Home game 1-2 6-handed

Hero:($1180) mid-20s, TAG image. Regular 2-5 player, but playing in a friend's 1-2 game for the night. Have been fairly active, opening a little wider than normal in position, 3b frequently as well. Table is lolsoft.

V:($600) late 20s, LAGgy as f***. Is also a 2-5 reg at same casino as Hero. He value bets way too thin and doesn't read hands very well. He 3b a ton of hands pre, so my spot was complicated by board texture.

History: 2 hands

A) 2-5 at casino. (eff stacks= Hero $1675, V covers) EP random fish opens to 25 and gets 4 calls in front of hero who calls OTB with 22. V 3b to lol $50 from SB and everyone calls. Flop-AK2xxx. V checks quickly. Checks to hero who bets $210. V flats, all others fold. Turn-AK2 8 V fires $570 and Hero thinks. V says after about 15 seconds that he has a set. Not sure why he did this, but Hero decided to believe him and folded. V shows 88 for turned set...

B)1-2 at friend's game. (eff stacks $450 Hero covers table) Hero opens CO to $15 with AdQd. V calls from SB, BB calls. Flop-955ddx V leads for $35, BB flats, Hero decides to flat. Turn-955 Kc V leads $55. BB sigh folds, hero flats again (V can have some air here as well as weaker draws, 9x and a few 5s. I plan to call any A or Q river and raise any diamond. Would also bet any A, Q or diamond when checked to). River-955K Ah. V bets $110. Hero calls. V shows 97o. So he bet super thin for 3 streets on a board that smacked Hero's flop floating range.


On to the hand...

Hero opens UTG to $16 with AdQd (opens had gotten bigger with deeper stacks) V calls OTB, both blinds call.

Flop- $59 after rake- Ah Ts 9s. c,c, Hero bets $45. V thinks for a few seconds and calls. Both blinds fold.

Turn-$149- Qc. Hero leads for $85. V leans back and tanks for about 2 minutes. He then leans back over his chips and glares at Hero. He picks up enough to call and then says all in as he slides $85 in the middle, never breaking eye contact with Hero.

I'm having trouble with this spot specifically because in a short handed game, V will 3b pre with every hand that makes a set here, every hand that has 2 pair with an A, some smaller 2 pair combos ie QTs, T9s. He also 3b KJ OTB frequently. He just flats pre, and I have no idea what to do.

Hero?

It's $454 more to call. Pot is $773 after V's all in.

Thanks all.

Wow, that's a tough one. I might just let this go, but I hate it. Have you seen him do this before? Is he the type to do this with a worse two pair or a combo draw? Seems as if he would have raised somewhere if he hit a set on the flop. Can't see him not 3-betting QQ, and you have a Q. KJ is the only hand that really concerns me, but why push with that -- unless he thinks you have a hand you can't fold? Speaking of which, what does he put you on? That board must have hit you pretty hard, too.

I really hate two pair and am inclined to fold unless I know more (have seen him do this) or have a read on villain. I'm a wimp, though.

Poker-stare == weakness. You should call unless you think he's capable of giving off fake tells intentionally.

Even so, his sizing is so unusual for a set, and is definitely too weird for KJ... I don't think he's got much. QJ and KQ seem like the most likely part of his range.

Very tough spot. KQ of spades makes somewhat sense for him.

I think i puke call

Call based off HH's and him not 3betting OTB.

Sent from my Nexus 5 using 2+2 Forums

Lean back in chair == strength though.

True but then tanking for so long is contraindicated.

If he tanked for like 20s then moved in I'd expect KJ exactly.

But the long tank leading to the stare down is weakness unless he intentionally is giving off a false tell.

My concern with the all-in is that V thinks H has a hand he can't fold. I do this. Over-bet the pot or shove with the nuts (or close enough knowing I have the best hand) and knowing that my opponent can't fold their aces, two pair, sets, etc. Works often.

I just wonder what V thinks H has?

Call and expect to see Axss, Q8ss, and QT a lot. J8 is definitely in his range too, but if he can't have any sets and probably not KJ either, I don't see how you can fold.

What makes you say this? Isn't heros play pretty consistent with AK or AJ?

V has seen Hero make both big calls and big folds over a pretty sizable sample. We've played together quite a bit over the past several months. So (and I do believe V is capable of this), he could be range merging here with his entire range. That's what made this so crappy for me.

As far as our discussion goes: Javanewt, V likely sees H's range as all sets, Asxs, all 2 pair combos, KJss, KJo, JJ, KK, KQss, KQo, possibly QJ and JT, and some hands with zero showdown value that are just barreling based on board texture. V knows that I am capable of double barreling small pairs and Kx or Jx hands that block nutted combos.

Lapidator, I thought through all of the same things you did. I tanked for a while before I made my decision and each of these things went through my head. He may have been theatrical on purpose, but he also knows that I'm not likely swayed much by physical tells unless I have a specific read on a player's body language.

I've seen V make massive river raises with top and bottom pair as well as the nuts. Does this knowledge make it a call?

I should add also, that V is inclined to 3b pre with all sets, KJ, and most 2 pair combos, but I can't say that he does this 100% of the time. We can discount these combos quite a bit, but not completely.

Hero could have many hands here, as Hero stated. When I put a player on a big hand but I know I have a better hand, I will sometimes shove or over bet knowing they will make the call. That's all I'm saying. This could be V's reason for the big bet, which some posters have questioned.

This is a really tricky spot. One of the better hands I've read in a while, especially with H's great analysis. Knowing what H knows, I think it would come down to my "gut" at the table. Interested to know what happens.

This spot definitely sucked. I don't want to disclose the results just yet as I believe they are somewhat irrelevant. Thanks to all for the feedback and I'm glad you all think this spot is as tricky/fun as I do.

I will give you all this much: hero calls

Now, would anyone like to have some fun and try to guess exactly what V shows down?

There are just so many options it's hard to guess. If H is ahead, I think V has a big combo draw (KQss). If hero is behind, I think V has the KJ.

Alright, interest has diminished a bit so here come the reslts... V shows Jc8s for the turned straight. River bricks. GG

Yuck!

I think he might have jammed to get you out of the hand as opposed to getting you to call with worse -- maybe a little of both.

V is not a lag; he's terrible. His line with 88 in the HH is just awful. Competent players do not play like that.

Anyway....His line in this hand looks super strong. In game I probably level myself into a call.