Hero starts the hand with about $270, villain has $500-600. (max buy-in is $300)

Hero is on button with AJo

4 limpers, Hero raises to $15, 2 callers (villain is EP limper, and another MP limper).

Flop: A T 9 (rainbow) $56

EP checks, MP checks, Hero bets $30

EP calls, MP folds

Turn: A T 9 4 (2 clubs) $116

EP checks, Hero bets $60, EP raises to $125

Hero?

My read on villain is that he seems solid. I've only been at the table for a few orbits but he hasn't done anything out of line and he has a big stack and at these games the better players tend to acquire the big stacks.

I bet half pot on flop for value. Straight draw is out there but otherwise is pretty dry. Turn comes and now there is a straight and flush draw. So I feel like I don't want to give a free card to any draws and TPGK has decent value, so I bet half pot again.

Then the check raise comes. Including the check raise pot is $301 and it costs me $65 to call, which is 4.6:1, which are good odds but with my stack I am pretty committed to the hand if I call. The problem is I have no idea where I am in the hand. AJ is at the bottom of my range with a pre-flop raise and betting on both streets. CR on later streets in these games tend to be for value, especially because it was so small. Limping with TT, 99 or T9 is a possibility, as is AT, A9, A4s possibly? Or he could be making a move with some kind of draw + pair type hand? Odds are pretty good but it feels like such a strong move.

Which two board cards are clubs? Do you hold a club?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I'd fold this against a solid player.

Would also consider checking back turn.

Pre seems too small.
Flop seems fine.

I'm often checking the turn planning to call most river bets.
Would consider valueing the river depending on the card if checked to.

grunch: fold

i think most of this is pretty fine and straight forward. b/f is the default line unless you think villain is either spazzy or would bluff.

Based on description (solid and inline) we're up against a range of 2p/sets almost always. Not sure how "solid" it is to open/over limp TT/99 as well as AT/A9, but the turn could have improved an A4s or 44 (As stated our sample size is almost insignificant, so there's that). Either way, it's my experience that min-raises at low-stakes are usually a plea for more of your chips. He'd need a solid read on you to think an almost min-raise would have fold equity.

I like IRTM's advice on larger pf sizing. $15 works as an opener. With 4 players in there already, I think we can get away with $18-25. I think turn action can go either way, but the more I think about it, the more I like checking turn. It masks our hand some which could get worse to call OTR that would normally fold OTT if we're ranged to Ax.

Lastly, to offer my 2 cents on a part of your thought process: I wouldn't assume someone is good based on their stack. He's barely deep & could have easily acquired those chips by misplaying and sucking out. We only have what, ~20 hands on this guy? Just keep watching him & refrain from fearing prematurely.

After 4 limpers in my loose 1/3 NL game and a non-monster hand like AJo on the Button and just a $270 stack, this is an easy raise to $30 for me. A $15 raise here will see a 6way pot every time at my loose table. I want to get this HU getting in >= 10% of my stack so I can trivially stack off postflop with TP, and if the "biggish" raise takes down ~6 bbs uncontested preflop, whatever (actually, it's probably an awesome result).

Even though we managed to narrow things to 3way, the result isn't necessarily awesome. We've created an SPR of 4.5 which basically suggests we'll most likely have to stack off postflop with TP (which can be done in just 2 streets with a pot this big), and yet we gave two opponents decent 19+ implied odds. Meh @ preflop, imo.

Flop is actually really gross as two hands that we were ahead of and could muster a loose preflop call just moved ahead of us (AT/A9), plus TT/99 got there. But the board is also somewhat coordinated and if we feel committed (do we at this SPR?) we don't want to let someone draw out in a relatively big pot. It's kinda a gross spot.

I guess I could get behind some weakish bet/folds (although this gives draws a good chance to suck out), but the fact is we'll be totally committed by the river unless someone is kinda enough to check/raise us and let us get away from out hand. As we were playing it, if he hadn't check/raised the turn, we would have had $165 left in a $235 pot, where I doubt we could fold to a river shove.

This whole hand was made far more difficult than it had to be simply due to our preflop sizing, imo.

GcluelessNLnoobG

The part I'm not sure about is the turn. I thought bet was good for value and to deny a free card to draws. I can see only being able to get 2 streets of value with TPGK though.

I had black AJo so one was a club, forgot which one though.

Multiple people say that you should raise even larger against multiple limpers. I went 5x against 4 limpers. I feel it's spewey to raise too big with a good but not great hand like AJo.

Let's say I raise 7-10x preflop. And I get a single caller. What kind of hands can I put him on that he limp-called such a big raise? You do get a ton of info if someone cold-calls a giant raise PF. But what about the limp-callers?

I think you're giving llsnl players too much credit. Maybe I have looser average opponents than your card-room, but with my nitty image, I have people announcing their attempt to crack my aces & showdowns confirm a wide range. I think you should pay attention to people's limp-calling ranges to see how your room is, but how often is someone's open limp range ahead of AJo? I wouldn't consider this spew at all, but pure value. Furthermore, if we consider this sizing spew, does that mean we're raising more with premiums? An observant player will pick up on our sizing tell, so you could also think of this as a balance to your large opening range.

3 streets of value is optimistic with this hand so in position prefer checking back and opening up bluffs from V on river. If then checked to on river its quite a comfortable value bet for the same amount you bet on turn. I dont think youre protecting against many draws with this bet, its just not big enough for LLSNL players to fold draws.

as played fold, youre not beating anything that clicks it back.

Bigger pre

Flop is fine

Check turn, AP fold. LLSNL players don't bluff enough to assume a random guy you haven't seen bluff is just going to start doing it to you

More pre. Played fine postflop. You went for value from weak Ax, weaker pairs, and draws. Now fold. Villain has a range that beats AJ.