Table is 7 handed, but 2 Villains (not important to the hand) are playing so tight/nitty that they are really just sitting out until they have a monster. So in reality, we're short handed. Table also was pretty wild an hour or two ago, but since then V1 has scooped up a couple stacks from two separate villains who are now licking their wounds and trying to nurse short stacks back to even so they can go home. Table has become much more passive now and Hero is doing his best to get in good spots against V1 (but nothing much is happened yet).

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Hero ($400, UTG) Playing tight, but at the same time, I have a whale on my direct right who I'm trying to exploit. Semi-reg in the room.

V1 ($900, BB) Drinking, having a good time, terrible at poker, running great, getting $$$ in bad and sucking out. Calling station. Hero is trying to play as many pots as possible HU with V1, but is not playing trash to do it.

V2 ($300, UTG+1) Just sat. No history but he has the feel of a player who seems to know what he's about at the table. Bought in for $300 about 5-10 minutes ago and hasn't played a hand.

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Action: Preflop Hero looks down at 87 and opens to $15

You could call this a blocking bet. I pretty much never expect to be 3b here. I expect 1 or 2 callers. Limping here is standard, and what I do most of the time, but I also raise here occasionally. With the whale on my right, I'm gambling here that the bet will get a walk until V1, who will call. Sizing is a bit large to get the point across (e.g. "don't do it!") At most, I expect it to go HU or 3-ways with Hero and V1...

V2 (UTG+1) calls. Folds to V1 (BB) who calls.

Perfect!

Action: Flop ($40) 9 8 7

V1 checks. Hero Cbets $20. V2 tanks for 10-15s and min-raises to $40. V1 calls in stride.

Hero tanks for 15-20 seconds. Calls.

I thought about 3b here to $100 flat. V2's bet seems FOS and he's fishing for information. V1's call doesn't mean anything yet.

Thoughts?

Action: Turn ($160) 9 8 7 Q

V1 checks. Hero tanks for 15s, then checks. V2 quickly checks behind.

V2 has nothing (1p at best) and is done with the hand. V1 still can have all sorts of stuff.

Action: River ($160) 9 8 7 Q K

V1 checks.

Hero, in stride, bets $40. V2 folds. V1 calls.

Thoughts everywhere...

Reraise flop ~75 more atleast, but I'd lean more towards 90. gotta make them pay to draw and it looks like you're protecting your original flop raise, you don't have a set+ here which is only hands id consider flatting, equity great on flop and hand is disguised, most turns will hurt equity a lot and it's going to be checked to you again so you'll be playing blind

Explain?

If you flat flop and any 4-straight or heart comes your equity is diminished.. And it will be checked to you 95% of the time so what are you just going to bet any good looking turn ? Because any bad turn card and you're checking again giving 2 free cards in a 3 way pot with no heart.. You're trying to slow play a full house for stacks or something? I just don't understand there's 140 in the pot on the flop and you started with 400 , I wouldn't really mind if it folds through

Not a fan of the flop play at all. Looks pretty fishy to me. Half pot when we don't block any of the straight or flush outs is a mistake. We should be going 30 minimum and I would personally go 35-40. Not 3! the minraise + call is a mistake. Two pair needs to be played fast and I think we are deep enough to 3!/fold somewhere in the $125-150 range.

Thanks.

If big bets go in otf, my equity is bad anyway...

Had V2 made a proper sized raise, I probably would've just folded otf. Shrug. Not sure I want to overplay the hand to protect bottom 2p given the texture, before dodging a bad turn.

I'll have to think about it.

Pre is an easy fold

Flop is an easy potsized bet

As played otf I likely go at least $175

I would fold this under the gun

As played, I would bet flop for close to pot - say 35

As played, I would flat the flop raise and then fold to any considerable turn action

hmmm I looked at this hand last night and thought about it a bit. Most of the responders advocated playing back at the min-raiser. I'm not sure at all about that.

This flop is really a two-edged sword. While it's nice to flop 2p, it's bottom 2 and may well be behind already - or at best - extremely vulnerable. (I've often thought that if JT will make the nuts in a multiway pot - someone will have it). Having said that - I certainly understand that we are more likely ahead than behind and that we need to protect the vulnerable hand. I would have started with a bigger OTF bet.

But when I get raised and another player cold-calls. I'm seriously considering ditching the hand. When I run a simulation with two other players with ranges of {Axhh,JT-76,99-77} I wind up with only 22% equity. That may be to narrow a range - but not to far off I think for a raise and cold-call. And the min bet wouldn't really help me any. Yes that might be some kind of FOS/free card play - but it might also be the nuts trying to ease the potsize up - we won't know until later.

As played , it seems the rest of the hand played out relatively tamely, and V2 was indeed FOS.

Grunch

I usually size my cbets larger on wet flops. There are more draws out there to charge and to pay off a larger bet. I'd have made this $30.

I think I'm betting the turn here for like $100. There might now be a flush, but there's very likely a flush draw. I don't want to have this check through and then have guess on the river and I can get value from big hearts.

I might have gone a bit bigger on the river. Maybe $75.

After reading responses

Never folding this pre against BB we're trying to play pots against. I'm OK with either raise or limp. If I limp, I feel like I can call a reasonable raise as long as BB comes along.

If I lead out for $30 and get minraised I'm likely calling and leading out the turn. If there were only one draw, I'd tend to lead out if that draw appears to miss and consider giving up if it comes in. With two draws, unless they both come in, I think leading out in case V was on the other one makes sense. I'm giving up if that gets raised. I don't like RR the flop because any good draw probably has an easy call or shove (as do big made hands).

The main action is on the flop. Essentially 5 handed, raising 87s UTG is good. If it were folded around to the HJ in a full game, a lot fewer people would be advocating a fold.

People min-raise flops for only a couple of reasons.

1. They think the pfr has crap and they can steal the pot. This flop misses a "traditional" opening raising range. Most LLSNL can't adjust to a smaller field. Possible with an unknown.

2. They have a monster that is relatively safe. We can eliminate it here. Even a straight has got to worry about the FD coming in.

3. They have a draw and want to get a free card on the turn. Also possible with an unknown.

We aren't going to get value from 1 no matter what we do and 2 is unlikely. Therefore, I like a 3bet here to get further value from the draws.

As for the rest of the hand, checking is obvious when a lot of draws come in and I like the blocking bet on the river,

Even more Pre
More otf (v2 likely calls more, raises less, V1 folds/calls with same frequency)
Bet turn
Ck riv

AP, 3bet 140

Fold pre.

You have 8-high first to act oop and say you know you're going to get 1-2 callers.

Getting callers while you're oop with 87s is not a good thing.

I see no reason to play this hand. The open is not +EV.

Perhaps it's a matter of taste, but I completely disagree. NOT FR and Whale rules take precedent over all. Hero is more than competent. Table is now playing passively. Whale is whaling (and the best kind!! non aggro, station)

Open UTG super wide 200bb at an ISO sizing as an exploit here is +++EV as long as whale is 100/0ing

You say you're opening 87s oop since table is passive and we're deep...

So your plan is to open 87s, play oop, make a monster, and win a huge pot.

You're opening 87s oop exclusively for value.

Really doesn't make sense.

Biggest mistake is not appreciating importance of position.

Next mistake is not appreciating importance of high card value.

Related mistake is thinking 87s is a value hand.

Next mistake is not considering reverse implied odds possibilities.

Next mistake is not correctly exploiting the passive play.

I know you wanted to play as many hands as possible with this villain, but I think 7,8c UTG isn't strong enough against his wide range/position.




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Thanks for the responses.

I've learned this the hard way. I used to think of suited connectors and small pps the same way because they're both implied odds hands, but position is much less important for pps than suited connectors. Of course never say never but I'm way more cautious now.

Playing blind:

Pre: I'm for it. Having fish in the blinds at a passive table is one time when you should open up considerably in EP.

Flop: why are you so weak sauce on the flop? Bet at least $30 and certainly 3bet flop. Min raise from V2 is almost always something drawing and V1 we know will call the 3bet with worse.

Turn: check I guess. I don't know you messed this up on the flop.

River: I mean cmon man. Get value. Bet bigger. He'll call with one pair right?

Grunch: Don't like the open, tbqh. I limp if it will usually limp around and/or get a raise and then a ton of callers. Otherwise, I fold.

AP, I like a larger c-bet on this very wet board. You should still get action from V2 thinking he has good IOs to crack your "obvious overpair" and V1 because he likes pie.

AP, calling the dreaded min-raise here seems fine, as does the rest of the hand.

Hand is fine IMO.

Under these conditions I'd open this hand as well.

On this flop we rep overpairs and whiffed Overcards. Yeah we can get value from draws but we are oop and there are a decent number of turns we hate. I want to keep one pair hands in. I'm cool with 1/2 Potish bet.

Turn is easy check. I'd b/f 90 otr though. It will get looked up by 9x TT Rando Q or k that backed into a pair.