2/5 NL Holdem

Hero $1000
Villan $1500

Hero 22

Villan is younger Asian guy, running very well

Hero limps UTG with 22

folds around

Villan makes it $20 from button, Hero calls

Flop
2c7h3h

Hero checks, Villan bets $30, Hero?

Hero calls

Turn
9d

Hero checks, Villan bets $50, Hero raises to $150, Villan calls

River
Jh

Hero checks, Villan bets $300

Hero?

I don't like limping preflop.

On the flop, I'd raise. You have a very strong hand and you need to start building the pot.

Raise more on the turn - around $200-$250, maybe more.

Fold river.

Raise the flop,
Turn raise I'd good, lead at the river,
As played call

You can never fold your set here.

If you check the river, you're inviting a bluff. Call pre, call flop, x/r turn, x river looks like a hand that flopped big but is now afraid of the flush.

If V is aggro and will often bluff the river (greater than 33% for a PSB), I like x/c the river up to PSB. (If V is sufficiently aggro, you should check any hand here.)

If V is passive, you can x/f the river.

If V is in the middle, so that he might be bluffing somewhere around the correct frequency, I like a b/f 150 (assuming that won't induce a bluff raise).

You can x/r the turn larger. With your call, pot was 200 and you put 100 on top. I think 150 on top (200 total) is about right. I wouldn't make it larger than 250 unless you know V probably has an overpair and that he'll stack off with it. You don't want to blow draws off their hand and you definitely don't want to raise so large that V starts to find folds with hands you're crushing. It's OK to allow a profitable flush draw in as long as you make more from the times he has some other, crushed, hand.

Case2 thank you very much for your thought out response. I really like you analysis and reasoning. I was thinking of today of this hand and thought around a half pot lead on the river might make the most sense vs this player. Not overly aggro or passive, but this bet makes him define his hand. Over pairs, and 2 pairs will call and flushes will raise. Don't see him turning a hand with equity into a bluff and a river raise from him seems ambitious, would probably need Ah.

preflop: limping EP is fine as long as the table is playing very loose and passive. otherwise, you're setting yourself up to be playing a HU pot, OOP with a capped range. exactly what you got, and not very good. most 2/5 games im familiar with are aggressive enough so as to not want to be limping small pairs up front.

postflop: i think i like check/call on this flop. this is a pretty dry flop and villain will most likely be cbetting close to, if not, 100%. there's no need to raise b/c there's not much you can have to balance your c/r sets with. villain's cbet range is wide and weak, no reason to blow him off. on the turn, i would donk here. its not a turn that will hit a lot of his range and so i'd expect his 2-barrel frequency to be fairly low. there's some medium strength showdown value hands that you may pick up value from that would otherwise check/back if you check.

What are your thoughts on the river?

Fold pre.

Raise flop. It's super drawy.

Turn raise is good AP.

AP, fold river. You don't really beat anything.