2/5 Horseshoe Hammond IN (outside Chicago), mid-afternoon on weekday. Couple of marks at the table (including V2 in the hand), along with some bad tourney players and a couple competent Regs (including V1)

Hero (~$900): 30s white male, jeans and long sleeve tee. Hero is not playing too sharply and has no fold equity to anyone paying attention, as Hero has c-bet two or three flops that "look like a pf raiser should hit" only to get blown off of them (in a couple cases b/c Hero is FOS, in another b/c Hero had TPGK but got raised and 4-bet). Regardless, Hero has reacted by tightening PF raising range and decreasing c-bet frequency.

V1 (~$1000+): 20s white male (Middle Eastern, if it matters, as subject of speaking Arabic came up and he rattled off a conversation), hat and hoodie. Thinking player, heard him talking through a hand history with a friend using all the right verbiage and thought process. The standard would be to define him as LAG, but I'll go with "Loose, reactive" instead, as he's not always blindly aggressive. He has built his stack through solid play on a range of hands. Has definitely been playing connectors/gappers/etc. Not sure what his image of Hero is, he did call Hero 3B, then C/F to Q flop earlier, but - I believe - Hero image taken a hit since then due to hands with other players.

V2 (~$250): 50s Middle Eastern (maybe), "Marathon player" (hero saw a regular ask V1 when he got to room, and alluded that he'd see him tomorrow in the same spot). Loose and bad. Has blown through several $300 buy-ins since Hero has been at table.

Hero dealt 77 in EP.

V2 straddles to $10. V1 limps from UTG+1. Hero in MP calls (obv this is usually a raise, but given straddle plus dynamic above makes it a call, as I felt like I could get 3-bet off the hand and with several deep stacks at table, including one big mark, felt odds were there to set-mine; knew raise likely to come and was prepared to call single raise). One more limper. V2 raises to $35. V1 calls. Hero calls to set-mine. One more call.

Flop (~$140): T97

V2 leads $60. V1 raises to $160.

Hero...

I'd imagine most will say raise. If so, I'd love to hear thoughts on sizing and rationale for said sizing. Also include plan to further aggression from V1 (obv we call V2 shove) and plan for future streets.

Thanks!

Flat. V2 can't make a real raise when it gets back to him, he'll be ai for 215 otf, it'll look like you're drawing because you know the max that can g in otf is 215. Lower the boom on brick turns. A few cards can hit ott that'll kill the action although not too many that I think will put you behind.

I like flatting here as well since it keeps hands such as T9 and 97 in the V's range that would fold to a 3b! on this flop by the hero. I feel like if you raise V will only continue with better hands such as higher sets and straights. I mean, there is a chance V1 is on a flush draw but I feel that makes up a smaller part of his range.

For later streets, I would call V's bet on and 8 turns, and raise other blank rivers.

Preflop: As preflop goes this is a tricky spot (both decisions), but I think you handled it correctly.

Flop: Raise. You have too much hand to fold. Calling sucks because a lot of cards can come that will either A) complete draws, or B) kill your action. Raising represents huge strength, but so does flat calling, and raising doesn't come with the drawback of allowing draws to correctly call. There's definitely an argument to be made for a small raise like putting $275 on top of the $160, but imo your best option is to shove. If somebody outflopped you you're going broke no matter what you do, V2 is probably slowing down even with a hand as strong as T9 if you either raise less or flat call, but shoving will really punish V2 (or the guy behind you) if they have a combo draw where a lot of their outs give them second best hands.

Tricky hand.

Just my opinion...

I like raising. 350ish.

Thanks for the responses. I appreciate the help! This type of hand - bottom set on a coordinated board when > 100BB deep - is really a thorn in my side as I'm not comfortable (read: not good enough a player) thinking through a multi-street plan.

I'm surprised a couple people said call, but I really like shrewsbury's rationale.

I framed this post as more open than my thought process was at the time. I was going to raise, as I didn't like the thought of calling then having to call a shove on a lot of different turns (flush, 4-straight, even board pairing, I wasn't sure how I could narrow his range further if I called and then he shoved non-blank turn). I posted this primarily to see what people thought optimal sizing would be.

I thought for a minute, which was a huge tell in and of itself (obviously I have to be super-strong to do anything but fold here). I raised to $360, with plan to call his shove or get all money in on any turn, be it calling shove or shoving myself if checked to. I chose $360 b/c I thought it gave him the appearance of having some fold equity if he shoved (he did not, I would have thrown up a little in my mouth but would have had to call, as I was confident that I was not against an over-set and had too much equity at that point even against a made straight), and also set up an easy < pot sized shove for me on the turn. Essentially, I turn the hand into a one-street game and take away any future decisions I have to make. I struggle with this as rationale because I think it comes back to me not being comfortable/good enough to play multiple streets on this board.

V2 folded. V1 tanked for a while before folding T9 face up.

Obviously against his exact hand I would prefer to flat then get it all in as a huge favorite on the turn. However, against the range I assigned him I wasn't disappointed to see a fold as I picked up $300 and - I thought - folded out a fair bit of equity he had. I thought I was in a win/win situation once he didn't immediately shove as I either way going to get it in with a ton of equity (combo draw) or potentially fold out a hand that had a ton of equity (same combo draws). However, I managed to fold out a hand where I would clearly have preferred to get it in against.

Continued thoughts welcome. I need a better way to think through hands like these as I'm clearly not playing them well.

This situation happens a lot. Usually it's not MW but the thing is shoving is definitely the easiest decision although not the way to make the most money. If you wait for a brick turn and then get ai ott you come out way ahead. Sometimes the turn will put you behind, sometimes it'll kill the action. But the path to the most money usually involved a difficult decision or allowing a card to hit the board that'll completely change the texture.

Some of the biggest pots I've ever won are where I wait for the brick ott and then shovel $ in. The times the 8s hit ott, for example, suck, but we're here to maximize profits not minimize decisions.