1/2 Live 8 handed

Hero covers...250+
Villain 50 something/recreational/ a bit on Conservative side

Hero straddles (aggressive image).

Cut-off calls
sb Calls

Hero raises to 20
Cut-off calls
SB folds



Hero AA

Flop
456

Pot 48$
Hero bets 25$ (I am targeting an over-pair, maybe bet more?)
Villain calls pretty quick, not instant

pot 98$
Turn 3
456

Hero thinks and bets 52$
pot 98+52+52= 202$
202+102=304$

Villains shoves for 102$ more.

Getting like 3-1 to call, what to do?

I don't think he has 78 he would have thought more on flop.
Same with a set..I think he thinks longer...

wp up to the turn, flop bet is perfect as it gets calls from 7x and diamonds

turn is an easy c/f

^^ agree. Easy fold nh.

7x and dd probably call 35 as well.

Do you really think 1/2 pot on the flop get more calls than 3/4 pot? 7x and diamonds aren't making a mistake calling a half pot bet either. The only 7x villain has is 76, 77, 78 and sometimes A7 and none of those hands are folding to any bet around pot size. I would bet 35 on the flop.

If villain truly is conservative old guy, he's never going to bluff you on the turn. He's going to try and get to showdown. You can safely check fold this turn.

Pre-flop Raise should be more. Don't give him good implied odds in position to try to crack you. He has to call $16 here into a pot of $30 and if he hits a hand he can take you for $230 more. Raise it up to $28-$32 and if he plays, he is not getting good odds to do so. If he folds, oh well take the small pot and move on. It's not the worst thing in the world to avoid playing post flop out of position with big pocket pairs.

Also, you are correct, bet on flop should be more.

As played, I think you should fold. Even with 3:1 on your money, I think almost all of the range that shoves over on the turn has you beat. Sets, two pairs, combo draws that hit, 22 or 77 for straights. He could have a pair 88-KK but I think that's pretty unlikely.

Yes they are. We're laying 3:1 pot odds when they are no better than 20% to make their draw on the next street, and we are not laying any implied odds because we are folding to any aggression.

You are probably right that we can bet bigger though.

Well our hero just bet $52 on of the scariest cards in the deck. I'm pretty sure their flop call was +ev.

Ha, point taken. I was talking about theory but that goes out the window when certain players are involved.

When you say, "aggressive image" with straddling, what does that mean? Straddling by itself isn't aggressive. If you're raising 70%+ of the time when it is limped to you, then you have an aggressive image. If you have that aggressive image, I'd snap call.

My guess is that you don't, so it is a fold on the turn. PF raise as others mentioned is too small, it screams big pair.

I can honestly say the person I am least intimidated against is someone who UTG straddles. I lol at this to myself, and salivate heavily, everytime it happens.

Pretty sure that doesn't accomplish an aggressive image.

More pre (like, what a dream scenario for a straddle), more flop, c/f turn.

I didnt mean that just the straddle made me look aggressive.
I was talking about in general.

I was for sure raising at least 50% maybe 70% of hands limped to me.
If anything I am guilty of raising too often.


I agree 25 or so better then 20.

for what is worth +1

I agree a bigger bet on the flop, $35-$40 if he calls, I would check turn card. IMO, gotta make it expensive for him.

So I am not really worried about set/78 here. Like I said before I think V thinks longer on the flop and probably raises. not saying never just really discounted.

Don't I want to charge DD / over-pairs to get to the river???

The consensus seems to be check-fold so I am probably missing something.

So maybe wrongly I decided (since I don't think he ever puts me on AA) to call.

If he as 2 pair/set I can suck out/chop with str8.

Maybe he has A7dd/ dd/ over-pair (at least non-zero percent of time)

my reasoning was sometimes players think there good and don't want to face a descion on the river so just jam.

Of course he turns over 67 off ( I was a little surprised he called so light pre)