This is a hand from a late Saturday night session at MGM National Harbor. Hero is early 30s WG who doesn’t play much live poker anymore because he moved away from the DC area in 2016. Before that I played live $1/$2, $1/$3, and some $2/5 recreationally about 20 hours a month mostly on the weekends (2012-2016 at Charlestown and MD Live).

Villain is a mid-20s attractive Asian female who has been playing somewhat LAG and seems to have a boyfriend playing $2/$5 nearby who has stopped by to check in on her.

No real hand history leading up to this between H and V. H has around $600 (in for $1k) and V has effective stack of around $300.

Hand
V opens UTG+1 for $12. Hero MP 3 bets to $60 with AA. Only V calls.

Flop ($115ish minus rake)
9x6x3x rainbow
V donk bets $50. H flats.

Turn ($215)
Ax
Check. Check.

River ($215)
6x
V jams all in close to pot size bet. H insta calls obv and my hand is good.

Should I be flatting all my over pairs on the flop? V’s range seems heavy 1010-KK so I feel like I can get value from raising this flop but I don't want to turn my hand face up. Is there any hand in our range that makes sense to raise this flop when facing a donk bet?

The turn is my biggest question and a spot where I think I used to bet when I was playing poker more often. Is it better to have a smaller bet size on the turn instead of checking?


Villain showed pocket tens when called.

I'd go more like $50 preflop in order to give poor 8:1 IO for ~setmining, especially since we won't be able to fold postflop in what will be an SPR < 3 pot. But you managed to eke out even more, so very nice.

SPR is 2 so we're 100% committed on any runout and can never fold. But I would also just flat the small donk. We don't want to give her an opportunity to fold worse / stop bluffing, the board isn't drawy, and we can get in the rest of the chips whenever we want (especially being in position).

Unlucky that we setted up on the turn as this was probably the only real scare card. We still have $190 left which is about a ~PSB, which does make for a fairly largish river shove, so I wouldn't hate a lol bet of $20 just to make it that much easier (and is also small enough that it could be played back at if she's into that sorta thing). But also totally fine with a check.

River is obvious.

Gnicehand,imoG

I think you played it very well, esp the turn. I think you're raising flops with TT and JJ. Flatting QQ against LAGs, raising QQ against TAGs and flatting KK/AA. Of course, if I see you at Nat'l Harbor I will make adjustments haha.

I hope boyfriend wasn't belligerent when you stacked his gf.

Make it $50 preflop.

Flat the flop. I never raise here on a dry board.

I think either checking the turn or making a really small donk bet on the turn is okay. Something in the neighborhood of $30-$40. Makes it look like a probe bet and gives her options to play back.

River is obvious call. If she checked the river I'd probably throw a bet out around $100 and pray she has a high enough pair to look you up.

If she's LAG, she could have a lot more than 1010-kk IMO but otherwise pretty good. I think the 3! size was fine against a loose player

Thanks for the advice pre-flop. I was thinking about making it $52 and just sized up a little in the end. I like the idea of the $20 bet on the turn. I've done this to induce on the river but never on the turn.

Thank you. I didn't see any belligerence but the fact that she had amazing legs probably softens the blow after losses.

Yeah you are right. I say LAG in the "$1/$3 player doesn't really know how to be a LAG" sense. If she was deeper, I definitely think it's likely she has some JTs and 87s and 98s in her range.

Nicely played. I like the turn check back a lot as it keeps her overpairs to the flop feeling relatively comfortable.

Because of the preflop action, you can pretty much narrow her range to exclusively big pairs after she donks the flop. Your $60 sizing isolates Vs top of range hands, which is good when you get lucky pair over pair scenarios... but I think you miss out on a lot of value from the rest of Vs range going this large. I think TT is the absolute worst hand she would call with and most Vs would clearly muck everything except JJ+, AK.


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wp, i would most definitely not bet AA here ott with the rainbow texture

dont ever raise flop here IP on the rainbow board

pre is way too big

Your scaring me with that preflop sizing. You almost missed out on this juicy spot. I read someone said $50 but honestly even smaller raising to $40 is good here.

Otherwise WP!