6 players with $1,200 effective stacks. Hero just recently joined the game
UTG is TAG from little History. SB is unknown this is his second hand.

UTG opens to $35
HJ fold
CO fold
BTN fold
SB calls $35
Hero 3b to $140
UTG calls
SB calls

FLOP: 8 6 6 POT($420)

SB checks
Hero bets $290
UTG folds
SB calls

TURN: 8 6 6 3 POT($1000)

SB Checks
Hero Checks

RIVER: 8 6 6 3 K POT($1000)

SB: Bets $565
HERO: ????? pukes in mouth, may have butchered the turn. I don't have the Q spades.


From his preflop line , I put him on pairs <TT , medium SCs, and maybe some AXs.
I think HU pot we just shove this OTT most of the time. Being 3 ways makes me fear I am behind his flop calling range some of the time. I am speculating since he was unknown, but I assumed some stronger draws raise/GII OTF so his calls are more weighted towards monsters or stubborn pairs calling one more bet. He can't have TP+fd because of card removal.

I am having trouble constructing the best strat vs this range. I think my standard is to usually shove OTT, but if we always shove this turn I think we only get called by better. In this hand my spidy sense started to tingle. I felt like he has the 6 a lot of the time. Could have been a timing thing with the flop call.


some of my thoughts OTT, which I'm not sure are sound logically:

Vs his monsters I save a bet with turn check and evaluate river
vs his underpairs a turn shove just folds them out, better to check back and VB thin on safe rivers.
Vs draws hope they miss and bluff catch many rivers, but given pot size might be terrible to allow him all that sweet equity on a free card.


Thoughts on all streets appreciated.

I mean, after checking the turn your hand looks a lot more like AK then a pair, and he is still betting that river into you..

What is going on here

He has 99-JJ a ton just ship the turn

Yeah my default range for a 3b cold caller is like 88-JJ with some of the better SCs. We lose to stuff like JTss and 88 but in general we are ahead of his range and I’d bet turn

That being said I don’t think he gets to river and bets river with a hand we beat very often. We are behind 66, 88, AK (some combos) and stuff like QJss. I have a hard time thinking of bluffs.

Unknown cold callers in my experience can have junk a lot of times. On this river I think you should call. You are probably beat, but I think the price is good. It wouldn't surprise me if SB has something weird like A7 or a busted str8 draw even. He may have a mediocre pair like 99 and doesn't want to get bluffed off his hand or make a bad call so instead he bets out.

Cold calling is a good indicator of a fishier player.

AQ is another hand he can have. Yeah, call.

More or less on the flop. If your betting more otf (like closer to pot) it’s usually because it’s a super wet board and you wanna play two streets to get the $ in.
866 isn’t one of those boards. You have a pretty big range advantage here even tho ip may have slightly more 6x but that’s not a big deal. This is a bird where you wanna be betting a lot of your range for a smaller sizing.
As played. Jam turn checking makes not so much sense and your like using qq as a bluff catcher w an spr at 1
River is close. Not having any spades in your hand doesn’t rly help the ev of a call. But for half pot it’s pretty close.

Edit. My comment about 6x frequency was meant to say oop might have slightly more 6x. Not ip. But the ep dynamics basically remove almost all 6x considerations. Especially for a tag opening utg.

Very easy turn shove.

checking turn is a massive mistake always, giving away so much free equity in the pot

That's what I thought right after I did it.

I dunno why all of a sudden I became scared money. I just felt like he had trips in my gut. One of those 4th dimension holographic universe visions.

Not sure why we are checking turn on one of the best cards for an overpair.

Given stacks, it should be a jam

I think SB comes in with a wider range given pre-flop action and sizing. I would prefer a larger 3b sizing. Something like 200.

As played, I would size smaller OTF, so that we can easily jam turn with a PSB. Check back 9,10,J, spade, overcard turns.

OTR, as played, fold.

SB didn't cold call he overcall closing the action which significantly widens his range. I'd jam turn as played

Oh wow, you're right. I missed that.

.....thats when its time to leave