I posted this in BBV because I didn't feel badly enough about the hand and wanted to get insulted but there were also some people criticizing sort of rationally (other than the usual you suck sort of posts). So I'm posting it here to see if there is any real analysis or criticisms about how I played the hand.

1/2 THR: Hero $550. Mid 40's TAG. Image does not matter as V's are just running over the table so my image is secondary.

V1 $500+ but hero covers. Total whale/donkey/fish. Says this is his first time playing and I almost believe him as on two previous hands he has called significant river bets ($60+) against me with total air. As in Q high or worse. He has been at the table with V2 for about 90 minutes or so. V1 has played every single hand like this up to now: Limp/call pre 100%. Lead out flop $20-$30 100%. He has taken down a surprising number of pots on the flop and has luck boxed a few other times.

V2 $150-$200. Usually plays 2/5 he says and is friends/mentor to V1. He is playing a very laggy style like a lot of players do when moving down in stakes.

V3-4: Doesn't matter much except stacks around $100 and typical weak/passive 1/2 players.

On to the hand:

V1 UTG raises to $20. This sets off alarm bells as he has played every single hand with a limp/call till now. Given his status Hero surmises he must have AA (as in he remembers being told if you get AA, raise and keep betting).

Hero UTG+1 has 55. I know if I hit my set I will stack him as he's never folding AA so I flat.

V3-4 both flat in MP

V2 flats on button.


Flop: $95ish 5s6h8s. V1 donkey leads for $20.

Dude, you got coolered. You got it in amazing after set-mining deep with correct SPR vs. QQ-AA that spazzed and went all in with lol1pair-what more could you ask for here? He played it horribly and you got unlucky. You prob going to get better feedback in BBV on this one, sir.

You knew your opponent had a big over-pair, stacks were deep enough for you to set mine with 55 and the pot went multi-way (four villains and you creating a pot with the exact odds to call his AA with your 55 (you're a 4:1 underdog pf)). You flopped a set, raised his c-bet on a wet board and called his shove as a ~9:1 favorite (88:12). Well played.

I generally wouldn't want to set mine from UTG+1 since you don't know what's going to happen with the rest of the table. However, since the guy has a nice stack and is probably going to go broke with worse (especially if your read is correct and he does have AA) this is a situation in which it can make some sense. It's close, though.

Grunch

Hero raises to $100-$120.

It's not close at all. Most people will not 3bet in 1/2. The odds of you getting 3-bet here is quite minimal. The OP is pretty sure the guy has AA, so the odds another guy to have KK+ is quite minimal (6 combos of KK, 1 combo of AA) and sometimes people don't 3-bet QQ here, so you can cancel that out.

Sure, you can make the case for the set over set argument, but that's kind of a moot point.

Oh, and you should never be (except in extreme cases) putting your opponent on a single hand. when he raises pre-flop, you should probably have him on something like AA-TT, AQs+. If you have seen him limp call with JJ or something you can tighten that range.

Well, at least you can take that massive pile of Sklansky bucks that you earned in the hand and rub them all over your...

You read the situation perfectly, got all the money in good, and got sucked out on by a donkey. It happens.

Back to BBV with you.

Hero should be aware that it's entirely possible he was already over-setted by V2 before the turn came, and he was beat either way (though for a lot more money on the ace turn).

OP, if V2 did not already have you beat after calling almost an eighth of his stack preflop and then not folding on the flop, he is awful.

Very cool story bro.

Gee, you got your money a huge favorite and got hit by a 2 outer. You're right, this is BBV.