The straddle is a very loose wizard who basically runs over everyone. He is gonna squueze a lot and is really tough to play against post. Will make huge bluffs and value bets thin. Takes a lot of 3b,b,b,b lines and gets paid

Hero is UTG on 1k 10 handed and two players have come back from break and posted the 7, so already 31 in the middle.

Straddle has 4k, table effective is close to 1k, except for 1 guy trying to hit the nuts on 500

K:Q

hero?

$25

Utg against these guys I just fold. You're gonna be out of position with a hand that is typically in good-not-great shape post-op when you do hit. This is typically the worst value-ish hand I'll raise utg but against a table full of maniacs I would fold.

Whatever the table standard is plus a little bit. $25-$35 usually.

Raise 30 but honestly i (personally) fold here UTG with KQ even if suited

Straddle is on guys, so 'standard' is prob 30? Dead posts aren't the same as limps, less likeley to defend, but still have to account for at least 1BB extra so I'd go 35-40.

If you're worried about a couple of calls and straddle repopping, you have a great hand to either defend or 4! depending on who's left to act behind you. I hate OOP and I hate bloated pots, but I'm feeling ok in this spot.

I might fold some of my more marginal opens due to table conditions, like KTs/AJo, but with the extra dead money in the pot I'm not folding KQs.

All other sizing suggestions are way too small, IMO. Just pot it to $50. We don't really want to encourage a bunch of calls and tempt the straddle to squeeze.

If he does end up squeezing I'm probably not folding.

How willing are we to get stacks in with the straddle? If we are ahead of his squeezing range I'm tempted to limp and re-raise if he squeezes. Possible shoving most flops. I like this line because it lets us get out of the way if the action gets heavy before the straddle acts. If you like KQs vs. his 3-bet range better then I'd make it $50 and 4-bet shove over a 3-bet. If you don't like either those options then I think folding is best.

Grunch:

A couple of key questions (these aren't intended to be Socratic; just getting more info on V)

* If you raise here and get a couple callers, what do you think V's 3b range is?

* Related, what the likelihood that he raises if you limp or 3b if you raise?

* If he 3b and you 4b, what will he do? (Give up with his bluffs and continue only with strong? 5b bluff? Any sizing tells on his response? What's his PFAI range if he gets to be the one to shove?)

* How good is V at hand reading? Does he apply pressure when board suggests it has missed others' ranges or is he just swinging away and counting on mubsinesss to let him bring it home?

* Have you seen V 3b/b/b/b as a bluff? Or did he get paid because someone pegged him as wild and didn't realize he was wild only for the smaller streets?


I believe questions like these are critical to exploiting the mistakes V is making. While it seems pretty clear he's betting and bluffing too much, it's valuable to know more specifically how he's doing it.

That said, we want to keep V in with his wide range and encourage him to put even more money in while weak. The downside of doing that, of course, is that he does hit a hand he's going to get paid off. So be it. That's the price we have to be willing to pay in order to exploit him. If we bet and raise to force him off his bluffs, we're helping him play more correctly. Winch 'em up and get ready for some turbulence.

I would either limp and call his raise or raise and call the 3b, depending on which I thought more likely to get him involved. There are advantages to both lines. If he raises or 3b more than others, but still only 15 - 20% of the time, I'd raise since most of the time he's not going to help us out.

I'd probably default to raising to, say, 50, planning to call his 3b of $150. If he'll put a lot in pre with a weak range, but plays well post, we benefit from shortening stacks. If he does fold, we benefit from not encouraging players at other tables to get involved in the hand.

ETA: I think this is a really juicy spot. I'm never folding here. Obviously, there are ways this can go south, but that's true for every single hand in poker. I'm IP against an aggro V with a good hand? I'm trying to figure out how to get more money in the pot against his weak squeezing range, not how to fold.

If we call, there's 41 in the pot. I think a pot-sized raise is good here. If we could be certain-sure V would raise, I'd size it small to get a parade of callers leading up to his squeeze (which we'd actually be using to squeeze other players). But since he might well just fold, I think a more normal size makes sense.

Given all the dead money and straddle, I'd make it like $55 here pf.

I think I'd plan to 4-bet bluff this hand if straddler raises.

Yea wtf are these sizes? 60 pre at least

yeah most pre suggestions are a bit light drop 45-60 range and im prob going 55... 4 bet bluff is a solid line pre here... Probably best would be to flat the 3b from SB, but this particular villain you may fear and a 4! isn't a bad idea

Probably flatting the 3B and let position work for you

I limp.

No, seriously. You're UTG with a good but not spectacular hand. But you DO have position on the one player who is likely to raise you - the straddler - postflop.

Limp. See how many people come along. If the straddler just checks, then yeah, you're playing multiway with a suited connector - just play fit-or-fold on the flop.

If the straddler raises with pretty much his entire range here, when he raises, you can then 3-bet to isolate him with what is probably the best hand. And I say if he 4-bets you, shove and gambol. If he woke up with AA/KK/QQ/AK/AQ, that's just bad luck.

This.

Next.

Given the straddling player and his dynamic, I agree with limping. I'm usually raising $30+

No, don't play drawing hands OOP. You need to be able to call and draw.
KQs flops a draw exactly like a 99 or any pair flops a SET(11.3%). But the set got lot of betting power and tons of redraws. Your draw still need to peal another card or two and it will be very expensive from OOP where if you check and call the villain will bet big OTT and you cannot call. So all is a waste.

Now, unless you suspect the guy with the straddle will raise you can plan for that too.
I don't like all this setup and even the dead money are not significant. How much dead wood is there? What $30 when the effective is $1000 and the table will let you take the wood out of the pot for $25 raise? ..How about if the straddle dude 3! you?
Are you kidding me .. wtf? - Can you call that? - No!

+1

what are all these tiny sweeteners of $25 UTG? That's a 2.5x raise

at least 50

Limping beyond awful

So i like case's logic here. I want to raise but i also want to invite more ppl into the fray, which will entice the straddle to squeeze even lighter

Hero raises to 30, a cascade of calls ensues. UTG 1 calls, MP1 calls, MP2 calls, CO calls, btn calls, blinds fold, straddle squeezes to 230

Hero??????

Based on your description of villain, now shove.

This is definitely exploitive play and I guess it's ok. Jam it in now. Why is this a thread?

Doubt villian will ever fold now due to pot odds. Has to be a value shove right?

I dunno i was expecting him.to go like 150 ish to leave himself room to fold.

Can we just fold now and eat the $30 investment?

Calling seems better than folding given pot odds and strength of hand. You don't think he folds any hands to a shove? He won't be getting 2:1. He'll be calling 670 to win ~1285.

Not sure if i have enough behind to get him to fold. His range to squeeze is all aces tho and some hands i dominate like KT, so shoving for pure value cant be a huge mistake. Guess youre right. Shove and be ok with it

(I lost to ATo)

Does he 3-bet/call preflop with A6? Seems really unlikely.