1/3

Stacks: Hero-$500, V1 (UTG)-$500, V2 (SB)-$220

V1 limps, Hero limps 55 (both in EP)
BTN raises to $13
V2 in SB calls, BB calls, V1 and Hero both call

Flop ($65): AQ5r
V2 donks $20, V1 calls, Hero calls

Turn ($125): 3 (completing the rainbow)
V2 donks $25, V1 calls, Hero ??

Is there any merit to raising either flop or turn when:

a) we know both players' ranges are capped at a pair of aces due to betsizing, and

b) Hero has a tight, winning image and knows they will fold Ax to any raise?

Well obviously if you know A and B to be 100% true then you shouldn't raise. I think they're quite pessimistic assumptions to make about recreational players though.

I'd probably raise the flop to like 50-60 and I'd expect Ax to call.

If we know a and b to be true there cant be any merit to betting. With position here I would wait til the river to raise. Hopefully V2 will make another small bet H can raise, or one of them will catch 2p and H can get paid.

I play preflop the same.

V2 is pretty short, so if he's coolered us with a tricky AA/QQ, so be it. V1 is highly unlikely to limp/call AA (people don't limp AA to just call a raise, right?), so really the only hand we're concerned about is QQ; is he has QQ, so be it. Button behind us could easily have AA/QQ, and well, we're probably just screwed if he does. Bottom line: I feel committed on the flop so I'm looking to play for stacks. We could slowplay against V2 because his stack is so small. But against V1 we're going to have to put in a raise somewhere to play for stacks. I'd probably just do a lol 3x raise here just to build the pot.

I get what you're getting at regarding being scared about raising pair hands out of the pot, and against good opponents and with a nitty image this will probably be the result. But it's also possible one of these players has AQ/AK and will put in a lot more money. And the bets are *so* small that they could possibly see us as attempting to bluff them off their obviously weak hands.

I don't hate the slowplay; especially on this dry board if I don't think V2 is capable of losing his stack, and V1 is so short that he'll basically be committed by simply calling to the river anyways.

GcluelessNLnoobG

^ V1 is not short, V2 is.

I'm 100% sure neither of them have AK/AQ.

V2 (short-stack) has a tendency to bet BIG with big hands and blocker-ish bet with TPGK type hands.