8 handed 20/40 live:

I open KcQx utg. Extremely loose (maybe 70/10) player cold calls, solid TAG who makes a living in the game 3 bets from CO, random person calls from BB, we both call.

Flop 976ccx

Checks to the TAG who bets. BB calls. I decide to call. Loosey Goose also calls.

I feel like CO would check back some amount of the time with AK/AQ on this texture. As such, I felt like I would be good a fair amount of time when spiking my overcard because I am discounting the AK/AQ combos that I'm up against after they bet the flop. I also had a backdoor club draw and was getting a great price. I felt like the flop was pretty close between call and fold.

Turn: 3c

Checks to the TAG who bets. BB folds, I call, and Loosey Goose calls.

River: Ax

I bet.

I got a bit of an earful from TAG after the hand about how terrible my play was. I feel like I have one of the only hands I can have at this point that has no pair. If I had JTs or QTs, I'd have probably check-raised flop with the 2 way straight draw. I think I'd have folded KJ on the flop, even with BDFD.

I feel like when I have an ace, which is quite frequent, I am going to donk this river a lot, so I want to occasionally have a bluff to prevent people from being able to exploitably fold against me. It seemed like a reasonable candidate for such a play: It has the least chance of winning out of my range when it checks through, so the most to gain by bluffing. I think that I am applying the correct poker theory?

I'm interested in hearing others' thoughts on the river play, and also maybe the flop peel since I do think it's pretty thin.

There is no such thing as an exploitive fold when holding at least a pair in a heads up pot facing a single bet on the river getting layed better than 12-1 on a call.

I don't think donking a river A as a bluff is a bad way to balance off those times you do it for value, especially when Ac is part of your range. Just make sure you are doing it for value in those spots and not just when bluffing.

But given the action, the strength shown by CO and his image, pot being MW and of decent size, it's just not going to get thru enough here. I'd prefer it in HU, preferably SRP, against sharp player (maybe the same one) who you think had been going for thinnish value w like 77 on a J103 6 A runout with no flush draw completed.

I'd like it more if the third player in the hand wasn't named loosey goosey. Against thinking players it's fine occasionally as long you're donking an A here most of the time. Basically there's no down side, either you win a big pot with a bluff or now you get called down light for the next week when you donk the river for value.

TAG folded and LG ships it with a 7?

Close. LG shipped with 88.

on the brightside you got to jab your thumb in the TAG's eye and move the pot to a fish's stack.

I think it's also important to note that the positions are important in this hand. You're going to get more folds out of the TAG because he has the player behind him still to act

Nope, you've got it backwards.

Me too. I do like the OP's thinking process.

What's SRP?

Pretty sure if loosey folds, tag always looks you up with TT+. Kind of makes his lack of an overcall questionable.

single raised pot; I also like the way he isn't playing robotically. Whether its +ev is questionable, but staying open minded to creative play should pay dividends in some form, instead of just getting ready to pitch his K hi before the dealer even prompts the river action.

I'd be tempted to fold this preflop (but raise, say AT+ suited, KJ+ suited, QJs, JTs, AK, AQ, TT+).

Anyone else like that tight of an UTG range?

As played, I don't like the river bet. Sure, the TAG might fold, but loose players like to put money in the pot (that's why they're called "loose"). So you're likely to get looked up by any pair from the loose player *even when your bluff succeeds in making TAG fold*.

Lol

@ZOMG

I'll take that as a "no", which is cool 'cuz I can maybe learn something: what would you suggest UTG in a "typical" (whatever that means) 9 or 10 handed game?

This game was 8 handed fwiw.

Folding KQo utg in an 8-handed game would be insanely tight.

And folding KQo but raising QJs JTs is just plain LOL

How so. I'd fold KJo but raise QJs. I remember DD saying he raises 9Ts/TJs but I sure he's not raising every off suit hand with two pictures.

Yeah but QJs is still queen high no matter how you cut it would you rather have K hi at showdown or Qhi

Your post is vague. No matter how you cut what? Look at A2o v KQs.