Background:

Table just started 4th hand in.
-200 bbs, effective.

Hero (early 30s, hasn't played yet no image) dressed decent. no hoodie type apparel

Villain(mid thirties to late 40s)
-seems like a weekend/tournament type player off the bat. Fairly social, seems confortable at the table.
-Defenitely seems like he came here to play and has been in 3/4 hands. Has somewhat of a clue and it's way to early to tell his ability level, but he is lag and has a preflop stationy, postflop smallball, random stabs /check/fold style.
-Villain Straddles to 4 utg

Hero is in bb with 88 and raises to 14, everybody folds to the villain who calls without much thought and in quick fashion. Immediately when the flop comes he snap checks almost before last card flips and turns all bugeyed staring directly at Hero.

Think his range is very wide to defend straddle, up to anything suited, broadway, king high, and up to 3 gappers probably.

Flop: 9QQ ($38)


Hero is a bit taken aback by the close-up stare down, takes a while and decides to check behind in position?

thoughts?


Turn: 9QQ4 ($38)

Villian donkbets $20, hero considers and then calls.

thoughts?


River: 9QQ42 ($58)


Villain bets $20 into $58.

Hero calls or folds? What do you think his range is at this point given previous streets and current betsizing?

Thoughts on all streets appreciated. Villains ranges on earlier streets ie turn.

Something is wrong bc you say youre in the bb but then you have position on the utg straddler post flop. Based on potsize there were a couple calls of the straddle so I'd prbly call as well.

I'd check flop, what are you getting value from that you beat? Turn call I think is good since you are under repped and based on v's description. River I'd fold since I'm not expecting him to think I am gonna fold for $20 more. Same bet as turn, I'd say it's a value bet. Board didn't change much, so it seems like a small value bet with 9x to me

Another option is to raise river as a bluff. You're not repping much But if v is playing his own cards and doesn't have a lot of Qx then I think you get a ton of folds

Yea I am not bb sry, I am first to act. Villain straddle utg, I raise 14 utg+1 and it folded all way to his straddle which he defended.

I came to the same assessment on the river, putting him on a 9x type of hand. would you think he does this with stuff like 22-77, and or ace high sometimes, putting me on ace high (ak) since I raised early position. Think its too small to be an outright bluff like jt or something. I will not be raising based on limited info on villain who seems laggy and that the money isn't that big a deal to him. My line wouldn't make much sense and people love to put you on ak.

Raise/fold the turn or call and bet/2-bet the river.

Turn call looks like you want to showdown AK cheaply.

I like raising the turn.

Turn range: QX/J9s/T9/98/97s/TT-/JT
River range: QX/J9s/T9/98/97s/TT

I don't think his range changes much. He may be the type to block and set a price.

Think you played the hand fine, now I'd fold. Most players don't try to thin value the river with worst imo.

If you had a bit more history, a raise to $85 may be an alternative.

With no real good history just fold here. Looks like a small value bet with 9x. I have even seen Qx do this here where villian doesn't think you can call a bigger bet so bets small.

I don't like your PF raise from EP. My goal with PPs from EP is to see a flop as cheaply as possible with as many players as possible. If you had been in the HJ, CO, or on the button then I'd agree with your PF aggression. But I limp here.
Your postflop action seems fine. OTR you're very likely beat. I doubt calling is profitable, although it's cheap and I may do so against an unknown. Raising river is likely the best play since it seems obvious that our V has a 9 here. Although I generally hate bluffing unknowns this would certainly be a good spot for it.

The stare down is generally trying to get you to not bet. I probably would have followed through and cbet. Let him figure out what you have, not the other way around.

I don't let that stuff affect my decisions at all. I was really torn in the air about cbetting this board, felt like a decent spot to pot control because I think he will peel wide. And that's fine in it's own however then I'm faced with the prospect of double barrelling vs a wide range on a myriad of turn cards.

Those saying raise river, I think that is suicidal vs a laggy/station type player with little history. It simply doesn't make much sense for me to have a value hand with that action unless it was played extremely unorthodox.

V's physical actions should definitely impact your decisions once you get an idea of what to look for. This isn't a great spot to pot control considering he has tons of hands we beat that can call this flop - oesd, gutters, A-high that doesn't believe, etc. So when we bet we're betting for value. If we check back he can lead with ATC and put pressure on us when we can't really stand it.

AP I call turn, and probably call river expecting to see 9x. We should call because it's cheap and we'll get an idea of his betsizing tendencies which will help analysis for later hands.