Here are the notes I had written about this hand:
I've played a few pots with villain earlier in the day on a separate table. I remember him check/folding a lot of flops HU where he called my PF raise. I think at least once or twice he floated the flop and folded to a double barrel. These were all against me so he might consider this if/when playing back at me. He hasn't really seen me lose or give up on a pot where I was the PF raiser.


Revolution Gaming Network - $0.04 NL (6 max) - Holdem - 5 players
Hand converted by PokerTracker 3

CO: $3.92
BTN: $4.27
SB: $3.33
BB: $4.66
Hero (UTG): $3.98

SB posts SB $0.02, BB posts BB $0.04

Pre Flop: ($0.06) Hero has 5 5

Hero raises to $0.10, fold, BTN calls $0.10, fold, fold

Flop: ($0.26, 2 players) 6 3 9
Hero bets $0.17, BTN calls $0.17

Turn: ($0.60, 2 players) 2
Hero bets $0.36, BTN calls $0.36

River: ($1.32, 2 players) 8
Hero bets $0.92, BTN raises to $3.64 and is all-in, fold

BTN wins $2.95


My first question is, should I be raising these small-mid PP's in early position? I hate to just open fold them and limping doesn't seem too great either. As played, I feel this is a good flop for us so I go for a c-bet. I don't think he's ever folding his overcards here, especially since he's seen me C-Bet my entire range (I think I literally have 100% c-bet at this table).
I think he has some pair plus draws that he isn't folding the turn to.
On the river, I don't think much has changed unless he had T7 / 57. Originally I thought he might be floating with overs or some type of pair plus draw. However, I don't see these type of hands shoving the river when I've showed strength the entire way. At this point I'm thinking either a set or some type of two pair (could've had pair+ on the flop and rivered 2 pair).

I'm interested in how some of you would of played this hand and more importantly, how bad was my open here and what range of hands should we just fold UTG?

EDIT: This is 4NL, not 5NL (Not sure it really makes a diff though)

Opening is fine. I see no reason to bet turn or river after he calls flop. You are just bloating the pot in a spot where we have marginal SDV.

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You are on MP. Opening 55 too folding lower pps.
Most often playing one and done bluff postflop.

So do you like a x/c on the turn instead? What happens if I x/c the turn and he makes like a 1/2 or 2/3 bet on the river, fold? Or should we just be x/folding the turn here?


The thing is, I feel like I'm ahead on the flop most of the time. Maybe this is where my thinking gets bad but since I feel I'm ahead on the flop, and the turn doesn't really change anything don't I want to try and get to SD? Maybe getting there as cheaply as possible is the right play (which I did the opposite of)? Which means x/c the turn and either x/c or x/f the river?

Cannot you x/f turn?

I could, I just have a hard time folding on a blank card there. Maybe I'm under valuing villains range in this spot but I def feel ahead on the flop, so I should feel ahead on the turn as well, correct?

Open is completely fine imo but you should at least consider a check call on flop cause the board really doesnt hit you that hard but a bet isnt too bad either. After he calls the bet I dont really see a reason to continue on the turn, youll have a lot of better hands to continue with and this one is very marginal to bloat oop so i prefer a check call on turn and check fold river depending on sizings. Just my thoughts lol

Hand is fine until the turn. At that point you're just turning your sdv into a bluff, which isn't great. There are very few combinations of hands that you can get value from, and the ones that you can are going to have great equity against you. Turn is a pretty clear x/c to me.

The two is kind of a blank for both player's ranges, but it does give us a gutshot, so I think I'm x/c to smaller bets and x/f to bigger bets. If he bets turn my range for him is 9x, diamonds, 33,66,a couple PP betting for protection, 89, T8, 78, and maybe some random broadway.

On the river I'm x/f everything.

At the end of the day you have a pair of 5's in a spot where he can have a pp, 8, or 9 pretty easily.

It seems pretty unanimous that I should've x/c the turn and either x/c or x/f the river. I definitely agree with this and after looking at my play from the past few days I think I'm playing way too aggressive. I hadn't considered how often I bloat the pot by never x/c. It would seem to make sense for me as I've busted quite a few tournaments and lost some buy-ins by playing too aggressive post flop recently. I have a hard time giving up pots where I raised PF.
In general, should I just be aiming to set mine these low-mid PP's and x/f if I don't hit?

You may be ahead otf in terms of equity (not much) but the hand suffers on playability, cannot stand barreling, cannot realise the equity. Hard to say how good you are against CO calling range otf, facing a correct pre range you are rather slightly behind otf, can imagine ranges you are slightly ahead.

I just turn the weakest pps to bluff otf and do not expect much when called.

As for "I def feel ahead on the flop, so I should feel ahead on the turn as well, correct?" When V calls flop cbet it changes things even though turn card is blank.

This makes a lot of sense actually. I'll keep this in mind, thanks a lot!