Hero: $380 - Just sat at the game. Did not recognize any players at the table but one, whom I have only played one other session with. I typically play ABC tight when I first get to a table in order to get a feeling how others are playing and adjust accordingly.

Villain: $500-$600 - Younger guy, unsure how he got his stack or if he bought in for the max ($500).

Hand: Villain (BB), Hero (CO) dealt 22

MP player limps $3, Hero calls, SB completes, V (BB) makes it $15. Hero only caller.
FLOP: 592
V cbets $15, Hero raises $35, V 3bets $135, Hero shoves. V tanks....

Was this the best line? V mentioned when I shoved that he though his re-raise was protecting his hand. So I was thinking he had something like 1010, JJ, maybe QQ, and A9. KK and AA I think would have opened larger pre and his tanking after my shove dismissed these two hands as well. Do you agree with that thought of his range?

Thanks in advance!

After just one limper to us in LP I'd be cool with raising, but I also think just overlimping is fine (especially if we are unfamiliar with the table). Even though it doesn't look like we're going to go multiway to the flop and we're unfamilar with the table, I'm cool with calling the relatively cheap preflop raise in position where we can hopefully profitably setmine.

I also raise the flop as the board is drawy and we don't want a scare card to come to kill the action, plus it will help us play for stacks (which we want to do) by the river. I probably raise a lot more, even upwards of $75 (although I wouldn't hate less). When villain 3bets we can either call (to shove turn) or shove now. The danger in calling is that a scare card could come to potentially let him get away, plus he's certainly shown so far that he seems pretty interested in getting it in (having already put in well over 1/3rd of his stack). We also have a totally unknown image (i.e. more likely to be called as an unknown, especially when compared to when people eventually figure out how tight we are). I think shoving at this point is fine.

GcluelessNLnoobG

I don't like the ~minraise on flop as you could be giving decent odds for V on draw. I like it about 50+ but the small raise worked out for you and got V to "protect" his hand. Once V tanks I'd be pretty comfortable with my set.

I raise pre, I raise the flop larger - to something like 60... As played, I flat the 3bet with plan of shoving all turns. Though if you'd raised more, his 3b would've been larger making your shove impossible for him to fold to.

I don't think there's any question as to whether we're comfortable with our set in a raised pot, SPR ~10ish for 125bbs (especially on this board, if BB raised 99/55 out of the blinds, nice hand sir). The only question (imo) is the best way to get the money in (i.e. slowplay versus fastplay).

The only reason imo to ever min raise when you are monster is if you are confident that your minraise will induce your villain to spazz raise you.

When this happens and we are in position, the best thing you can do is to flat. Reason being, when he spazz raises you he has retaken the initiative. If we are in position, come the next street, he will be compelled to continue because that is the only way he can convincingly tell his story and win the pot.

In the hand you posted, he bets, you min-ish raise him, he spazzes to $135, FFS just flat that. Come turn, no matter what he has, he will have to lead out a good $175 to $200-ish and THEN you can drop the hammer on him and he will be pot committed and have no choice but to call.

I like to think about the Chinese Finger Trap whenever I'm thinking about getting stacks in. If we are too aggro in regards to getting stacks in often times we can chase away or spook our villains into making correct folds.

However, if we approach the situation like a Chinese Finger Trap, then we can often trap our villains into playing for stacks because they will have no choice. What the hell do I mean?

Well, look at the flop min raise and then his subsequent spazz back at you. At that point he bet $135 and he has about $470-ish behind right and you have (if you call) about $370-ish behind. So eff stacks are about $370. If you shove, V can be spooked into folding.

However, what happens if you don't shove? What happens if you just flat? Pot will be $300 and eff stacks will be $370-ish behind. Come turn, what will V have to do no matter what falls on the turn? V will see that huge pot, then see eff stacks behind, and then he will have to make a play for it with 100% of his flop raise range to include AIRBALLS!!!! Given the size of the pot and how much he 3-bet on the flop his minimum bet will be $175, that is a $175 finger that will be stuck in the trap! THEN when we shove over the top of that, he is stuck and has no choice but to call off the additional $200-ish...

However, if we rejam on flop, we push out so much of his spazz range and we only get called by hands like AT or bigger sets.

So flat the re-raise and then prison rape him on the turn...

Grunch.

Nice hand, although I would raise the flop bigger initially. Make it like $60. And yeah, as played shove.

Raise flop to $60.

As played, it's close. Shoving can't be that big of an error seeing as how people stack off with KK/AA on the regular. But prefer flatting usually.

I like dgi's line except for the fact that we'll only have $240 eff instead of the 370 or so he is quoting.

The mistake was the minraise. That should definitely be larger.

I think DGI is probably right. When he 3 bets the flop and you're in position you don't have the danger of a missed bet on the turn because even if he checks, you can still bet it. If I were OOP I'd be shipping or if I knew the player would call a shove no matter what with an obvious overpair, I'd be shipping. As is, givehim two chances to make a mistake for the rest of his stack, shoving the turn or calling your shove on the turn.

I see merit to calling the flop, but as has been stated scare cards can kill our action. In addition, Villain could have something like AKcc and actually get there. Or he could have KK-TT and an over card fall and he now doesn't want to play for stacks. IME, players who are willing to 3bet the flop with an over pair when they get raised, won't fold that over pair very easily.

If Hero shoves the flop, the pot will be ~$545 and Villain will have to call ~$245 more. It's less than a pot sized shove. If we were deeper I think I like flatting to trap one more bet as your suggesting, but as the stacks as they are I prefer shoving the flop.