Ethics

[codemaker]

Just a question for the members. Is it ethical to check down two pair to the river to the short stack if a bet will put him all in?

[Insidestr8]

I guess the objective should be to put the small stack all in with your two pair. Depending on the person and your position you may choose to slow play the two pair thinking that the opponent might fold if you try to put them all in, so to me its not an automatic big bet on the flop. I might well think that the small stack will make a desperation bet to try and take the pot so I might check first to try and get them to make that big bet. If nothing happens on the turn then I would make the bet to force them to fold or go all in.

Generally I agree that it should be the objective to try and make the small stack commit their full stack in that situation though I know that some of our players play a more passive game and some tend to not to want to raise against people that they like. Not good poker, but it can be human nature.

In this particular situation I would not find it ethical to check down at the river since I do not think that it is fair to the other players at the table.

Those are my two cents.

[2eighty8]

Erick Lindgren's words comes to mind: "In a tournament, your main objective would be to get all the chips." That said, I wouldn't check it down because I wouldn't want the short-stack to outdraw me, plus, there is a chance that said short-stack would make a desperate move to chase something by calling the all-in (which would also be the right move in some instances, depending on the stack and pot odds).