Hi, first post here, long time reader...

Not sure of hero's image at this point tbh. Been at the table for a few hours. Started hot, showed down nut hands, etc. When this hand came up I had been spewing a bit due to a few suck outs but also a few bad plays / reads (nothing completely out of line though). Anyway on to the hand.

Hero is button with red KK and approximately $350.
Villain in hijack covers (no read on villain, he hasn't showed down in any big pots).

Folds to villain who makes it $12. CO folds, Hero makes it $30, villain calls.

Flop ($63) TJQ rainbow

Villain checks, hero bets $25, villain C/R's to $65. Hero pukes and does what?

Raise to 150 shove turn. Go to Vegas.

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Just because V hasn't shown hands doesn't mean you can't have reads. You say he's been there for 2 hours... Tendencies, habits, etc. You should be paying attention.

For the hand, personally I call here and see what he does OTT. You shouldn't be puking at his x/r, it's a $40 raise into a $110 pot. He basically min-raised you.

Easy call, but due to the board and him being the PFR it's near WA/WB territory so I wouldn't reraise him - turns our hands into a bluff and a set or straight is definitely in his range, but not exclusively his range.

Agreed, and generally I do pay attention to everything. Was slacking for about an hour or so leading up to this hand... On my phone and whatnot. But you're absolutely right, and I will make it a point to avoid distractions. Tbh I'm really just getting back into live poker. Years ago I played regularly and knew better. Thanks for the reminder for real though. I should have no excuse for zero read, and you reminding me of that will lead to better habits

$35-40 pre....call the flop check-raise.

That pretty well sums it up for me.

Hero calls flop C/R. Turn ($193) is a low putting (2) on board. Villain leads for $80. Hero...?

Raise more pre. I make it around 35-40.
Flop bet more like 50-60.

AP: call his xr.
Turn: call again/eval river

More pre.

You shouldn't be puking with an overpair and straight draw.

easy call / call

what's up with river?

Agree with above but I make more like $45-$55 pre. Screw him and his $12 open.

I actually might have 3! the flop as well but I can get behind a call/call line. I am never folding on these streets.

No take on Villain? I’m not the most attentive person at a table, but after a couple hours I can tell whether I’m playing a TAG/LAG or passive players. If you haven’t noticed, I’d lean towards TAG then (you’d probably notice by now if he was a LAG or maniac). I’d guess AK or pockets 99 or higher. Problem here is you are behind against these holdings, less 99. Maybe he has AQ and you are ahead (doubt it though as played) It’s 1/2 and generally it’s played pretty straight forward.

As played, fine with PF raise, have position and raise should knock out blinds for HU play. If a known looser player, I’d raise more.

IMHO, bigger bet on flop if you are going to bet. $25 comes across weak/scared after your 3bet. I’d go $45.

C/R to $65 I’d call. Turn I’d probably fold. Unless it was a player that I could put making a move on a pot, I’m done. 1/2 is pretty straight forward and without info on Villain I think I’m most likely chasing a king or ace...and that might be only to chop the pot.


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Ah, you already known then lol.

Good luck getting back in, although I don't condemn using your phone. Personally I find it keeps me sane. Just gotta pay attention to hands too.

First input on someone else’s hand, but frankly when a 1-2 game is playing this way I have a tendency to size up every street with a hand as strong as KK. $45 pre. And on any flop without an A I’m betting $65 at least and evaluating.

Size forces him to decide on a jam or fold scenario at ~170 blinds and you can fold to a jam vs. putting yourself in a spot where you need to call down here 100% with little to no information for the next two streets due to the downbet. You block the nuts here pretty substantially which needs to be considered more than previously mentioned. If you fold and he turns over AQ, his most likely holding, it’s a disaster.

River: ($353) 9

Board: T J Q 4 9

Villain puts hero all in for $175 (could have been less)

Hero calls. Villain tables 6 3

That is beyond even my well-documented level of sick.

Reload and bum-hunt this guy.

The guy next to me told me after the hand that he goes broke all the time. Villain did come back a few hours later. First hand he sat down for I got about $175 from him. 2 hands later he gave the rest of his stack to somebody else and got up.

Somebody said 1/2 is straightforward...I assumed the same thing (when I used to play regularly it was 2/5). I guess most of the ok to decent (not "very good") players are straightforward for the most part, but the donkeys are donkier than I ever imagined.

Sounds about right.

Playing straightforward in 1/2 is the hardest part of playing 1/2.

2/5 more people are actually thinking, you can expand your game.

I go back and forth between the two though.

People at 1/2 (or 2/5 for that matter) typically do not play straightforward at all ime, they just make massive mistakes. Some are ridiculously weak/tight, some couldnt read a board texture to save there lives, others like villain here just spew it off like there aint no tomorrow.
The art is finding out who is making which type of mistakes.

Hand is wp, imo. Definitely don't raise at any point.

I think one of us misunderstood. I took "1/2 is straightforward..." as meaning, beating 1/2 requires straightforward poker. For the exact reasons you highlight, and because lots of the player pool are just gambling and "I was suited" as an excuse to call 50 pre with J2.

^it obviously depends on your definition of 'straightforward'. What i meant was is that i will deviate from my normal game to exploit certain mistakes people make. In a lot of cases you can take it pretty extreme with your exploits if you have the right opponent.

Random example: my normal/"straightforward" raise over 1 limper is 5x or 6x. In a recent game i played against a bad reg who always limps his big pairs UTG and limp/folds almost all other hands. He limps UTG and I have AA in UTG+1 and i make it 25x instead. He flats, flop is KQJr, goes check/check (his whole range is basically a set here), turn blank x/x again, river A giving me top set but also putting out a 4 card broadway. I bet 6bb into a 50bb pot, he moans and folds a set of KK face up, complaining about how i got lucky .

^ Ok, were saying the same thing.

Of course deviate as necessary to exploit anyone we have an edge on :thumbup: