Villain 1: A maniac who is raising just about any two cards, cbetting big, and showing his bluffs every time someone folds. He has also "had it" sometimes (i.e. had top pair) and showed that as well. When I initially sat down he was making a decision on whether or not to call a big river bet in a pot, he tank called with 73o because he hit the 7 on the river and incorrectly thought his opponent was betting out a missed flush draw. I didn't see the beginning of the hand but it seemed like a bizarre call and everyone at the table looked very perplexed by it. He is European, flashy dresser, very unpredictable play. A couple other players are calling him "83" because apparently, he won a huge pot with that hand. Has about $700.

Villain 2: No real reads on him as I haven't seen him get too involved and I've only been at the table for a half hour. Not central to the hand.

Hero: Sat down about 30 minutes ago, called a few raises on the button with suited connectors and suited aces and bricked every flop so has chipped down a bit, sitting on $320. Assume I don't have much of an image one way or the other.

On to the hand:

Villain 1 straddles to $6 on the button. He is straddling every button and has raised it every time it has folded to him, he also has never folded his straddle when it's been raised. Action starts UTG, folds around to Villain 1 in MP who raises to $16, Villain 2 calls on the button, I look down at two red Queens in the small blind and re-raise to $50.

Should this 3bet be higher? Around $60?

Villain 2 folds and Villain 1 calls. At this point the pot is $120 and my stack is $270 so going to the flop my plan is to more or less be committed to this hand if no A or K hits.

Pot $120
Flop 8c9s10s

Not a great flop for red QQ. I decide to check and villain bets $70. When I check I expect him to bet his entire range here from the nuts to total air, and everything in between.

Felt unsure on how to proceed on this board and after villain's bet I considered folding, calling, and shoving. What's the right play here? Stack sizes are awkward if I call, with a pot of $260 and a stack of $200. If we call, do we get it in on all brick turns and fold to spades, a paired board, a 7 K or A?

V1 can't be both straddling on the button and raising from MP? I'm confused if we are playing the button straddler or not.

Anyway, yes, I'd raise a bit bigger pre, like $60-65. Maybe a bit more fold equity, but it might not have had a material effect on the hand as played though. Tough flop. Peeling is not unreasonable, but you will have to fold a lot on the turn (and get shown an 8 ha). You could shove safe turns though. I don't think I'd check a safe turn and let him take control again. Has he double or triple barreled with junk?

Seems bad turn cards would be any spade, 7, 8, 9, T, K, A (~28 cards). Safe is any non-spade 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, J, Q (~19 cards).

Would love to see what others think - this could smack a reasonable player's range, but does it help an ATC'er? I still tend to give them credit for something on a reasonable wet board if they double/triple barrel. Shoving on safe turn takes that option away from them.

Your action is a bit unclear but I'm going to assume V2 raised and V1 called from the button. Flop is ugly but against an ATC guy your committed. Depending on which way he is more likely to lose his money you can commit to calling down on any run out or you can just shove now. With only limited information I prefer shoving now.

Flatting now and deciding on turn doesn't work in this hand because so many turn cards are potentially bad, Any spade and any card 6+ fill in obvious hands that could be beating you and this type might make two pair on cards 2-5 anyways. You so committed and there are so many ways villain can be bluffing that you can't really fold turn anyways.

Shove now

I think you give the maniac too much credit. His range is so wide the chances of him hitting are nil. I agree, shove now.

Pretty good flop imo. He doesnt have the typ 3bet calling range. Hes like top 80% of hands it sounds like. Check shove is good

Shove and get snapped off by J3o.

Just a note: You should also be stacking off on A/K high flops against this guy. You need to go with this hand on almost literally any runout with these stack sizes once you make it $50 pre-flop and go HU.

If you do call I would x/c all turns.

Sorry for the confusion in my post. You're all correct, it should read "Action starts UTG, folds around to Villain 2 in MP who raises to $16, Villain 1 calls on the button"

Also, I'm not sure if this is relevant, but although villain's range is definitely wider than the usual player here, I hadn't seen him get 3bet pre before and don't know if he would call that nearly as light as he would a regular small $10/$15 preflop raise. I've only been at the table about 30 minutes, and up until this point, villain has pretty much dictated the flow of a passive table and no one has 3bet him.

Have to shove against this villan now.
I think 55 pre would be better.
I like the check if you know he bets, now shove it in. Watch him think your on a draw and call off with a t in his hand.

That does add another element of uncertainty to an already murky situation. But you have an over pair and an SPR < 2 on a board where villain will be drawing to beat you as much as beating you.

If you are thinking about giving this up and waiting for a better situation look at this way. By the time you get a better situation you will have lost $120+ to the maniac, he will be coin flipping against you with the money he has already taken from you. If he wins he is way ahead and if he loses he just goes back to stealing pots.

The flop is fine for your hand. You block JQ and chance's of flopping a straight are low. Shove now. Looks like he'll call it off with any pair/any draw. If he flopped two pair you have outs. If he flopped the dummy end of a straight you have outs.. but both of those scenarios are unlikely.

You're check worked and he bet. Time to shove. Lots of worse hands can call, especially from a maniac with a wide range. You're queens even block some of his straight outs if he has a Jx hand, and if he somehow has two pair or a set, you have a gut shot for extra outs.

Bigger pre. Now GII.

Thanks all, I shoved and got snap called by a set of eights, board bricked out and I got felted.

Felt it was a cooler at the time but sometimes we can cooler ourselves and wanted to get a spot check to see if that might have been the case. I have been running bad lately and haven't been playing great my last couple of sessions. Good to know the shove was correct.

I like I slightly bigger raise preflop to just make setmining that much more unprofitable, plus help negate our positional disadvantage, plus we know this guy is *never* folding to $60 (amirite?).

If we expect this guy to bet his entire range here when checked to, then clear check/shove for me (board is way to drawy to flat and setup a bluffcatcher OOP, imo).

GcluelessNLnoobG