100NL 6max

$150 effective stacks

Hero - BTN - Jh9h
Vil - BB

I open to $3, vil calls

Flop 5h6h9s

vil checks, I bet $4, vil raises to $15. I call

Turn Ah, pot ~$35

vil bets $20


Should I raise or call? If I call I allow him to continue some bluffs, and maybe let him think he's possibly still good w sets or 2pairs. But we're kindof deep, 150BB each so I wanted to get more $ into the pot faster. What's best?

Deffo need to re-raise flop or raise turn. You don't want Kh/Qh to draw too freely to another card –*and a small raise isn't going to fold out a straight, which is what he's probably repping otf. Could easily be 9 8 etc., or even A9. There's not a great deal of hands that will fold to raise on the turn and we want to get it almost all in before a river card, as a lot of bad cards can peel.

The Ah is basically the gin card - it's tough for you to have too many heart flushes here, and a raise may look like you've picked up an ace, or you want to bluff having an ace, to get one-pair hands to fold.

If he had a higher flush it's just UL – a cooler.

Just flat. You cant really have any bluffs here OTT, and you need to protect your weaker hands that want to keep calling here OTT.

He can also hero-fold sets/straights here OTT very easily.

I only like a raise ott vs someone who can't fold made hands. Aside from that, a call is good because you're repping exactly what you have if you raise and it's really hard to be bluffing in this spot. Raising the turn only protects our hand from two cards (Kh/Qh) and paired rivers when he holds a set. You have position on him. Just call and play the river.

In the moment I decided to raise to $60 and he folded. I was afraid of heart rivers/board pairs and wanted to play for stacks before a cooler came.

In hindsight, I'm bluffing this situation like 1% of the time, so I think calling is the more balanced play, and slightly more profitable as well.

Minatorr Glad you brought up hero folding sets and straights, thats exactly what I could have caused by raising here, whereas I couldve got more value on riv

HermitsFTW I def see some merit for raising which is exactly what I thought at the time, but after he folded and I didnt get paid I had a feeling calling might be better. I'm not being results oriented, but 1) its more balanced, 2) I can potentially get more value from sets and straights on riv, and 3) some of his bluffs can continue. I believe these 3 reasons outweigh the 1) equity protection, 2) inflating pot and 3) bluff repping that raising has on its side here.

Another way to play this is to check the flop since he will only call/raise with better draws and better made hands. If you check flop call turn and call river. When you hit the flop this hard, checking will balance out your range. Plus stacks are deep so I like checking the flop.

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