V is rec player.
-Plays a wide range.
-Stabby post flop when checked to.
-I think he thinks I don´t double barrel my air and I think he will peel flops lightly against me. I think he can make tough folds when I double barrel.
-I think he will slowplay his big hands because he thinks I can get away from overpairs.
-Not sophisticated enough to play his draws quickly or to take shots at my overpairs (weak bets from me being a possible exception).
-Has tells (but lets ignore that for now).

Hero has a history with V and should be viewed as very TAG and a winning player.
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$2/5 1.1K eff.

Hero opens AJ UTG to $20, MP calls, V calls OTB.

($61) Flop: J34

Hero bets ($45), MP folds, V calls.

*Range for V: a lot of J's, JJ-22,K2s-K3s, A3s-A4s, OESD's and all the gutshots w. suited cards (plus some offsuit like 75,86), a ton of spade draws (Ax,Kx,most Qx,connectors/one and two gappers,some two gappers)

($150) Turn: 8

Hero checks, V bets $75, hero raises to $275, V calls.

*Range for V: Jacks, Flush draws with overcard/pair/straight draw, maybe 56/86, maybe J8, probably not a small set.

Pot going to river=$700 w. ~$750ish stacks behind.

Plan for the river was to check/fold spades, bet an ace (prob. like 1/2psb) check/shove a J, check/call a brick, check/soul read (but mostly calling) everything else. Thoughts?

Is this overplaying my hand? Do we like it with QQ+ as well? How about if the turn was the 8h(making any heart a scare card)?

Before we get to far, what are the suits of the Js?

Edit: I guess the one pre was Jd?

Hero has AJ.

Also, OTT, V didn´t call with no KJo.

I like the check ott since "he's stabby when checked to" but I would have called and x/c river a lot vs this particular villain. Not sayin a raise is bad though but I'm not a Kookiemonster and we are setting ourselves up to what? X/c most non spade rivers (ie give him a chance to bluff) but our turn strength should mostly squash his bluff ambitions. And jamming pot seems potentially overplaying our hand.

I'm honestly unsure here.

would this villain bluff the river after you check raised the turn? what range does he have for that bluff versus a check behind hand?

btw - you avoided the tells, but they certainly help when formulating the plan on the turn heading into the river.

btw - does a small set on the turn 3! you? wouldn't that let you get away from anything other than a set or massive draw?

Why do you think a small set is unlikely? People also love to set mine even when it's not profitable, so he's probably calling with 44 and 33 pre (not to mention JJ and 88 obviously), and you said yourself that villain likes to slowplay big hands against you.

The only time to ever check this turn is if villain is 90% likely to bet when checked to with 100% of his range. It looks like you realized that and let him fire, so great. Villain is probably confused at this point and is probably just playing his cards now. I would check river and let him bet again, since he may also just be on autopilot whereby he feels inclined to bet any time he has a pair. A lot of live players compulsively bet rivers even with something like TT in a situation like this.

If you improve on the river then check jam, if not just check call any bet, even if he shoves.

He can make tough folds when you double-barrel, yet he called your check/raise on the turn? I like your check/raise, but the call concerns me. Your plans for the river seem reasonable.

If the call is concerning, how is the check/raise good? Does that mean we turned AJ into a bluff?

The check/raise is good because he is a stabby player and we got more out of him w/o giving him a "free" card. The call is concerning because he usually folds to double-barrels (and slow-plays big hands).

Why don't you give us your analysis?

Against described villain, I think a call is better as he is somewhat likely to continue stabbing on the river to get us off a hand since we showed weakness. The problem with check/raising is that you fold out all his air/weak hands and you keep in the hands that have you crushed or have major equity against you. Check/raising turn and then check/folding river against a stabby player is going to lose a lot of money and allow you to get outplayed.

Yes, we still hate a flush, straight or overcard card on the river when we check call, but we still lose less money than we did with the check/raise when we check/call and we don't get outplayed as often.

If we think that V will never call with a worse made hand, then we are putting ourselves in a tough position.

And yes we didn't give him a free card, but what we did do is create a $700 pot with stacks of $750 behind while out of position and going to a river without any real idea of V's range. So we are going to get outplayed a lot on the river.

I don't think this guy can outplay us. He seems very straightforward. The call concerns me, but Kookie's range (we have a very good idea of V's range) is great and he knows his Villain. I do think maybe a small set could be part of it, but I'm not at the table. If this guy will call with that range on the turn, we are in good shape and river shouldn't be too difficult to play. Also, with that range we got money in while ahead and made him play incorrectly (probably!).

Turn check is good if you are correct in your assumptions of Villain folding a lot to double barrels and often stabbing when checked to him.

Turn CR is definitely better than check/call turn because most live players are showdown monkeys. Check/Calling turn here would just be playing scared against a 50% pot turn bet.

Villain is a fish, so Hero shouldn't be scared of being outplayed on the river. These spots are actually pretty easy most of the time against fish because their range will be pretty faceup if you pay attention to their sizing and tells.

How to extract the maximum value on river depends heavily on reads/tells. If his range is weighted more towards draws, then checking river on a blank to induce a bluff is fine. If his range seems more weighted towards made hands, then betting river for a small to medium sizing is good.

I like betting the turn. I assume villain isn't sophisticated enough to semibluff raise the turn? Any raise should be for value and beats TPTK. You can get value when he calls with draws/Jx and play the river accordingly.

I would prefer to check/raise with a hand like JT, where he might fold better Jx. I prefer to check/call with TPTK because it's hard to see what he'll call with worse. You already got decent value from his draw when he 1/2 PSB. If you're sure he'll bet and call a c/r with draws, then I think you played it fine.

I'm not sure why you discount small sets. 33/44 and a float/bink 88 make a lot of sense to me. He's your villain though. I mostly agree with your river plan. I would have the same action if a non-spade A or J hit. Top two and trips top kicker should win or lose against the same hands in his range.

What part of villain's range that we beat do we think folds to a double barrel but calls a turn c/r and river value bet?

I like the turn check to that type of player who will bet when checked to but I don't like the c/r. You are helping him to play correct and fold all of his air and hands you beat.

Love this line. Jxss are a big part of his range which would get massive value from with the c/r on the turn.

Also its not a big deal if it goes check check on the turn, you'll be able to get some value from Jxss on the river anyways.

Only down side is he'll be able to take a free card w/ FDs.

Like this a lot vs. the described V, though I think we should check all rivers, c/f spades, c/c when we don't improve and c/shoving when we do. We can consider c/f non-spade Qs and possibly Ks depending on how many bluffs we think V has. I think when V just flats the turn c/r that we have the best hand virtually always. Like this line with overpairs as well. I don't think the 8 being a heart changes anything since he has almost no combos of hearts with the Jh being on the flop.