$1/$2 game in a semi-legal, friendly cardroom that plays much bigger--often a $5 straddle. I've been playing only about a month here, and I've never seen a dispute or complaint-everyone likes to gamble and not a lot of negative energy.

I've only played a couple of orbits, and don't believe I've played with Villain before.

Villian is 20's guy with earbuds. Seems quite LAG so far, and I've seen him lose two mid-sized pots since I sat down. He may be starting to steam, as he seems fidgety and overly focused and not very happy with his recent losses.

I'm late 40's guy who hasn't played a lot of hands. He may see me as tight/weak but I'm not sure.

Both of us are the big stacks at the table by far: about $1,400 each. I bought in for roughly that amount, to match his stack, and haven't won or lost any significant pots since I sat down.

I'm UTG with Ks Kc. I raise to $10, the standard open raise in this game. Folds to Villain in late position who raises to $60.

All folds back to me. I just call. Now, I know the standard play here is a 3-bet, but I sensed this guy was starting to tilt a bit and I kind of wanted to trap him.

Flop comes Ah Kd 10d.

I check. He bets $50, and I raise to $250. He snap calls. My raise was probably too large but I had a hunch he was going to call me with a range of worse hands. This is partly why I just called pre-flop--I thought I could get away with something like this later on.

Before the turn card comes, however, he asks me if "I want to do some business". Not uncommon in this cardroom. I say "what do you have in mind".

He then turns over one card--the Ad. He asks "why don't we check it down the rest of the way? I'm going to call you no matter what and you don't want me to draw out on you." I don't know if accepting his offer is legally binding in this cardroom; I do know that if I accepted such a deal I would honor it and he and everyone else present would too. Like I said it's a friendly game that plays really big and I'm not looking to become any kind of angle shooter.

I obviously don't plan to accept the deal. He's probably on the nut flush draw trying to slow me down, with other holdings far less likely.

So, what's my action? There's $623 in the pot, and each of us has about $1,100 left.

Pros?
Cons?

$440

PS I need to add that his statement that he planned to call me down was not part of the "deal"--that was just table talk as far as I was concerned. He didn't say it in a way that anyone at the table would consider it morally, if not legally, binding.

Each put another $300 in the pot and run it 7 times.

Honestly I don't know how I would react to this.

I shove here, lol, no jk i'm never that deep but i bet it would work.

I'd let the turn come. If it's not a diamond, I'd bet about $400.

I'm guessing his range for this move is probably something like AdQd, AdJd, Ad9d (?), Ad5d, Ad4d (?) . I don't see any reason to check it down.

On second thought, also wondering if it's possible he does this with like AdQx or AdJx ? Looking to get a cheap showdown with top pair + gutshot perhaps?

4bet dude - you’re $1400 deep and he’s semi-tilted and IP. He’s going to defend super wide. Could have went $250 pre and he’d peel most of his 3! range.

if he seems sincere in that he's calling basically any bet, my goal here would be to play it straight and to turn down his offer in the least douchy seeming way. so i'd say something like "you're calling no matter what? i don't believe you. i think you're folding turn. watch, i'll bet turn and you'll fold." and turn it into good-spirited banter. jovially give him a little **** for trying to get you to check it down.

particularly now that he's shown us a card, the last thing we want is to check it down. but OP you're also right to be careful about how you handle these situations, assuming you play in this (apparently glorious) room (given you can buy in $1400 at 1/2). you don't want to be a stickler. you want people to believe you're game for a gamble, a deal, and other random **** that can come up in hands. you want to be fun.

i do like a small 4bet pre, particularly this deep

You either accept the deal, assuming the dealer doesn't nix it, or you don't and play your hand and most importantly let him know you are playing your hand and not accepting the deal.

Politely decline the deal. I'm assuming we are worried about AA. Would he show you an ace when he has pocket aces? My guess is most likely not... hes trying to draw cheaply, or if he does have aces hes afraid of flopped Broadway? I dk man politely decline, shove or bomb the safe turn card if it comes is what I'd do.

I'd definitely 4 bet pf. As played I would decline the deal. Even without him showing me the Ace of diamonds, the fact that he is offering to check it down would tell me he has a hand that he wants to showdown, but knows is very vulnerable and middling. So a weak Ace with FD or something like AQ/AJ.

see what the turn is and bet $500 if no diamond.

Thanks for the advice so far.

I did politely decline the deal.

Turn was a total brick--low and not a diamond that would have completed his likely flush draw.

I shoved and he folded after a long think.

Obviously a shove was way too large given a set vs flush draw situation, but again I felt he was steaming and might just call. Plus, he had a pair of aces with his nut flush draw which just might push him over the edge into a call (except of course that if he thought it through there's not many non-flush cards that he can hit that he should feel realistically improves his hand vs my range).

I was happy in a way to take the pot down but I obviously missed some value from a smaller bet.

Your value missed here was pre, not on the turn. We just had an aggro guy on tilt 3bet us huge from the button? Good lord that's a dream 4bet spot with KK.


I actually don't mind the turn jam if he's tilting like that.

Definitely 4b! pre.

I like a smaller bet on the turn. Maybe 420 or so. Makes him want to call, and you basically know what his hand is (pairs of A's with diamond). You can safely fold any diamond river, and otherwise put him to the test with a <1/2 PSB. After you decline the deal and you shove the turn, he's probably going to fold knowing that you can beat his pair of aces.

i feel like i bet like pot

I'm just curious, what is your bankroll for poker?

As played, I'd decline the offer. Just tell him you don't run it twice or make deals with anyone, it isn't personal.

This is of course a very specific scenario but him showing you an A really needs to change your sizing. If you shove into a guy that has already shown you he has a pair of A's and likely a draw to go with it, that's incredibly strong. It'd think long and hard about the math and try to give him moderately bad odds to call my bet, not let him fold.

Also agree on raising pre.

Also, also, I don't always object to 'a deal'. if you think he's drawing, figure out what how much you think you can get or would reasonably like him to commit to the pot. Say "let's both throw in X and check it down". Theoretically you gave him poor odds, he wasn't going to pay you off when you boat up and he can't extract more EV if he hits after his -EV 'let's throw in X deal'. Again, it doesn't come up much but it's exploitable.

Maybe most important aspect here is if it's a friendly, juicy game, don't F*&% the vibe up. If that means making a deal every couple of sessions, make the deal.

I think he probably has something like AQ, but when someone throws out something out of the ordinary, I think throwing a question back is fine.

In this case I like "So if I don't take the deal and I shove right now, you're calling right?"