9 handed 1/2/5 game (1/2 blinds, bring in for 5)

Table is comprised of mostly solid, young players. About half and half decent TAGs/LAGs. No one has been getting out of line but v1 (middle-aged buzzed white guy directly to my right) has been a bit spewy.

Hero (1400) - was previously playing 1/2 but tables were combined @ stack size 400. Has been aggressive/methodical, always had the goods at showdown except one hand where I flopped top pair vs middle pair and called a large river bet when v1 rivered 2pair.

V1 (~1000) - LAG has been drinking and is down about a buyin. Hasn't gone to showdown much but often had weak hands. Attacks often in obvious bluff spots, has made a couple random shoves that were called and he showed air or third pair.

V2 (400) - Strong, thinking LAG college student. Plays the flop passively and will check-call flops with a wide variety of hands (any decent draw, any pair). Earlier called donk bet with KK on flop T86cc, hero raised in position, v2 called and folded to hero's shove on turn 3x.

V3 (1000) - Slightly maniacal LAG. Sat down recently for $1k and stated that he has been "running so bad lately."


Hand 1

Hero button straddles $10, dealt KK. V3(SB) raises to $35, BB folds, 4 callers (stacks ~750)

Pot 185. How much do you make it? Note: I opened at least three times the previous round.


Hand 2

UTG, V2(MP), V1(CO) limp $5, Hero(B) raises to $30 with 44, V3(SB) calls, BB and three limpers call.

Flop ($175) J99cc. Checked around, hero bets $95, V2 calls.

Turn ($365) Kx. Check, check.

River Ax. V2(275) checks. Hero?


Hand 3

MP limps $5, V1 makes it $25, Hero(B) calls with ATo, MP folds.

Flop ($55) AT4r. V1 checks, Hero bets $30, V1 checkraises to $75, Hero calls.

Turn ($205) 6. V1 leads $140, Hero calls.

River ($485) 9. V1(750) bets $125, Hero?

My main issue with this hand is that I feel I may have played scared money on the flop/turn setting me up for an awkward river spot. I honestly was slightly concerned with the possibility of TT/AA, or a face card coming on the turn/river in a large pot. On the other hand I don't think it was too suboptimal to underrepresent my hand on a dry board like this... Thoughts?

Hand 1

Hero button straddles $10, dealt KK. V3(SB) raises to $35, BB folds, 4 callers (stacks ~750)

Pot 185. How much do you make it? Note: I opened at least three times the previous round.

$240-$250. Make 'em pay.

Hand 2

UTG, V2(MP), V1(CO) limp $5, Hero(B) raises to $30 with 44, V3(SB) calls, BB and three limpers call.

Flop ($175) J99cc. Checked around, hero bets $95, V2 calls.

Turn ($365) Kx. Check, check.

River Ax. V2(275) checks. Hero?

Check behind. I know you want to rep an ace here but you are handcuffed by the size of the pot. This player seems like a calling station, not a LAG.

Hand 3

MP limps $5, V1 makes it $25, Hero(B) calls with ATo, MP folds.

Flop ($55) AT4r. V1 checks, Hero bets $30, V1 checkraises to $75, Hero calls.

Turn ($205) 6. V1 leads $140, Hero calls.

River ($485) 9. V1(750) bets $125, Hero?

My main issue with this hand is that I feel I may have played scared money on the flop/turn setting me up for an awkward river spot. I honestly was slightly concerned with the possibility of TT/AA, or a face card coming on the turn/river in a large pot. On the other hand I don't think it was too suboptimal to underrepresent my hand on a dry board like this... Thoughts?

If you have no history with villain then you should be careful to let him keep betting as you crush his range. Otherwise a case can be made for popping the turn.

I think the preflop call is so/so since you can make marginal hands that may face plenty of heat. Like a flop of QT4r for example.

"comprised of" ---> composed of


hand 1
i would make it 150 to go. you have a raise to 35 and 4 callers, if you make it anything less than 100 you can guarantee most will stick around to see a flop, and ideally you just want to go heads up and claim some dead money already

hand 2
check it back, he's committed himself.. also, why bet this flop with that many people in on that board?

hand 3
call, his range is balanced with sets and lesser aces

Hand 1: Something $125-$150 would be standard here. That is more then 3 times the previous raise, but that raise got a lot of callers. Enough that nobody can set mine and they are being charged to play less then premium hands. If you have been extra aggressive recently, this is a good spot for a fake squeeze. Make it $200/$250 and see if anybody shoves over top.

Hand 2: Check behind. When V2 doesn't bet river your probably good but V2's stack is so short he isn't going to call with anything you beat. He might fold some small over pairs but that is the best you can hope for and it isn't worth betting.

Hand 3: Preflop is somewhat marginal, I generally don't like calling LAGs with ATo because if we do catch an ace it is a toss up if we are ahead or behind but I will do it sometimes against a LAG who is raising a lot.

River underbet here is actually a bit scary and against LAGs who make big bluffs but bet small for value I just call. Against most this is a raise, I would go to $300, not quite a min raise but not big and still less then half villains stack. Only do this if your willing to call a shove over top though, if your not that confident your ahead then just call. Against a LAG on a very dry board, I don't mind the call down line, but I would also raise turn some of the time to get more money in and get some initiative in the hand.

Hand 1: Raising up to $175-200. You're not in love with the idea of getting more than 1 call when you raise.

Hand 2: I think you butchered this hand, quite honestly. I'm overlimping with low pairs almost always with 4 limpers. If you do raise you should go 10x the straddle to $50. Flop bet seems like throwing money away. How often are you going to get folds from everybody in a 6-way pot? River is pretty marginal if you want to try to rep the A at that point or not. In practice, I'd probably be so mad at myself for the way I have played this hand thus far that I'm spew jamming and hoping he has Jx and will fold.

Hand 3: I'd put a raise in. It looks so much like he has a scared two pair (particularly A4) and I think flatting loses too much value from this range that will never fold to your raise. I can't imagine he's betting less than 1/3 the pot on the river with a set.

#1 - Def raising to $175-$200 with the intentions of making it look like a steal hoping someone will jam with weaker hands.

#2 - I'm just calling PF. I'm never betting flop like you did as there are too many draws, Jx hands etc that will be calling and I don't like having to give up on the pot and I'm not a big fan of barreling with 44 either. I think the only thing we beat is a flush draw. Straight got there and over cards got there. Check river.

#3 - Kind of tough. I think as played I'm raising river to about $350-$400. Villain has weaker 2pairs and Ax hands more than sets. He bet $140 on turn then bet $125 on river. That sets off bells in my head as a weak blocker bet because he is afraid of checking and you making a big bet. We can rule out 66, 99 because of his raise on flop, and I think V rarely has 44. He may have 1010 or AA but we have two of his cards so with this information and his weak bet IMO he never has set.

Did any flush draw come on the turn in this hand?

Anyone just jamming river hoping to be called by AK,AQ, A9?

A back door flush draw did come on the turn in hand #3, i dont remember exactly which flop card was suited but due to the combos I remember it being unlikely.

Thanks for the responses, I think I should have made a small river raise in the last hand.

Results:

Hand #1 I made it 250 as a fake squeeze, everyone folded

Hand #2 I shoved river, villain instafolded. I think I was probably lucky no one had AJ or QT. judging from speed of his river fold I might have been good anyway vs missed flush draw or T8

Hand #3 I called river, villain showed A6o

1) ~200 to look like a squeeze and also thin the field.

2) Played pretty bad. I think you haven't adjusted your raising pre, too many are calling. In hand 1 there were 4 callers to the raise, hand 2: 4 people call your raise. Adjust and make it bigger if you're going to do it. You're not raising to bloat the pot up with 44. Otherwise just limp in with the rest.
Don't c-bet the flop, just give up with the hand. It hits your opponents pretty hard (You're 5 handed!). As played check back river and hope they had a missed F/S draw.

3) Probably just calling river against most competent V's as his calling range crushes you. Against V who is stuck and been drinking I'm shoving all day as he will probably call with AK/Q and A4/6/9.

Also fold pre. The way to adjust to wide openers should be to open up your 3-betting range not widen your calling range. ATo is a pretty poor hand to flat and to 3-bet with so just fold.