1/2 NL, four hours into session, 9 handed.

Hero (UTG +2, $600): Hero has a very tight and very aggressive image. Because of the fact that six of the players at the table are loose, hero has been playing exceptionally tight. Hero has been running pretty well and is yet to lose any decent pots.

Villain (HJ, $600): Villian is an older man, has been playing for 30 years, and probably wins our 1/2 game at a rate of ~ $15/hr. Villain is relatively tight, but very far from a NIT. Villain bluffs slightly more than optimally, opens slightly too wide, and definitely has a bigger problem calling raises when pre when he shouldn't. Overall though villain isn't bad and definitely thinks.


OTTH


BTN straddle for $8 A K $30 and only villain calls.

Flop ($71): A K 8. Hero c bets $50 and villain calls.

Turn ($171): 3. Hero bets $110 and villain raises to $350. Hero?

Nice win rate, could be trying to get you off of a chop. Would he R/R AK pre?

Probably has the goods considering his pre calls are on the wider side. Only a couple of A8s left, with 3 combos of 88 and several more FD combos ahead.

Itm, I'd go with a live read. From cyberspace, I'd fold.

Yeah, villain is in the upper tier of profiteers in our room, but our room plays exceptionally bad, even for 1/2.

Yes, there is no way villain is ever flatting AK pre, EVER. In fact, villain very seldom flats AQ pre. Villain is 3 betting 88 about 50% of the time, but substantially lower versus openers like hero.

That is definitely a good point about the combos...Could a villain like this be making a move with a hand like Ax Q/J?

Based on your description of V, he's very capable of calling $30 with JT, QT, QJ, or T9 of spades. He also could have a set of 8s.

Most players make a move with a pair of aces and the nut flush draw on the flop. So I lean towards value here. Top 2 doesn't fare too well against his range. Mostly you have only 4 outs. If you call, you will be facing an all-in bet on the river in most cases. So you need to decide now to play for his whole stack. I lean towards folding here. But it's a read dependent situation. Have you seen V make moves like this before without the goods?

If you are correct on both your self assessed image (tight) and his image (loose but thinking), then you are probably behind. If he thinks you are tight, then you have top and second set in your range; he probably knows this (again, if he's thinking), and as such would probably not try ton run a complex bluff against you in this spot on this board. He has all the nutted combo's (again, if you are viewed as "tight", you can never have a flush here, except for maybeeee QJ/QT/JT of spades, although I don't think those hands raise a straddle if they are tight?). If he has something like top pair with a good spade, you're still not in the greatest shape. Hell even if he has something like JT with a spade here, it's a tough situation, and I think that's the best case scenario. If you both were deeper then this leans more towards a call, since there's nearly 400 in the pot and you're getting a little worse than 2-1 on a call. But as played, prob wait for a better spot.

Pretty clear fold spot here. I like the flop and turn sizing. Lots of fish to play with instead of this guy.

I'd be checking the flop fairly often and cbet smaller otf when I did cbet
I'd fold turn

Why would you hate the sizing? The bigger the better on a wet board? No?

When I think of a wet board I think of 678 with a fd or 7910 fd
we have top 2 which is a strong hand but it's not more than a bluff catcher when a lot of money goes in

I prob split checks and cbet to like 40% check 60% cbet and I would bet a little under half pot.
The reason I like smaller sizing is We get him to call with a lot of worse hands that he would fold to a larger sizing and it still charges him for his draws.
Also keeps the pot size managable oop

I think any and almost all pair + straight draws, SDFD combos, and pair + flush draws will likely call big bets. Ex JKx, QTx AxT. There are a ton of similar combos that will call inelastic sizes.

Clear flop check imo.

Clear turn check to avoid this spot

AA/KK/AK eliminated based on pf call
A8/88 eliminated based on flop call

Only hands left are flopped flushes, air, and maybe some A3s. Unlikely to simply be getting combo frisky OTT. Looks like preying on cbets with a spade and/or gutshot as backup.

I'd ship it in and river the Ad to teach him a lesson.

Sorry you got flushed.

Flop is obvious bet to deny equity , get value. Fulfills a lot of the requisites for betting. Checking is weak and would be awful since we can only check call.

Turn is a reasonable check, since we can make a marginally profitably check shove all in vs an aggro bluffy opponent, since he could be betting 1 pair hands to deny equity. Betting is totally reasonable too, but we fare less well when we get raised since we're facing a way stronger range than when we check and he bets. Could go either way between betting or checking turn.

As played it's pretty close but I fold. We have 4 outs when behind, he usually has 9-12 when hes behind. And I feel like we're behind about 65% of the time.

Don't like how you managed to blow up this pot. 30 pre is too much imo. I know it's a straddle to 8, but it's still a 1/2 game. 24 works fine. Post-flop you keep sizing as if you have a monster and are looking for fat value, but the thing is you don't have a monster really and there very likely isn't any fat value to be had, at least not on the turn anymore.

How does the button straddle for $8? Only UTG can straddle. Is that what you meant?

Please clarify what happened as that effects the hand a lot.

Your room plays bad and $15/hr is the upper tier of win rates at 1/2? Id say that's way off.

Button can straddle in most live games. You must be an online only player.

No I play live. Its not a thing at the casino I play at. I'm in aussie though, so this must be an american thing.

It's called a Mississippi straddle -- you can straddle from anywhere, and most players wisely choose the button if they straddle. Varies in the U.S., but it's not uncommon.

Once this guy calls my flop bet, I check the turn, unless my plan is to specifically bet/fold -- and then I bet around half pot.

As played, easy fold.

$30 does seem big pre, but if it's the norm, it's fine.

Many places in the States allow a button straddle. Where things vary is whether the room then begins action with the SB or whether it begins with the UTG player who can call the $8, raise or fold.

The majority of poker rooms Ive played in, in the US allow button straddles. That doesnt mean its a Mississippi straddle.

Of the 39 rooms Ive played in the last few years, Id say (guessing from memory)

100% allow UTG straddle
90% allow buttons straddle
20% allow Mississippi straddle. A Mississippi straddle means you can straddle from anywhere.

I havent played anywhere that starts the action with UTG after the button straddles, but I know some do.