7 handed

Hero - $2000 in front of him - lost a buy in at the start with Aces vs a set and a set vs a straight - run bad LOL - and have chipped up back to even.

Villain - $3000 - reg i've played with before at many poker rooms. Pretty decent player - plays a lot of different stakes. Probably 3bets a range of AJ+ - TT+? Maybe suited connectors, haven't seen it yet.


Villain 2 - $1000 bought in and i've played with him before a month ago, but I haven't seen him get too out line.

Hero is dealt black 99 and opens $20 UTG+1
Villain 2 in mid position calls
Folds to Villain 1 in SB and he goes $90
I call
Villain 2 shrug calls.

$275
K74
Villain 1 checks
Hero??

Check

Standard check for me as V2 is left to act. If we were HU, I might take a stab at it with some frequency, but firing out here seems like we're just trying to win every pot.

Ok I check and it checks though

Turn is 5

Villain 1 checks again!
Hero?

Think I'm just checking here and going quietly. V1 has JJ or QQ a lot, occasionally KK. Not sure we'll be able to get a fold. Can get creative and bet huge two streets but meh

$150. If V1 calls, then bets the river, fold.

We are probably facing TT-QQ at this point, less likely AQ/AJ (because I think a whiffed AQ/AJ is betting flop). A bet on the turn is going to look exactly like what we have and a thinking V is going to call with TT-QQ and fold AQ/AJ.

But if we check, are we going to call any reasonable river bet which V1 should do 100% of the time. If we check the turn we are turning our hand into a bluff catcher.

Sometimes I go for the cheap showdown, sometimes I don't. If the pot wasn't 3bet pre, I'm more likely to take a stab both as value & semibluff. They say people play more face-up in 3bet pots & there's good reason for it. V2 could have Kx and is worried about his kicker. TT-QQ are in V1's range & are scared (remember, he's a thinking player 3betting our EP open) but will realize most K's bet flop so he'd call us down. V2 also has TT/JJ.

Overall, I've stopped trying to make anything happen with my middling pairs as it usually leads to me value owning myself.

Well I have that unknown player behind me which i'm not happy about and he looks like he has a pocket pair as well based on pre flop action so I beat 88 and 66 33 22 and maybe get him to fold TT if I bet as he will be put in a stupid spot.

I wasn't sure if checking or betting turn would be better.

You're most likely behind so betting turn is a bluff and probably gets called one street by his obvious QQ-TT.

How about turn your 9s into a bluff and bomb both turn and river? Neither player can call two streets with any hand here, unless they are trapping with some monster which is unlikely.

Either that, or check/give up now. Betting just one street isn't an option.

Good point.

Why does V2 pre flop action indicate a pocket pair?

Checking turn or betting small is good.

"bluffing" turn and river with 99 is as bad as it gets, it might actually be the nut low hand for it

people don't over call hands like KQ and suited aces and than call a 3bet with those types of hands very often.

Agree with most of what is said here, generally the way this action has gone, you have two choices, go for two Streets, or fire both turn and river....I actually think a flop bet woukd have been ok here also, betting flop and turn, either way, you either commit too firing two barrels, or you get to the river as cheap as possible....

Check it down.

If he has QQ or JJ does he played this obvious? I'd expect a turn lead from these hands, but he could very well have them. You're ahead of hands like A4s that 3bet as a bluff then slowed down when he paired the flop. V2 has big cards with air or smaller pp most often.

well i checked it down -

Nice hand!

Yeah - that is the problem with checking these medium-strength hands down because it's so "standard" to check in these spots. But let's think one level beyond and analyze their ranges more.

It's important to realize that you wouldn't be betting the turn "for value" here just because he had AJ that hit on the river. You would be mainly doing it as a bluff to get him off QQ-TT. For which, you'd have to bomb river as well.

Honestly, the more I think about these spots, the more I feel like taking that aggressive line when Vs turn their hand face up by checking the flop. They literally have top set or a weak hand that can't stand two barrels in that spot. And once they check the turn again, you can easily eliminate sets from their ranges. Yes, they will probably call a turn bet, which is why you need to fire the river big again. It's especially more effective when the flop is rainbow (OR the flop had a FD and the flush draw comes in OTR). Don't like the play too much when the FD whiffs because you may get looked up lighter because "I put you on a missed flush".

It's a double whammy- you get him to fold his whiffed hands like AJ here by the turn, and get him to fold QQ-TT by the river as well.

That move just needs balls, the right reads and a solid/tight image though.