I don’t want to be results oriented so I wanted some help with this hand.

6 handed live 3/5

H in UTG (500) +1 opens to 15 with 99

V in BU (650) raises to 55

Folds to H who calls

Flop (115): 863

H checks

V bets 60

H considers a raise but just calls

Turn (235): 8

H checks

V bets 80 (I think the bet sizing looks weird at 1/3 pot after 1/2 on flop)

H calls

River (395): J

H checks

V bets 200

H thinks then calls against AK not sure about suit, V didn’t show

So my logic on the river was that there are likely 22-23 value hands that beat me (AA-JJ plus AJ and maybe 88) but I only need to be right 25% of the time. Can I find 7-8 bluffs? At least two (maybe three) combos in his 3! pre range are suited diamonds and I have seen tons of people go too far with AK. If a few of the other 15 AK combos take this line then the odds are enough. I am also assuming that TT checks back river but maybe that is a mistake.

Thoughts? Am I turning into a calling station? Should I have raised earlier (I am thinking not based on Vs perceived range)?

Nice hand. I would call down every street as played.

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This type of hand all comes down to what you think of your opponent. Can't really debate the merits of your play without that factor. Against some opponents, flop is the snappiest of snap folds. Against others your call/call/call is great.

I will say, population wise, the small flop c-bet & small turn barrel aren't typically indicative of an overpair to me. Not only are they small in relation to the pot compared to what I usually see, but obviously very little progression/growth in absolute $ size (55 pre, 60 OTF, 80 OTT), which is often more of an indicator since live players have so little concept of pot size. But the flop betsize is a bit more fishy than the turn bet size after the 2nd 8 comes out. I generally expect most villains with JJ+ to go bombs away on this flop, $80 at the bare minimum and usually 100+.

Also, don't raise any of your overpairs (99-JJ) on this flop. It folds out his bluffs and often isolates you against villain's overpairs & high equity draws, creating a bloated pot, out of position, with 2 streets left of betting.

Look like a well played poker hand by both of you.

Thank you for this. I kept wondering if I had played the hand too passively but I think you are right. In a 3! pot like this, a flop raise will not do me much help (over-pairs stay or 3! the flop, AK/AQ and maybe suited broadways fold, maybe some flush draws stay).

I appreciate that you posted a winning hand and are questioning it. That's rare and to be commended.

What range do you put the villain on for his 3bet pf? Unless it is pretty wide (10% of hands plus), calling was the mistake pf. You're oop and behind. Not a good place to be in poker.

As for the rest, I think it is played OK. Just keep in mind that he would have bet JJ the same way.

I question the call pre unless V regularly raises his button. I mean, he 3bet an UTG+1 raise, which should be pretty tight. Do you raise from EP often? Are you on the looser, more aggressive side to V?

Otherwise, the hand is fine. River is an in-game decision. Sometimes I call; sometimes I fold -- depends a lot on my V.

I have played with this V a good amount. He seems fairly TAG but we had just moved to 6-handed; he and I were playing 3-way before that. I had shown up with some light pre raises and 3-bets during 3-handed play. That being said, I was probably too loose pre. My thought was that we were playing fairly deep and I can set mine or potentially have the best hand.

Even with a tight 3-bet range (TT+, AQ+, AJs, KQs; 70 combos, ~5%), I think I have ~40% equity. If we open it up a bit more, equity improves a lot. Although I often will not be able to realize my equity (any face card is scary, playing oop) the times I hit a set against an overpair, I might be playing for stacks. Effective stacks were at ~100 bb and I needed ~35% equity to continue pre. Was it really that bad?

I am still not sure as I question pre-flop and river calls here the most. Appreciate the help.

Pre-flop is fine. You should probably list your position as HJ (Hijack) as that's what UTG+1 is on a 6-handed table. Also list the reads/history you have on the player, especially recent ones. If we lack that information, our assessment can only go so far.

Yes, six-handed pre is much better. I didn't see that!

Even 6-handed defending 99 vs a 4x 3b pre OOP is usually leaky barring some history that V 3-bets wider than 2-5%, live. Obv std call pre at an aggro table/online.

Ap post is fine

I don’t doubt the insight, but can you show me the logic behind this hand being excluded. Is it because it is in a bottom % of my range? The pot odds (for this hand) look fine against a 5% range (see above) with the benefit of stacks going in if I hit a set.

For reference, my opening range was probably 13% to 15% of hands. Is that too wide from the HJ 6-handed live?

If someone is only 3-betting JJ+, AK, your hand isnt doing very well. The fact he made it almost 4x pre instead of the “standard” 3x IP means you are getting a worse price to call. Then that means you should be folding more of your range.

If he 5x’es it pre, you should fold more hands, if he 6x’es, same, and so on. If he jams pre obviously you should call very narrow part of your entire 13-15% range.

People live are too value heavy when they 3b, so when they choose to 3b bigger than normal and are IP vs you, the correct strat is to tighten up your calling range significantly. No, you are not exploitable doing this because you are exploiting the fact that almost every live player is extremely unbalanced here and isnt bluffing enough.

Conversely, if he made it <3x pre i dont ever fold simply because of the great price we are getting and hence we can defend more of our range more profitable. If he 3x it, folding or calling are both dicey but i dont rly mind either way. Vs basically 4x raise OOP and against an avg range of JJ, AQs+ or possibly tighter think calling is pretty leaky. Against nonregs i see people flat AQ/AQs/AK/JJ/QQ at some decent frequency so yeah im just trying to say that 3b ranges overall are super tight

When you say 13-15% HJ 6-handed do you mean first to act or second to act? Seems like you opened UTG first to act here

UTG 6-handed 13-15% is fine, HJ you can probably do like 16-20%. These are okay RFI for online but for live since people just play post you can open up a little wider depending on how comfortable you are post, though imo not too much wider. There are a lot of reasons why you can open wider and capture more EV but that’s a little long and could be part of another thread