Risky home game hand, right or wrong move?

Question

I played a home game with some friends tournament-style, and I made a risky all-in move I am thinking twice about.

effective stack is ~500, my opponent covers me by 40. blinds are 2/5.

Preflop

action folds to me on the small blind and I look down at 7♥3♦ , I decide to raise to 3x to try to steal the big blind. The player in the big blind, tanks for a minute or two then calls.

Flop

flop comes Q♥5♣T♦, this flop seems like a really dry board, no straights or flush draws. I reason that because my opponent took so long to call preflop, that I could easily barrel and rep a really good hand. I bet 50, he snap calls.

Turn

turn looks like a blank, 2♠. At this point I put him on a strong pair or a two-pair, so I either need to give up or commit to the pot at this point. I shove with absolutely nothing, and he thinks for a minute and calls

opponent shows K♠K♣, and I am obviously crushed. I get a lot of respect from other players for making the move, but it clearly didn't work this time.

My questions:

• is this a good move to make against an amateur player at a home game?
• is this an obvious bluff (given only the action)?
• is it worth it to shove a large stack like this when attempting to bluff, or would it be better to keep barreling?

Answer 1

Before you bluff an amateur be sure they are willing to make a big lay down.

Sounds like you put 435 at risk to win 130.

You put him on a 2 pair or a big pair. If you really had QQ, TT, or QT would you over-bet the turn like that? No you would bet like 1/2 the pot and get more value on the river. Yes it looks bluffy.

You have no outs. Pair your 7 or 3 is not going to be the best hand.

Check-fold the turn and bluff the river with a pot sized bet if the opponent checks back.

You put your tournament stack at risk to an opponent that has shown no weakness. Not a good long term play.