It was about 4am, I was really tired, but was hoping for one more big hand before going to sleep. My image was mixed at the table, as I had changed things up at times. Some of the newer people at the table considered me tight (almost nitty) and aggressive (but I had been card dead for a while), whle others thought I was loose aggressive and prone to betting light, if not outright bluffing (I had successfuly triple barrel bluffed the big stack at the table, who was very tight and aggressive and highly skilled, and who I had been 3 betting a lot until he changed positions to my left).

I was dealth suited A2c UTG. I usually fold or raise here (usually fold), but the table was getting passive and I knew a limp would allow me to see the flop reasonably cheap. UTG+1 limped, somebody else limped, and the small blind raised raised to $80 (the pro I had been attcking). The 3 limpers (including me) called and we saw the flop.

The flop came 345 with 2 spades, 1 club. I was pleased to flop a straigt, but was leary of the board. I raised to $280. I figured if nobody hit, or had much of a draw, this would be sufficient to win the pot. It would also look weak, encouraging an inferior hand to re-raise me (which was what I was hoping for).

The UTG+1 player 3bet to about $640, the other 2 players folded. This type of sub 3x bet was typical at the table (many had played in the recent WSOP). The UTG+1 player was your typical young, tight(ish) aggressive pro(ish) player who mostly watched and listened to his iPad when he wasn't in a hand (I think he was used to internet poker and used the iPad to prevent boredom induced loose play). He was prone to 3-betting and, when he could, he would try to steal pots. He had gone all-in just once that night (on the flop, against a tight aggressive big stack who had shown strength pre-flop and flop, holding just
2nd top pair and a flush draw; he lost). He viewed me as an amateur on vacation (I was) and prone to folding to 3bets (against him I had folded to every one of his 3bets). At this point I had about $4k and he had about $6k.

I think he put me on an over-pair, maybe a straight or flush draw. I put him on 2-pair, a set, a straight or flush draw, and less likely air (though I didn't think he would do that with the pre-flop raiser still to act). I considered a higher straight, but I preferred one of the other holdings. I was not going to fold my straight, and was unhappy merely calling his 3 bet (then what? Check call? Check fold? Call and open bet on the turn?) It seemed likely that I was ahead, so I re-raised to $1800 (knowing this pot committed me). He briefly hesitated and then went all in. At this point I became worried, but I was getting better than 3:1 to make a call.

We ran it twice. What did he have, and did I screw up in how I played this hand?

OMG

he really went all in with JUST a 2ndTP (whatever that is)+fd, what a maniac!

you lost, so you played it badly.

what does this mean?

Not as badly as you described it :-)

Sounds like you BET, not raised the flop, and he RAISED, not 3-bet after you.

I think I know what you mean by 2nd Top pair, though I've never heard it described that way.

You didn't really do anything that bad during the play of the hand.

Yes, I BET the flop and he raised my flop bet.

The hand he went all in he held K9d, the flop was AK(7?), with 2 diamonds. Second top pair merely meant he had a pair of Kings. Sorry for the poor word choice. Like I said, I'm an amateur!

Damn, I can be such a spaz (plus I rush posted this while busy at work). The more I think about it, the more I think the small blind made it $100 pre-flop (I was pretty tired at this point). The pot then was therefore more like $420. I figured a flop bet that was merely 2/3 of the pot in this situation would look tentative. Against 3 players still to act, with the goal of reducing the odds for a flush to draw out, or a higher straight, usually a pot sized bet is better. I could be wrong, but that was my thinking.

You're always 3betting flop and have to call his shove now given he limp/called pre and took this line against you. Standard

Board: 3s 4s 5c
Dead:

equity win tie pots won pots tied
Hand 0: 53.603% 46.37% 07.23% 9641 1503.00 { Ac2c }
Hand 1: 46.397% 39.17% 07.23% 8143 1503.00 { 55-33, Ad2d, Ah2h, As2s, 76s, 54s, 43s }

^ Why are we putting 43s in his range? Does he really raise/4b jam the flop with bottom two pair on this board?

"2nd top pair". lol.

easy easy call

Once he went all in over my 3 bet, knowing I was pot committed, I became worried he had me beat. Would anyone ever fold at this point? The key part of successful poker is limiting losses. I wonder whether I should have limited my losses. Although I was getting 3:1, if he had a higher straigt (which he did), I am not getting the odds to call. Were this the river, I could possibly have found a fold. But the flop?

^^^ look 4posts above yours and there you have the answer

I wouldn't discount it heavily towards the end of the night, arguably he might or might not do so. Was just being a little optimistic throwing it in there.

Well, I'm a little concerned that he can't really have any two pairs when he does this. Against most players, when he raise/4b jams 543 two-tone with deep stacks in a single raised pot, I'm giving him a set (against which we are only moderately ahead) or huge combo draw (against which we are flipping) at an absolute minimum, if not the flopped straight. Sorry, I just don't think most people are 4-betting the flop in a single raised pot here and fist pumping about getting all in for value with two pair; that just seems awful.

It's questionable whether two pair even value raises the flop here with a deep SPR, because getting 3-bet sucks so hard. Some bad players might raise "to find out where they're at", then call a 3-bet and end up either calling or folding to a turn jam. Some good players might value raise with the intention of folding to 3-bet, if they think you'll flat their flop raise with a lot of worse hands and rarely 3-bet them.

But value raise/4-bet jam two pair on this board with this deep an SPR? What worse hands can two pair expect to beat here? Barring some sort of maniacal street poker dynamic where they expect you to get it in with FD+2 overs or a janky overpair or something, I really doubt it.

Serious question- when you guys talk about 3betting and 4betting, do you start counting the bets pre flop and then just keep adding them up as the hand progresses? Like did op 3bet flop to 280 (I know he said he "raised", but did he really mean "re-raise" aka "3bet")?