1/2: Absolute maniac has been driving the action but he is not in the hand getting more cash. He's probably dumped 1-2k on the table by this point in a few hours.

V1: MP About $1k. Hard to say exactly b/c he stacks chips in 35-40. He has caught the gambool bug after playing with maniac getting involved in every hand. He has been calling down very light since maniac arrived and not adjusting to other players.

V2: Button $100 getting frustrated at the game. Has bought in several times.

H: UTG About $1.1k covers.

Hero dealt AcKc and makes it $20. Folds to V1 who calls. V2 frustratingly shoves $100. V2 probably has a decent hand. I am nearly certain I am not facing AA/KK from either.

Hero makes it $200. $180 more for V1 to call. He's about to fold then says why not and calls.

Flop: $500 J52 rainbow no club.

Now what? Comments pre?

Should have made it more preflop to avoid the awkward stacks of $800 with $500 in the pot.

Now you have a sidepot with $200 in it that you want to fight for. V1 range is capped and your range is very strong. Bet an amount that makes him fold pocket pairs like 66-TT, his equity with two live cards, etc. I don't think V1 is ever going to bluff here so mainly just looking to fold V1's equity. An amount like $180-200 is probably enough. Would be very tempted to jam a number of turns against V1 if he flats the $200 since you are repping an overpair very credibly.

"Why not" guy still misses the flop 70% of the time just like us.

"Why not" doesn't sound like pockets to me.

Use our fold equity now, we still have some outs even if we are somehow behind.

"Why not" could also be a weak means strong tell. I wouldn't necessarily rule out AA or KK in this spot for him even if you block. I probably would have raised more pre as well

Does he have another tell that makes you believe he doesn't have AA or KK? I think a 200-225 dollar stab might be good, cause then you can fold easily and relatively cheaply if he shoves. It's such a dry board that it will work against most of opponents range in this spot.

Bet-fold $200.

$200 is enough to fold out middle pairs. You will often see a raise from QQ+, allowing for and easy fold.


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Based on this I'm leaning towards check. It's going to be tough to get better to fold here, and we can hope that the all-in player doesn't get him to bluff or bet us off our equity. Also, equity denial is not as critical here since he does have a lot of better in his range.

It sucks to get in a big 4-bet pot and have to just give up, but I think it's the right play here.

I'm making it $180 for V1 to call. I felt if I made it any more I would be committed post. Does anybody else think I should have gone bigger?

As played, I led out $150.

I think a check would have been better. He may have checked back one pair hands.

V called. Turn was a blank, check, V1 all-in I folded. He had JTo. Short stack had AQ.

I think you played it mostly fine. You suspected V1 had a trash hand and he did. Your flop c-bet is going to take down the side pot the majority of the time when he misses. You just got a bit unfortunate that V1 flopped top pair on this bone dry board.

The only thing I would have done different is to size up your PF 4! in the attempt to isolate. Given your read on V1 and him having position on you post, I wouldn't have chosen to basically min-click over V2s shove. I'd like making it something like $300-$325 and been happy running it against V2. Now V1 did cold call the $200 with only $20 invested, so maybe he calls a larger 4! anyways. Overall I think you played the hand fine though.

Preflop is fine.

I'm going to bet/fold like $180 on the flop. My plan is to jam the other $620 in on any T, Q, K or A turn.

I'd have made him call off the rest of his stack with JT on the turn. Given the option of stacking off for 500bbs with tpbk or waiting for the crazy dude to return from the ATM, I think he chooses the second option.

this, 300 or even just a jam pre is good, if you play it this way you should go for flop bet/jam turn line on a lot of blank cards. i'm not sure if there is a card you shouldn't jam tho, if you barrell this you should barrell the turn because you are essentially uncapped. I really don't like checking with this stack to pot ratio.

we can engineer better value by raising more pre, then possibly check this flop when called. Jamming pre is also very profitable

While I appreciate the jam turn advice, in this case, my read on V1 was it's not folding a pair. I had previously won a hand at this table where I straddled button, maniac grabs a handful of chips and makes it $20 like he does 100%. I'm only at 400 at this point so about to fold until it gets 3 callers in front.

Flop comes 45Q. Maniac makes it $50, V1 calls, I shove for $400. maniac and V1 both call. V1 had Q8. My had held.

Another hand I raised pre w/ 88 hit top set and got 3 full streets of value from V1 who turned a pair with QT.

Money was literally flying across the table and V1 just had the gambool bug. I honestly thought $200 pre would be enough even for him but there is no way I'm pushing this pot hard against this V if I whiff.

How you figure that jamming with AK preflop is "very profitable"

I'm very serious, I just want to learn some of the very refined strategies you guys are talking about here. I see some very unique gems and profound intellects getting deep into the secrets of the game. So, I want to learn. Please help my feeble mind understand the deeps of your thinking.

How is jamming AK preflop very profitable?

you played it right
calling stations can not and will not be pushed off any pair
you need to connect or have it to beat them
old saying don't waste $$$$$ trying to bluff a calling station
but value bet them to death

People fold bad pairs all the time what are u talking about? I've heard a hundred times donks say "I have kicker problems" and fold their tpbk.

Its not terrible. It isolates the tilting V2 who we are very likely ahead of. It can get V1 to fold a pocket pair as high as QQ (seen it happen many times), even if he calls we are still flipping, and if V1 wants to get crazy and call with garbage then we can happily get it in as a 2-1 favorite

The value of AK in LLNL is when you hit and are able to collect off a hand that you have dominated. Most of the players whom you’ll find yourself against in an LLNL game will pay you off when you have them outkicked.

AK is a great all in hand in scenarios against bad, gambly players and maniacs. Throw in the times you have FE against pocket pairs and its a slam dunk shove.

read OP desc of V1 calling down light and not adjusting

your statement doesn't fit OP desc of V and that's what we go on not what you see from random donks

V1 is in fact terrible based on his preflop and turn play, so I can give some respect to that opinion. In this spot I think we do have fold equity vs a bad one pair hand if we bet 250bb on the turn. People fold weak hands like a wet rag in super deep pots when we credibly represent a very strong hand.

Because AKs is ahead of both ranges, so when we shove it’s really like risking $100 to win a pot that will be $220, where we have an equity advantage... so its +EV?

Edit: usually getting lots of money in with the best hand is very profitable

Edit: that’s not to say that flat calling, or raising to a smaller amount isn’t also +EV (anything but folding is likely +EV)