I have been sitting at a relatively soft 1/2 table for 30 mins (9 handed). I've only played one hand up to this point. I opened and showed down AJs from middle position after getting called down by A3o for 3 streets when we both flopped an ace and the board bricked out.

I think I am percieved as extremely tight at the moment having folded every other hand including my buttons, the best of which was K9o.

There is a player to my left who is raising nearly every hand, straddling my BB every chance he gets, and buying in for another 50-100$ every other orbit. He is playing very loose and everyone knows it (and appreciates it ).

To my right is the big stack at the table, I dont know anything about him other than he is around 27-33 yrs old and has most of the chips at the table ~600. I saw him open A3o from the button, I also so him show down quads... he checked trips on the flop, turned quads and lead for two streets.

Im in the big blind with 115$.
UTG straddles 5$ (he started with about 50$)
folds around to the villain in the small blind who makes it 15$
I have KQ

I call the 15$, I expect the player to my left to defend his straddle with nearly any 2 cards, and to raise all in with 77's+ AJ+. He defends.

Flop comes 5Q9

Villain leads for 20$
I just call 20$
UTG folds

turn is the 7

Villain checks...

I decided to bet 25$ (let me know what you think of this sizing, I think 40$ might be better)

Villain calls 25$

River is the 6

Villain jams for my remaing 60$.. pot is 135$ minus 10% rake.

Hero??


I will post what happened this evening

You're too short stacked to be calling any raises pre-flop. This is doubly true in a straddled pot. Pre is probably a fold, if not it's a 3-bet.

As played you should be totally committed after you flop top pair 2nd kicker in a $45 pot with $100 behind. Stacks sizes are such that I probably just shove over V's flop lead.

You flopped TP2K in a 2 SPR pot. Figure out a way to get your chips in the middle.

I think it comes down to jam the flop vs jam the turn when villain checks.

I can get behind calling on the flop. But on that turn card, you have to shove.

Great thanks for the advice. With how many BB's do you start defending pre-flop? 100?

I felt that villain was widening his range to isolate the very loose player to my left and that I was ahead of his range with position on him and so that justified a call.

I agree getting more money in early when I flop top pair seems like a better idea.

Remember that this is a straddle pot. That essentially cuts your stack in half.

A jam on the flop would be a pot sized bet, and that was facing a smaller than normal c-bet. That means your first post flop decision will normally be for your stack.

cool that makes alot of sense, assuming I get to this same spot with my JTs do you also shove those hands along with sets and QJs+ for balance?
I'm not used to looking at my hand ranges with respect to SPR which I surely need to do.

Anyways.

I called.

He turned over pocket eights

3B pre, but don't mind a fold. I think call was the worst option given stack sizes.

Don't mind flop call on a safe board to see if villain hangs himself here on the turn.

After he doesn't do said hanging, jam turn, don't understand the $25 bet.

You have a pot sized bet on the turn...just shove turn for your remaining $85.

the 25$ bet was a higher level play. I was targeting specifically pocket 88's...

I wanted to lay him (110$)(+implied remaining 60$)/ (25$)

170/25 ---> = 6.8/1

for his 6 outer. (6 outs)/(46 unseen cards)

even if he can put me on a pair with a non 8 or 6 kicker, fair assumption,

he has (6 outs)/(44 unseen cards)

6/44 ---> = 1/7.33 or 13.64% of the time

EV = (170$)(.1364) - (25$)(.8636) = 1.598$

Dammnit its plus EV..

I did bad

All of this.

I was going to advocate a squeeze until I saw hero's stack size. Less thrilled about raising the SB's pre 15 up to 30/40ish because we don't have much left. Either way if we do go to 30-40 pre and get both callers, the flop is an open jam. Again probably don't enjoy this play as much since we are short stacked here.

speaking of which, don't play short stack poker.