Table: Pretty nitty aside from the occasional fireworks. A lot of limp-call-fold action, 1/5 size donk bets if a few people join the hand, etc. I've 3 bet a bit, but I think I've only seen maybe two other 3bets pre.

Hero ($700) SB: Mid 20s white guy. Generally unknown to table, as I can only play here about once a week when I'm in town for work. Definitely seen as aggressive but competent, but in actuality I've been playing pretty TAG and have just been running a little good. Taking advantage of passive table. Chatter around the table is that I'm always raising straddles and some people down at the end think I'm spewy because I raised 79cc OTB after 4 limps and bet for value when I hit a 9 OTT. I also got called down light earlier when I double barreled a 10-6-4-j-2 rainbow board after raising 77 in late position. Different V in this hand was pretty passive and calls down draws a lot, but she hit her 10-9 with fd. I just gave up on the river and she took it down. Definitely fed the image though.

V ($300) CO: Mid 30s white guy, reg.. Only sat down a few orbits ago, so no huge playing reads. He's waiting for a seat at 2-5. Only hand I remember him being in is earlier. Someone bet flop, he called, another guy CRAI, initial better goes all-in, and V thinks for a minute and says he has the right odds and all the numbers add up, but he just can't call (laid down a gut shot with BD second nut flush). So at a minimum he's a thinking player, but he talks so much about strategy it's annoying.

OTTH

UTG limps, V limps in cutoff, button limps.

Hero looks down at AA in SB and makes in $20. UTG and V call. I Probably should have went larger here ($25) but I've been following a pretty stand 5x+1bb per limper if anyone has been paying attention. Not sure how I miscalculated, but it worked out ok. $20 is definitely seen as a big bet at this table, as I'm really the only one making it this high pre (usal raises are $10-$15).

UTG and V call.

Flop (~$60): Q7Q

Hero leads for $40. UTG Folds. V thinks for about 15 seconds and the raises to $100.

Hero?

If I call, there will be $260 in the pot and he'd have about $180 back.

Range Estimations: Suited connectors and 1 gappers certainly in range with position (67hh, 78hh, 79hh). 10Js, Q10s, QJo, K10s, KJo maybe too. Definitely PPs as well 22-88.

I don't see a lot of 99+, KQo+ in his range as I think he'd raise from the CO. In the hand earlier he called $15 with KJo from late position.

Issue I ran in to is that he's raising a Q, flush draw, and 7 here some of the time. But he's seen me double barrel light, and my image right now is aggressive, so not sure if he's taking this into account with this play.

Thoughts?

I check the flop into two players who could easily have a Q. As played, it's shove or fold, and fold is probably best. If you flat, if he's any good, he's shoving most turns, and all you hope to see is an A.

As played, it's a grunch spot. I just think he has more Qs than flush draws here and I make a nitty fold.

I'm tempted by a check/bet/bet line if I think this has 2 streets of value, but maybe I'm being results oriented.

Is everyone else at $300 or less? If so, this is where I take advantage of my aggro image and make it like at least $30 (maybe even $35+) to setup a trivial postflop stackoff. I don't like our raise size at all because even though it was only called in 2 spots it's created a SPR ~4.5 pot (can we ever fold?) and yet it also gave two opponents fairly okish 16+ IO. Even just bumping this up to $25 makes that much worse 13+ IO, whereas $30+ (which we're probably getting called with due to our image) offers really bad 9- IO (a world of difference, imo).

Again, with our raise size, SPR is so small we'll have a hard time folding, even on this gross board. My guess is that Villain mostly thinks we're FOS and is more likely to be raising a draw / pair than a Q (whereas he might slowplay a Q and hope aggro us continues to barrel air). With our image, I probably do a check of my cards as if I'm confirming I do indeed have that flush draw and jam.

GcluelessNLnoobG

You play there once a week? They know you ...

Is this a 'showfest"? Have you been showing your hands too? If so, this is a perfect time to use the image you describe to put a little extra into your PF opener, especially from the SB. $27, $29, even $32 .. something funky IMO. I agree that you don't want to draw too much attention to it from the norm, but you also need to bump it up to protect your stack a little bit at a time as long as you can be aware that you are actually shortening their stacks when you do so.

AP, with the Ah here I can both bet and check. He may be 'thinking' that you wouldn't bet 'so much' with a Queen and he may have hearts, 7x or other pair (like JJ) to work from. He may also want to charge you 'something' to draw to hearts ... and he's giving you a pretty good price at 3.5 to 1 to draw to 'a' heart or the remaining Aces. Yes, you have to hit 2 hearts, but a heart may get you a free River unless he has KhQx. If a heart hits, then you are getting 2.5 to 1 to call the River shove or get the free card at a very good price!

We shouldn't fold 'every' time someone plays back at us or it can be exploited even at rec tables. And we have ways to improve here, so I don't mind calling as much as folding. GL

Bad cbet sizing OTF.

What are you expecting when you bet $40? Worse is rarely calling and you’re toast against better hands.

With the Ah, it’s also unlikely that someone has a FD here.

I prefer to bet $20-30 on this texture, but I think a check for pot control/deception/induce bluffs or value-owning bets from V on later streets is superior.

If nobody has Qx, there’s no bad turn card for you. Just checking and delay cbetting this works better IMO.

Thanks for the responses. I'll try to answer some of the questions and respond to some points before we move with the hand.

UTG had around $400, V had around $300.

I definitely agree that PF raise was an awkward amount, and almost instantly I wish I had gone more. I'm almost always $25+ in this spot--no idea what I was thinking.

I usually play there once a week, but this is only my fourth time playing,and it's usually only 2ish hour sessions after work. Perhaps someone recognizes me, but I haven't really played with anyone at the table.

No, hasn't been a show fest. I've only showed when we get to showdown, and have mucked if loser and able to.

Re: c-bet size

momo_uk--what's your rationale for advocating a 1/3 pot c bet? If there are FDs out there (which just because I have the A, there is still KJhh, K10hh (maybe not), J10hh, 10-9hh as reasonable FD hands that could call my PF raise. Obv they don't have the the NFD, but they are still likely to see at least one street hoping to get it in on Qx? Why would I charge them less and give better odds?

Again, I may be way off here. I'm not a great player, and am certainly not a numbers guru, so looking to learn/rationale.

I thought V would have a Q some of the time. But I've been c-betting a lot, have shown double barrel, but have also laid down hands to big bets too. Pretty sure he's seen me do all three of them, so him making a play at me seemed reasonable, and wouldn't be a bad spot with a board like that. With my raising freq, i'm probably viewed as raising light PF as well.

As played, hero thinks for a little bit and makes the call.

Thought process: I thought V thought I was FOS. Some of the time I think he shows up with a Q here, less of the time with a FD (non-nut, so can play off that), and most of the time I think he has a pair or air.

This may be completely off base, but it's how my logic went at the table. This seems like great spot for him to play back, raising my cbet and repping Q. He also is setting up perfect for a roughly 2/3 psb shove otr.

I decided to call and evaluate the turn. Obviously praying for an ace, but I think a Q and any non J or K heart are all good cards for me.

Flop ($60): Q7Q

Turn ($260): 10

V has $180 behind.

Hero?

Ug turn spot (and one of the reasons I'm not really a fan of just calling the flop). I probably check/fold at this point as I'm guessing most weak hands like 7x will likely be just as scared of this card as we are and attempt to check to showdown.

GcluelessNLnoobG

Pretty gross turn. He either has a Q, hearts, or you are winning.

Honestly, go with your gut. Not much we can help you with. I don't see the point of shoving, because he'll only call with better, so check and make a decision. Maybe he'll check behind and we have the same decision on a lot of rivers.

Edit: If he will ever fold a flush or Q here since you have the Ah, shoving might work, but folding one of those is not in most player's handbook.

Check to the raiser and see if we get that free River card. I'm pretty much calling it off anyway so a shove isn't that bad either. For a guy playing a $300 stack $180 is an amount he may fold on occasion, but only KhKx is a calling from behind holding. You say he's a thinking player and those players can sometimes 'think wrong' with a Queen here depending on how you put your chips in. GL

Thanks for the advice.

Sort of on the same page as the last two posts—i could check/evaluate, but I figured I’d be calling it off if he decided to GII regardless. I think there’s some chance he can get away from both a Q or lower flush here, not necessarily a high chance, but he could talk himself out of it.

Soooo, I shoved. He insta mucks and let’s out a verbal “god damn it”. Tells me he knows I don’t have the Q and if it were anything other than a heart he’d call.

Felt like I had right player read, but I’m hindsight this doesn’t seem like the most profitable line to take most of the time. I was obviously happy to win the pot, but am trying not to look at it too results oriented.

No idea what he had. A7 suited? 7-8 or 7-9 suited? Maybe he had Q-9 and was scared to be going against AQ, KQ, or flush?

I ended up showing my cards for the first time too. He let out another “god damn it” shaking his head, but never said what he had. Idk.