Tight/passive/straight-forward 1/2 rec table

Effective: $300

Hero raises $12 with 88 UTG
UTG+1 (Tight, MUBSY old man) calls
UTG+2 calls

Flop ($39): QJ5r
Hero bets $16 (because I thought the pot was HU between me and UTG+1), UTG+1 calls, UTG+2 folds

Turn ($71): Tx
Hero checks, UTG+1 checks

River ($71): 4x
Hero checks, UTG+1 checks and shows AJ suited for 1 pair

Everybody puts us on AK always. Might fire another barrel.

If you're going to raise pre, and fire on the flop, then you definitely need to fire on the turn. What was your plan when you checked??

I prefer limping this hand, and calling reasonable raises to set-mine. Raising forces us to fold to a 3-bet, or leaves us OOP with a hand that almost always flops terrible.

If we're taking the aggressive route, then we need to give all the hands better than ours, but worse than TPTK a really good reason to fold. That usually takes at least 2, often 3 barrels of big bets. I'd play this way against a table of loose-passives who turn into fit or fold rocks post flop. At a recreactional passive table, I prefer to see more flops and shovel money in with big hands post flop.

To give up. No hands that called the flop are folding to this turn, EVER. Everything picked up 2 pair/straightdraws, etc.

Not sure if anything except an Ace is a good barrel card in this spot. Maybe not even an Ace.

Better to check/fold the flop maybe?

Good, now keep thinking along that line.

What kinds of flops would you think it's best to check/fold. How often might you see those kind of flops.

Now use those answers to re-evaluate your decision to raise pre-flop

I know the raise preflop is a bit thin, but the table was pretty tight and I was card dead for half an hour folding everything.

Tbh, I don't like limping any hands OOP. Probably better to just fold.

So you tilted, and spaz-raised yourself into a sticky spot. Why post this? You're asking the forum to give you advice on how to fix a terrible situation that you created without using any poker rationale or common sense..

if this table is tight passive, limping 88 is completely reasonable. its only 2 bucks and you can re-evaluate a raise if one comes. a lot of times at these tables if UTG limps, there will be a string of limpers and the guys on the back end are usually hesitant about raising with anything other than premiums.

end result is a good % of the time seeing a flop for cheap with a hand that can flop huge

I'd c/f otf or plan to DB, no one gives c-bet credit anymore, just 1 bullet is kind of a waste. C-betting nearly 100% isn't the most profitable thing, at most tables, not having a huge difference between c-bet frequency and DB frequency is the best type of balance.

Sometimes, it's not really clear what to expect after you limp. Every hand is different.

Which pair is your limping cutoff?

This is GOLD. I can honestly testify that over 50% of my cbets may not be working nowadays. Most people call with ANY piece of the flop knowing you'll shut down with worse later in the hand.

It's especially rough when they call your cbet on a J44 board in position when you're holding AK and the turn bricks, and you don't know what to do.

at a passive table from UTG, probably 6s, maybe 5s.

never really 44- because when we flop a set, it will be bottom set a vast majority of the time and in limped pots, 99- will get limped a lot, especially if there are several limpers already. not that i'm worried about set over set really, but it's going to happen more when every possible set is above yours