With good hand, is it better to bet?

This hand from a $500-buy-in tournament presented an amateur player with a dilemma that’s common in no-limit hold ’em: When you probably (but not certainly) have the best hand, is it better to bet for value, or to play it safe and check behind?

With blinds at 1,000-2,000 plus an ante of 200, everyone folded to the player on the button, who called. This player, sitting on a stack of 80,000, would often call from late position with a wide range of hands, hoping to flop well. The small blind, who had 50,000, also called. Our Hero, with a 30,000 stack, decided to check from the big blind with 4d 2d.

I’m fine with Hero’s check, given that 4d 2d isn’t strong, but there might actually be some merit to going all in.

If both opponents fold about 60 percent of the time, Hero will win about 300 chips on average (also factoring in the 40 percent of hands where one or both opponents call). On average, Hero will usually lose some number of chips by checking from the big blind, perhaps 500 or more. By going all in, he’ll net about 800 chips more on average than by checking.

That said, if Hero instead gets called 50 percent of the time, he starts bleeding money. By estimating approximately how often the limpers will call a shove, you can determine your all-in range. There is a simple fold equity calculator you can tinker with in the tools sections at FloatTheTurn.com.

The flop came Ah Ad 3d, giving Hero a straight-flush draw. Everyone checked.

I would have preferred a small bet from Hero, but checking and then looking to check-raise all in if the button bet is also fine.

The turn was the 8c. The small blind bet 2,000, and Hero called.

If the small blind’s range is somewhat weak (perhaps a pair of 8s or worse), Hero should strongly consider raising. He could either go all in or raise to 7,000 with the intention of going all in on most rivers. Both plays have merit, depending on how Hero expects his opponents to react. Calling would also be fine due to Hero’s good pot odds. In general, when you have a draw and aren’t sure how often your opponent will fold to a raise, calling is best if you’re getting acceptable pot odds.

The button folded. The river was the 4h, giving Hero a weak pair. The small blind checked, and Hero bet 5,600.

I don’t like Hero’s river bet. If the small blind has an A or 8, he’s almost certainly looking to check-call. He may even call with 6- 6 or 5- 4. While he may also call with a 3, there shouldn’t be many 3s in his range, and even if he has one, he might make a snug fold.

This is a situation where Hero is betting what is likely the best hand but will usually only get called when he is beaten. When that’s the case, the best play is to check behind. When value-betting the river, you need your opponent to call with a worse hand at least half of the time — and even more often in a tournament, because conserving chips is vitally important. I don’t see Hero getting called by many worse hands in this spot unless the opponent is known to be a calling station.

The small blind folded what was presumably the worst hand, giving Hero the pot.