP3 ($30.38)
CO ($59.63)
Button ($34)
SB ($69.43)
BB ($67.34)
UTG ($61.8)
UTG+1 ($18.86)
Hero ($52.5)
MP2 ($49.25)

Preflop: Hero is MP1 with , . SB posts a blind of $0.25.
2 folds, Hero calls $0.50, MP2 calls $0.50, 1 fold, CO calls $0.50, Button calls $0.50, SB (poster) completes, BB checks.

Flop: ($3) , , (6 players)
SB checks, BB checks, Hero bets $2, MP2 folds, CO calls $2, Button folds, SB folds, BB folds.

Turn: ($7) (2 players)
Hero bets $2, CO raises to $6, Hero raises to $15

[At this point CO pauses a long time to think, then says the following:]

hmmmmmmm must have hit your set of
10s..............but you didnt raise preflop???

my 7/8 is no good then

good hand

CO folds.

Final Pot: $28

No showdown. Hero wins $28.

Not sure why you re-raise there. You have the nuts. I would just smooth call that and try to get the rest of his stack on the river. Imagine if an 8 hits?

I would actually not bet the turn there in most cases. I really want him to catch up, and I really want him to think that 7 scared me. By checking I am representing an ace, and also I don't mind giving a free card here. With this holding you can't be beaten unless the T comes off and he is sitting on AT or AA, so let him catch up and make him think you don't like your hand. If I think you are a decent player the small bet smells like trip 7's to me.

Thanks for the comments. Here was my thinking. On the turn, he might have a 7 but he might not. In fact it's likely he doesn't. He's more likely to have an A. Or clubs. Or a T who didn't believe my flop bet.

So on the turn, I bet low, so he'd think I might have the A, but am scared of the 7's. That way, even if he doesn't have the 7, he's tempted to put in a good raise as a bluff or semi-bluff, after which I've now got him hooked into the hand.

I can see the argument for betting a bit bigger on the turn, calling his raise, and check-raising him All-in on the river.

But what if he checks behind me on the river? Wouldn't that be a mathematical catastrophe (to borrow from Mason M.)? I'm not sure I had a good enough read on him, or what his turn raise meant (bluff or actually strong), to know he'd bet the river.

I guess my follow-up question is: When can you check the nuts on the river? It seems dangerous to me.